The Legend Of Spyro: Love And War Book 2

by Spyro and Cynder lover

Continuation Of Book One! With Malefor returned to normal, Spyro and Cynder in love, and everyone now back to their normal lives, another threat; Flint, the new Dark Master, will put everyone and friendships to the test, mixing lies and threats against one another. Death is around every corner, lives at risk, and sometimes, not even being dead means you're forgotten.

51. Chapter 51: The Pen And The Cob

Chapter 51: The Pen And The Cob

Moving through the other end of the world, one that was a mirror image of the earth itself, Cynder rushed her way through the solid matter that held the Guardian's Building together. Underneath her, and held to her claws like a bird gripping its prey, rested Spyro's body. He moved little, allowing her to take him basically anywhere. Once having reach the end of her abilities limited space, her body fazed through the roof of the building: the purple dragon's body doing the same. She elegantly placed him down on the roof, though from her speed and exit, her wings took flight for a second. Flapping her scales of black and red, she landed down next to her lover's right. Where she had felt the sun; the lightness in the air that was so easily breathable, the sounds of dragons roaming Warfang, it brought hope to her that Spyro would see what was possible thanks to him. Unfortunately, he still seemed shaken up. He wanted to fall to the floor but kept himself up. His arms, legs, and even tail wiggled in a sense of dread. What ever was bothering him, Cynder made it her top priority to help him through it, and to right what it was that was wrong, "Spyro... ...is... ...everything okay?" It was no surprise to her that he didn't respond, but even still, she made conversation, "Malefor... ...talked about that deal... the one Corvus made to you. If you're struggling on the choice to leave me, but want what's best for me at the same time, then... ...it's okay to let me go. Seeing you suffer because of me is..."

"No..." Hearing her say that only made things worse, "That's... not, what I want..."

She was happy to hear, though for what her words caused him to feel, she couldn't be proud of hearing him speak to her with praise while he suffered in pain, "Would it... ...make you feel better if I... told you a story?" Cynder walked up and stood directly at his side, not facing or pushing her scales against his own just yet, "I know you're probably going through something that needs time to manifest into words. So... ...if you'd like, I could always serenade you with my voice."

"Hehe..." His laugh brought upon a smile to her, and though he too showed one, he still needed time, "Didn't know you could sing."

"What? Me? Sing? Hellllll no. I thought serenade meant like, allow my voice to be heard in a soothing manner."

"You do that all the time though... ...hehe..." Spyro tried his best to stay positive, "I... ...wouldn't mind that at all to be honest..."

"Oh," She blushed, not expecting him to actually what her voice to be heard during his time of struggles, but she greatly accepted her task and took it seriously, "Alright, well... ...um... ...Oh! I have a perfect story! One that I found off a dead body which totally wasn't my doing."

"Hehe, oh no..."

"Don't worry. He was carving out sticks into sharp knives and was going around stabbing others for some reason or another. I made sure to shove one in his eye," The idea of death and destruction Cynder smiled on, and even past his unknown fears to her, he stilled looked at her with a drop of sweat, "Anyways, long story short, I found a book and decided to read up. It wasn't a long one. In fact, it was more so a child's book with pictures and easy to read lettering."

"You... found a child's book... on the body of a crazy man?"

"Sorry, what I meant to say was, I found it 'after' I killed the guy. I'm assuming he was chasing a few younglings, so when I followed where he was going, I found it in the grass," After a slight correction, she continued, "The story starts off rather doom and gloom. The hatchling in the story wakes up to find itself all alone and with no one around aside from its cracked open egg and the forest that stretched for miles," Her view focused out to the wide, open expanses of the world: life and lush green paths at the edges of every corner, "The little blue dragon made its way through woods, stumbling upon wildlife, and the cold reaches of the night. Owls made themselves known, and bugs of all sorts roamed the dirt and skies. However, with the hatchling not paying attention, it stumbled over something, more so bumped as what ever it was, the size was much too large for the little one to pass over."

"Cynder... ...I don't think me hearing about a hatchling's dead parents will make me feel any better."

"You really think I'd tell you a story to destroy your already weakened self?"

"Oh..." She didn't mean for him to take her words so aggressively, but his smile turned to a frown as he apologized, "Sorry... ...I didn't mean..."

"Spyro! Lighten up!" Cynder's cheery attitude was enough to warrant joy within, though still, he couldn't muster the energy to do so, "I wouldn't be smiling if I didn't already know the end of the story, and I damn sure wouldn't be telling you this if I knew it was going to hurt you," Seeing him look her in the eyes now with a heavy heart, love, and the need for emotional support brought her so much joy and excitement to see he trusted and relied on her as a caregiver, and his lover, "You know I love you. And if I knew where your limits were, I'd be trying to do a lot more with you."

"Ah. So, if I felt better, you'd make sure that the entirety of Warfang knew that me and you were mating up here? Like how you..."

"THAT WAS HER, NOT ME!" The female quickly turned red: remembering what she had said still burning deep to this day, and for them to be on the roof now, it didn't seem like such a far off idea, "Goodness, you males and always being so quick to think about mating," Her angered looks, puffed cheeks, and obvious want that showed past her denial helped Spyro feel a better emotion compared to death itself, "If that's what you're after... ...than fine... ...but just know I'm not going to be into it."

"Hehehehe..." This made Spyro laugh, and though he would've liked to pick on her some more, he wanted to hear the end to this story, "Maybe we can talk about this later. For now, I... I guess to help ease my mind... could you please tell me the end of this story?" She changed quickly, noticing his need was out of fear over what really happened: his mind already making up a false, bloody ended story, "All I can think about now is just... tears... ...tears that the hatchling is shedding over their possible mother or father's lifeless body... ...and I..."

"That's not how it ends!" She was quick to stop him there, her wing suddenly covering over the front of his chest as she sat by his side, "What the young one had bumped into was nothing more than a knocked over tree. Though, from the hit and speed to which the little one was going, blood started to pour from its head. Tears started to run down its cheeks as the hatchling was lost, scared, and confused. It didn't know what to do, so instead of picking itself up and carrying on, the little one sat there, crying an endless amount of tears and yelling out for someone to come rescue it. The sound however, lured Apes to this very location. The hatchling noticed past its teary eyes that it had been surrounded. There was no where left to go, nowhere left to run or hide. But when all seemed lost, a big, muscular dragon, and a slim dragoness rushed in head first, slashing up and ripping apart the threat right then and there!" She got a little too into the story, "The muscular dragon grabbed a nearby branch and jammed it down one's throat! The female gripped both sides of the Ape's neck and snapped it, her elbow then entering his skull as she shoved that monkey into the dirt below to which he belonged!"

Spyro blinked a couple of times to see her enjoyment over such death and destruction to her enemies, so much so that she nearly re-enacted the entire fight with her own claws and arms. Seeing his surprised look as she had stopped there, Cynder played innocent, giggling even as to try and play it off, "Ahem... point is... blood! Blood! Death and destruction everywhere!" She couldn't help herself though, but now that her need to think and shred was dealt with, the story continued, "Turns out the hatchling was saved by none other than its parents. The little one while small had a voice that shined to the skies above, and the parents heard their little ones cry clear as day. All in all, the reason I'm bringing this up, or rather, the moral of the story is, don't bottle your emotions up," Giving him a slight elbow to his shoulder, her enthusiasm and love was exactly what he needed, "Let me know where you're at and how you're feeling. If you don't, just imagine what could've..." Immediately and without a second thought, she stopped herself there, knowing what she was to say next was not something Spyro needed to hear, "Point is... ...you know me... ...and you know I would never take advantage of you."

"Unless it was to take what I, 'owe', you. Right?" He raised a brow to her, once again fluttering her embarrassment.

"So I'm the evil one for taking what you'll owe me in the future anyway?" Her paw tapped his nose, a chuckle escaping Spyro's lips from her actions, "You know... ...that story reminds me of Cora," Her paw backed from his nose, "She was lost, alone, and taken aback by what the world was truly like. Had it not been for her cry, had it not been... for us... ...I couldn't imagine what would've happened had we been too late."

"I... ...know what you mean..."

Cynder mentally slapped herself in the head, why would you say that?! Obviously he knows, and you just avoided this situation ten seconds ago! It physically pained her heart to see the smile she had made progress on faded from Spyro rather fast. Though for what she had said, there was no surprise as to why. After having dealt what felt like a killing blow to his morale, Cynder did a complete one-eighty, trying to make up for her previous screwup, "But that's not what we should think about!" She had his attention, and didn't dare make another mistake, "Spyro, look at what you've learned and the lives you've saved. Don't you remember back when you told me that it was because of me that the Destroyer was stopped? That it was because of me that everyone alive today was because I saved them? You can't look me in the eyes and reasonably say that none of that was your doing."

"Cynder... I..."

"No!" She wouldn't allow him to bash himself over what ever was happening, "Spyro, please... what ever you're going through, what ever that was back in the Chambers... please talk to me," Tears wanted to form in her eyes as well, scared and confused as to why Spyro was seemingly out of place, "You've always had rock hard morals, and would never stray away from who you are. But from where I'm standing, you're scared, confused, and have told me multiple times that all this is just... too much," He didn't answer, more so to allow her to open up as well, "You're trying to act high and mighty, and to keep this facade that you're indestructible. I don't want you lying to yourself on who you are, especially not to me."

Tears of his own that tried to stay held back rushed forward and out from the bottom of his eyes. His face tried to stay strong, but with the force to which his tears would eject themselves told a different story. Spyro didn't want to be alone, and thankfully, he wasn't. His heart felt so close to hers even without having his darkness sense such a presences. His paw suddenly moved and held her own, and though she looked at him, he didn't look back, but instead to the wide open green of the world. His voice nearly broke her, hearing now just how deeply destroyed he felt, "I'm... ...scared... ...Cynder," Her body hopped to see his body on the verge of collapse, and his voice becoming weaker by the second, "When I had learned about what the purple dragons were... ...what all we've done... ...what I could possibly become... ...how do I know when I'm not myself...? ...How do I know... ...when... ...or how soon... ...our final goodbye would be...?"

His tears poured from his eyes now: his hold over Cynder's paw tightening as his eyes clenched shut. Somehow, for her, she could feel almost every ounce of pain that he was going through. Whether it just be the topic he spoke on, the way he phrased his words, or the tears that dropped from his chin and coated the ground below. Through it all, the two held one another's paws: their love for each other showing no signs of fading away or weakening. She gave him all the time he needed to let these tears flow, though the same could be said for her too. Taking her own advice on this one, instead of holding back how she felt, the flow of water from her eyes was allowed entirely. Spyro somewhat recovered enough to open his eyes, his agonizing pain weighing himself and Cynder down in a pit of despair, "I'm sorry, I... ...I'm sorry..."

"Spyro... there's no need to rush. Take your time... ...please," At this point, she had to cuddled him: her right wing still holding over the front of his chest, but with her left wing over his back, it felt close to a loving hug.

He somewhat took her advice, taking a little more time to let his tears and emotions show. Her emotional support was everything he needed right now, and since no-one else was around, he felt much more comfortable to collapse in a sense. It felt good to him to know that his vulnerable side wasn't something Cynder feared. She enjoyed seeing something that humanized him, rather than a constant light and hero for many, "You know... ...seeing you tear up is rather... enjoyable to me," He laughed to this, but she immediately fixed herself once realizing how bad that sounded, "I don't mean that in a painful way! I meant it... more so towards knowing that... ...well, like Flair, I do fear others for many reasons. I see, hear, and feel my surroundings... ...but at times don't feel like those I talk to really exist," Her speaking gave time for him to breathe, think, and smile on his choice of choosing her as his lover, "Every time I think back to who I was, or those that I killed, it felt as though my life had one set path. I was simply a pawn to further conflict in this world... to burn up and die in history so others would know me simply as a monster... ...and to never be... me."

"Why do you think I never cared about what you did?" His mind was splint in many directions on what to talk about and discuss with her, but rather focus on his issues, Spyro felt the need to deal with hers, "You always talked about what you could've done, how you could've killed me; the many times you tried your hardest to get me to fear you, to run away from you... ...all it did... was make me fall in love with you."

"Hehe. Let me guess: you're after the deadly catch just like Cyril too, huh?" She giggled, the two sharing both a laugh, and a tear.

"Well... I guess I couldn't say that, what happened at the Dragon Temple warrants my trust in you. We mainly talked, and..."

"You chased me, wouldn't leave me alone, constantly bombarded me with questions. Yeah, my time at the Dragon Temple was great."

"Sorry, sorry," He laughed, "Never had I ever seen someone else of my own kind aside from the Guardians. And considering you were female, I guess I felt the need to get closer."

"But... why? Even at a young age, surely you were taught to stay away from strangers, and especially murders. Why leave the sight of the Guardians? Why leave yourself wide open when you know I could've killed you?"

"Aside from the fact that Sparks could've yelled his lungs off to get your sexy ass caught?"

"Oh yeah... that nuisance," Steam felt very prevalent in Cynder's head from anger.

"I could always just chop it up to me being a dumb kid. But... I guess my childish nature saved me..." Spyro remembered far back from their time together, "Cynder... ...do you remember when we first woke from the Volcano? How we were... somewhat scattered, and didn't know where we were or what to do?"

"Yeah. I woke up in absolute tears thinking you had up and left me while I was weak. When I heard a noise, my first instinct was to kill, and give up on life entirely."

For some odd reason, he didn't say anything afterwards. Instead, his head ducked down and nuzzled the neck of his female. He didn't do too much in his movements: his forehead rubbing against her neck before resting there for a few more seconds. Cynder tried not to jump over this loving feeling; her mind unable to tell herself what was right or wrong, or how she could better herself to help him even more so, This heat is so frustratingly unbearable! I want to do so, so much more for him, but I don't understand why! Even though I know this is what he wants, why do I still feel useless?! Why do I feel the need to do more?! His head backed from her neck, the female already missing his rested head to her neck, but at least this meant his voice would be heard to her, "When I was laying on my back... ...powerless, weak, and on the brink of death... ...I cried within," A laugh escaped his lips, but this clearly wasn't the emotion he wanted to feel as a tear followed out from his eye, "I saw the blue sky... I saw a chance to continue on fighting... ...but everything within me knew that... ...I'd never see anyone again. I knew I would die with questions, regret, and misery. You were gone, Ignitus was gone... and I never would've known what happened to my brother, my parents, and the Guardians..." His eyes fixed to her emerald green ones, allowing her a view and insights into his heart and soul, "But when you pounced on me... ...when I saw your face... your colors, your teeth, your blade... ...had it not been for how weak I was... ...I would've cried... ...I would've cried, I would've let an endless stream of tears go, I would've held you close, and I... ...I would've laid there for the rest of my life as long as I knew that I would have you."

His words hit close to home: his smile, tears, and gentleness to it all manifested a feeling of love to which she had never experienced before. Something about them felt closer, and though Cynder noticed it more so thanks to a more controlled and calmed demeanor, Spyro too seemed to see so much more in their future together. Each word hit like an arrow to her heart, a weirdly comfortable pain that she enjoyed all the way through. But, from his words brought weakness and tears to her too, both of which she wouldn't allow, "You are trying way too hard just to get one night's worth of ass!" She growled at him, nearly snapping with her teeth showing, her word choice garnering a laugh from Spyro, "What happened to wanting to know if your parents were alive, huh?! And I just... why would I bring a smile to your face?! Why did you trust me?!"

Never had he been asked such an easy question before; so easy in fact that he smiled to it, "Because just like Flair to Cyril... without you... ...I have no future," She was stunned on this response, realizing now and more effectively than ever that his feelings to any other female truly didn't exist, "You were so scared that you'd turn against me: that you were simply meant to kill me. You... ...were a weapon... ...and you never thought that would've ever changed. I... ...feel the same way too..." What he was thinking about for so long now finally came full circle, "How do I know... that I'm not a weapon?"

"What?" Wondering what could've brought this on, she had her ideas, "Oh... ...is, this, about that nightmare Corvus put you through?"

"Cynder, I..." It clearly ate at him for what he had seen, but he didn't know how to express that pain, "I feel like I lose either way... ...and that, what I am isn't something I can avoid," He didn't face her; once again looking to the ground in defeat, "When you get down to it, there's really only two ways my life will play out. Either I fail, and watch as the world suffers for it. Or... I become the weapon that purple dragons seemed destined to become. It's nice to know that Flair wouldn't kill Cyril. It's nice to know that... ...the bonds and connections everyone has made here seems to have impacted everyone positively. But... ...so what?" The way he thought about everything tore her soul to hear him so low, almost without a soul or smile on the future, "I'm a monster. I'm powerful, but being weak means I fail. Being powerful means I have the chance to become arrogant, possessive, and controlling. How do I know when too much is too far? How do I know that... what path I'm on now will lead to some... golden age future?"

The purple dragon laid there in confusion; defeat over something that hadn't even happened yet. From Cynder's mindset, she knew and believed it never would. This kind of thinking made her remember back, and it was a perfect time for her to dispute his own destructive thinking, "Flair wouldn't shut up about this exact situation... ...and unfortunately, same could be said for Carith," She had his attention, "From our last girl's day, those two were the main ones who feared you, being new and all to who you were and your strength. Carith asked me, 'If Spyro ever did become evil and something happened, who could stop him?' Then Flair also had some choice words, saying, 'and just if, or when, that day comes where you can't stop him, what then?'"

It helped little to none that he was being talked bad about behind his back, but he couldn't blame them, "So then... ...that's it? Ersa fears me, Flair fears me, Trish fears me... ...Carith fears me... ...Malefor... ...fears me..." He somewhat deflated, now knowing nothing at all of what to do, "Everyone I know... ...has fear over me. Even if it's in secret, I know that... ...many see me in the same vein as Celina does," Now he spouted out words, "Makes me wonder what life would've been like had I died when I should've... ...makes me wonder if... ...maybe our time together is something meant for history to repeat itself... not out of anything meaningful or... ...long term..."

"Spyro!" Cynder couldn't believe his way of thinking at this point, "So what?! You're saying this is my fault?! You're saying that, by me saving you from my energy and my little life left to get your ass out of the Volcano: all this pain and worry you're experiencing now is on me?!"

"What? No, Cynder, that's not..."

"Shut up!" Backing away completely, she tucked her wings and stood; asserting dominance in this situation, "I know how you feel, and I know what you're going through because I went through it too!" He watched in dismay to see her tears, knowing he was the cause of them, "When I said that you killing someone would make me love you more, I meant it. Because just like then, and even now, I would understand just what you're feeling... ...that hopelessness, that fear, that panic..." She knew it all too well, "When it came to me and you, I knew exactly what this was between me and you. You really think I believed what we'd have would last? You think I smile every day because I don't know how the world works? I have a mindset in two places, same as you. I'll either turn and kill you, or I'll inevitable die for you, so you can move on to someone else, someone more important!"

Her blade itched to kill, something within her now unable to deal with what she was feeling, and the only way out being to kill. Spyro on the other hand understood, and somehow, by him understanding her, it prevented this bloodthirsty nature, "That's why you're so scared of Amara, or any other female that I cross paths with..." Cynder's eyes went wide to hear him say this, somewhat not understanding how she felt even herself, "It's not that you're afraid of me leaving you... especially not after what we've gone through. You're afraid of what I'd do behind your back, or how miniscule your life would actually mean to me once you're gone..." She stood there now, stunned to hear him say out loud and agreeing with it silently to the utmost degree, "Hehe..." He laughed, "So much to fear and so little time. I guess we've needed to discuss a lot more than we realised."

Even at such a dark moment, Spyro still found time to laugh: to bring join in this dim moment of time. Thankfully, to aid in this feeling of needing a breather, the cool breeze of the outside open air let itself be known to their scales. The swift, gentle touch; the sounds of trees rustling in the wind, and animals such as birds and insects making their sounds known, it all felt so lively. Seeing Spyro smile in his bright colors, to know what he was trying to do, Cynder beat herself up mentally for breaking down so fast and making things worse for him. She didn't want herself to seem unimportant, and instead apologised before moving forward, "Spyro..." He looked over to her, "I'm... ...I'm sorry... ...I didn't... ...I didn't mean to make things worse."

"How did you make things worse?" He didn't see it that way, "You helped me realize something, something that was bothering you, and being able to help you understand that so it didn't eat at you... ...hehehe... ...I see that as a win-win."

"Why do you do that?!" She accidentally went over board again, "All I did was make things worse for you! I called out the truth that the girl fear you, that our lives together is something I know will destroy us in the future, that I'm basically worthless and can't do anything right! And yet, even when you're at your lowest... why do you always find time to pick others back up? Like with me, Claire, Volteer, Malefor... ...you always focus on everyone else, but never yourself."

"Hehehe," He still found a way to chuckle, "Because last time I tried to do something for myself, it nearly costed you your life, and the bones of Ignitus."

"Why don't you try again?" Easing down some, Cynder wanted nothing more than to make herself feel wanted, "You can't blame yourself for what the darkness did. You can't blame yourself for wanting to impress me. Like it or not, it's not entirely true that we all fear you. Flair... found meaning in who you are, and I've said the same thing countless times," She sat down, not quite ready to lay by someone such as him, "She said... ...that you would make an amazing father," This raised a brow from him, "Hehe, I know, I know. Something like that coming from Flair does sound off putting, but... ...it's true, and I believe the same."

"And how could I possibly make for a good father when I can't even make for a good lover?"

"Cyril had told her this... he said, 'a father would jump in front of danger, and die without hesitation to protect his loved ones. Dying to protect someone means you can die happily, knowing you saved a life, even at the exchange of your own...'" He thought about what she had said, not knowing whether or not that applied to him, "And... just as Flair feels for Cyril, I do to you as well. After Flair had spilled basically her guts trying to give you a complement, she did so to Cyril as well, one that I can say the same about you."

"Does it involve death?"

"Hehe, actually, it does," She laughed, making her way down now to lay back at his side, "She said, 'Even as much as I wish to kill Cyril and run away from this... If it wasn't for his support throughout the time I've been here... I would've made a mistake... another one in my life, that I would've regretted," Spyro's wing instinctively went over her back as she continued the story, "I obviously don't wish to kill you, but... ...she basically said the same thing that I've thought about for so long."

"So... ...what I'm hearing is, I'm bad, just not, that bad."

"What you're hearing," She placed a paw to his snout, growling even to see he still hadn't gotten the message, "Is that, by you being you, we've all learned not to fear you. Serena, Ava, Flair, Ersa, Carith, Claire, Trish, Amara, and just, so much more in your life you've proven time and time again that you aren't some weapon of mass destruction. Sure, we've all feared you at some point, even me; but because you kept at it, because you stayed true to yourself, that's what mattered in the end and that's what makes you so amazing."

Spyro still had plenty to fear: so much to think on that pained him one way or another. He didn't know if speaking about all his life problems was a good idea or not, but instead of focusing so heavily on the negative, he wanted to speak positivity, "Thanks... Cynder. That... does mean a lot."

"Buuuuuut?" She raised a brow after having dropped her paw from his snout, knowing where this was going.

"Hehe... got me there," Once again, he tried to laugh it off, "I... ...never really knew how much I had to fear until reality hit me."

"Let's start slow then. Start with your nightmare and let it all out. Tell me how you felt, why, and what really bothered you."

"Well... honestly... ...everything," He laid his chin down onto his paws, knowing this was going to be difficult to talk about, "I'm scared of losing myself. I'm... scared... that one day, I'll go to sleep, take something, or have something happen to me that'll... black out my senses. Our time... my life... ...it'll all blur," Where his face stayed neutral, the tears coming out from his eyes spoke volume in what was truly being felt on the inside, "I won't know what I did or, what happened to those I love. And all the time I could've spent with you or this family... ...I'll miss out on all of it. I could... blackout and then suddenly... ...ten years pass. You moved on, others had hatchlings, some might have left the other, or... ...some lives... would've left this world... ...and I wouldn't remember a thing," He didn't take much of a break between words, "I look at who I am and what's out there now... ...but what if someone I knew died? What if I lost you? What would become of me then?"

"Spyro..." She held what paw of his she could grab hold of, wanting him to know he wasn't alone.

"It's... ..." The purple dragon sighed, "It's why I can understand Malefor's frustration towards Corvus. All that time... ...wasted. Carith wasn't able to aid him, the Guardians were left in the dark about everything all together, and to have his own friend betray him in such a way..." Feeling stuck in life altogether, he wanted to do something, Cynder especially, but neither knew what to do, "Had I lost fifteen years... nearly sixteen of our time together... ...what would I do?" Speaking on an future of loss broke his voice, "What if Ignitus had died during that time? What if everyone here never met, because I wasn't here to do something about it? I'll never know... ...and how could I...? I was weak... scared... alone... ...and never would I have ever been able to do anything because... ...life... ...was simply a blur."

Cynder gripped his paw a little more firmly, letting him know the rage and frustration she too felt over his painful outlook. She wouldn't allow him to think this way, and knew at all best she needed to tackle these fears as he once did for her, "But that's not what happened! And that's not what will ever happen!" His eyes directed to her, "Spyro, look around you! You've brought everyone together, you've saved the world countless times, and have brought hopes and dreams back to those whom unfortunately lost their way!" She slipped her paw away from his, making jesters in the air with her paws, "Look at what you did for Serena and Ava. They were broken, lost, scared, and confused, just the same as you were feeling: how you perceive your future to be. You brought life, happiness, and a spark of hope back within their souls all because you cared, and fought for them to see light in even the darkest of times."

"Do you... ...really think we can trust them?"

"Did you think you could trust me? Malefor? Claire? Flair? You're wondering if you can trust a mother wanting to reunite with her husband and end a conflict that has proceeded to end the lives of hundreds, many whom were probably innocent?" Shaking her head at it all, Cynder saw no reason for this to be an issue, "Serena is broken. Like her, do you really think I'd be able to handle taking care of a hatchling on my own? Spyro, I would need support, love, and guidance, because even when I know parents should be strong, you standing over me, over us: me and our hatchling in the rain, it's what gives us hope. It's what makes us believe in sunshine after a terrible storm," Spyro raised his head, surprised to hear quite a lot of detail in what she was saying, almost as though it was premeditated, "Your power doesn't scare me, and while hearing what Fabian was and what he did to Flair did make me question a male's strength... ...you're simply not that type of guy."

"Am I worse?"

"Say some stupid shit again and my tongue will meet your throat."

"Herp-derp-slurpy-purp-" Cynder growled in a smile to see what he was doing, and he called it how it was, "Oh no, don't put your tongue down my throat, I'll enjoy it."

"This is what I'm talking about," Him being him gave her all the more reason to back who he truly was, "You being you is what makes you lovable. You can't blame yourself for not being able to do everything, and when it comes down to those who fear you, that all just takes time," From her tone, to her looks, to her body language; everything within Spyro told him to trust her, "It's like our time together. I wanted desperately to fall in love, to experience a life with you, and to see if what I what matches my needs, while also complementing the fact if I should or shouldn't deserve a good life."

"What did you tell yourself to rid these fears?"

"I stayed with you," It was as easy as that for her, "Our love I knew couldn't come swift, my experiences with men was obviously short considering you were my first, and being able to learn more about you, it wasn't so much what I needed, it became what I wanted. In many ways, I idolized you because I didn't have a clear goal of who I wanted to be. But then when Flair joined us, I've, somewhat wanted to idolize her."

"Oh no," Spyro gave a nervous chuckle.

"Oh no indeed since now I want to train to kick that purple ass of yours. But that's not exactly why I want to become more powerful. I get a male is supposed to provide, but what am I to your back, considering you carry me basically everywhere. I don't want to rely on you all the time, because when shit hits the fan and your down for the count, who would you look for? Who's name would you cry out for?"

"In the grass, your name. In bed, always your name."

"You sexy dragon you," She patted his snout with her paw, "But that proves my point. Yes, Malefor has the ability to do more, but... ...when me and you were defending Warfang... when we came together and fought back their forces, and connected once again through heart, mind, and soul..." A soft sigh was given by the female, "I miss that. I miss... ...being by your side and enjoying what you enjoy: to fight, bleed, and shred through corpses and evil. I have the girls to offset our time together, to give me time to myself. But... ...I feel like we haven't spent that much time together at all."

"I... ...know what you mean. Sitting with one another or, laying in bed is a perfect moment for us... ...but since Flair has joined, hehehe... ...it's been pretty chaotic. It's not a bad thing by any means but... I don't know. With something new happening everyday, it's hard for me to think of places to go or, sights to see with you. I want to be here, and to make sure that once I do leave Warfang once again, I don't have to worry about what the Dark Master did or, who did something and what happened for them to break up."

"Too be honest, I... feel very comfortable with Flair being with everyone."

"Same... if I'm really being honest with myself here. For someone who doesn't care about life, she sure does know how to protect it. It was weird seeing Flair try her best to help Cyril, though her kill wasn't... exactly what I would've liked to see. Had I been there sooner... I could've done something. But instead, I allowed the Dark Master to play games with my head."

"I... actually agree with Flair's actions," Cynder's lover raised a brow to her, "For what they did, he got what he deserved and should've known what would've happened for taking such hostages. I'm against the murders I caused, but do you honestly think I cared when I killed those who tried to abuse their power? I would've done the same thing."

"Do you think that's a metaphor for something? Hell... even foreshadowing?"

"Foreshadowing what?"

"How you'd kill someone if they abused their power. Do you think... that's... what would happen to me? Between... us?"

Cynder took a hefty sigh to hear him say, understanding why he was tearing himself down but wishing he wouldn't. Her darkness somewhat wanted to show, frustration and sadness taking hold on her heart, knowing she needed to lock these fears down. Taking a gentle approach, she started off soft, smiling at him in a creepy way, "Spyro..." Where her looks said one thing, her blade to his side said another, "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Um..." He dropped sweat, feeling the poke of her blade tip right against his scales, "Will yes get me stabbed, or..."

"Stop bringing your nightmares to life!" Her outburst made him jump, not expecting this in the slightest, but she calmed afterwards, "Sorry, I... ...I'm just afraid for you... and with you. It's something that I too think about... but we shouldn't think about horrific or horrendous futures that'll never happen. You saying something like that is like me saying, 'Well, what if I stabbed you right now a flew away? What would happen to the Guardians? What would happen to the world if I killed you right here and now'? These aren't the hypotheticals you should be thinking about. We aren't in that time crystal anymore. Thinking about my death or someone else's isn't where your mind should be."

"So then... ...what do you think I should focus on? Every time I try to think about something else, these, intrusive thoughts, hit me like a bat out of hell. I want to believe everything will be alright. I want to believe that what we'll have will last forever. But for some reason, thinking about what we have now is just... ...it's scary to think I might lose this one day," Spyro ended his words in pain and guilt.

"It all depends on how you think about things. Every day is another day to die, but it's also true when it comes to life. Every morning on our way back to Warfang, I felt the same way," Her honesty lit open his eyes, wanting to hear what she experienced and what she did with those emotions, "What if apes killed us when we slept? What if we didn't make it back to Warfang? What if... you had died... and I was all alone on my travels back to Warfang. Do you honestly believe the Guardians would've accepted me? You think Cyril wouldn't have tried to kill me?"

"And yet... you still went to bed with all those thoughts," Her words more so pained him to hear, knowing now that she was in even more pain than he could've imagined, "How did you do it?"

"I, had, you," She tapped a claw to his chest with each word she had said.

"Me?" He didn't believe her

"You're surprised at that, but I can't be surprised at the fact that your mind didn't off itself all because thoughts of me caressed and cared for it when we were frozen in time?" The raised brow she gave made him chuckle, seeing completely where she was right, "Your smile is what woke me, your heart beat is what kept mine alive, and for you to whisper to me... to tell me everything was going to be alright... ...I believed, and trusted you, to my core. Look at me. Look at what you've given me. A home, friends, a family, a reason to wake up even more so because I know, those bodies that I'm around, won't be lifeless corpses. They'll all laugh, breathe, and smile, and even on the small occasions we fight... it's one to which I know won't cost a life at the end of it all."

The purple dragon simply laid there, taking it all in for what him and his female had discussed. There was plenty for him to fear, all to which he didn't know quite how to deal with, and when it came down to the solution, he struggled on it, "You know... it's... difficult, for me to agree with my strength as a solution to a problem, for almost every occasion that occurs. If I look at the future or, Amara's reappearance here soon or, what the Dark Master might be up to, my first thought to it all is... will I be strong enough. Will I be... capable, enough, to protect you, and my family, from harm."

"Spyro, look at my blade," She held it between the two: the sliver shine easily able to deflect light, though thankfully, she angled it so no such thing would happen, "When you see my blade, what do you think about? Is it the idea of death? Murder? How the lines and sharp edges could easily slice through the toughest of dragon scales? Or, do you see something different? Something outside the realm of blood soaked ideas."

Taking a minute to understand her questions, he couldn't figure it out, and instead laughed in honesty, "Well, when I think of your tail blade, I more so see romantic dominance between me and you. Of course you use it to attack, but it's always a way of defence. When I see that shine and know it's from you, I... really only see play. Even when you point it at my eye, something within me gets riled up, and I... want to put my mouth over it..." She raised a brow to him, though not for the reasons he was freaking out about, "As like a primal instinct! But even then, I'm not entirely sure why!"

"You just answered your own question, you dork," Cynder giggled to him, seeing his flustered red cheeks out of embarrassment for what was said.

"I... ...I did?"

"My blade is meant for murder, but for you, it's... moreso a way for... foreplay," Even with her smile, it was a failed attempt from both to keep tensions low when it came to more exotic needs, "It doesn't matter how strong you are. What matters is the message, and how you use that power to make others feel safe. In many ways, what you should be afraid of is failure."

"That's definitely on my already large list of fears. Especially if my failure costs someone their life... or a failure that'll forever disappoint you."

"How about this. I'll help aid both those fears in a swift manner," Cynder's brightly colored smiled, the way she spoke, the way she moved her slender parts: Spyro was all ears, and eyes, "What you did for Kayla and the others was a perfect example of a million outcomes that went great but could've gone better. However, with that being said, your actions made a lasting impact on all of us that day, all to which were positive."

"Really? But... ...I felt like I failed that day."

"You could've, and here's where you're wrong. Your failure would've come from dragging on too long with Talon's death. Your failure would've come had you done more harm than good to the souls around you," There was a lot she had to back her claims, "You broke your own paw, kept calm, still, and understanding to those four that feared you. You used your strength to protect them, to show them Seth wasn't exactly telling them the truth of it all. What happened made me smile, to collectively see and understand what you did was something I could truly be proud of."

"You... ...were proud of me?"

"Let's take your previous fears to heart. In your mind, you would've broken Talon's neck, slapped Kayla aside, and would've gone on to attack Dalton who's mate was right there. You could've been vicious, more commanding, and destructive on your path to controlling the situation. They feared you, and with nothing left to hold them afloat, you could've broken them. But that's not what happened, and it's because you already have the underlying definition of too far, and what your strength really means," With this out of the way, she went on to the positives, "However, and thankfully, you became a beacon of hope for them, as you are to me. At the end of it all, Kayla smiled, Linda laughed, and their males trusted you, so much so that they all agreed to see you once again. When Kayla slapped you, that bitch," Spyro chuckled, "Sorry! Had to get it out there... even though Celina slapped you as well... ...actually, now that I'm thinking about it, why do women keep slapping you?!"

"Hehe, I have a way with women I guess. My mom once slapped me too, though that was on accident because Sparks was messing around, and it more so felt like a leaf hitting my scales."

"Well, unlike those, clearly unworthy females for you, 'I', would never hurt you... ...physically," The two laughed to this, "Even though I have felt the need to sink my teeth into your neck and actually poison you."

"So... the same as those others females then?"

"I'm not going to slap you! I'm just going to... numb your neck so my teeth can seep through your scales so I can better paralyze you as my meal..." He had to blink a couple of times to hear her say, and though she thought about it, she had no regrets, "But obviously the idea of breaking your scales isn't something I'd enjoy!" He simply smiled to her either way, not wanting to push it as a blush of an uncomfortable nature appeared to her face, "What I was trying to say before was...! ...You've... made a difference. Serena, Ava, the group of four; hell, you even made an impression on Amara and Axel. If you were truly feared, if you didn't have control over your strength and understood what was morally right or wrong, do you honestly believe anyone would come back to see you?"

"Maybe it's because they see my power and hope to abuse me, or trick me into ending their wars."

"Ooooor, maybe it's because they've never felt more at home, more protected and comforted by someone such as you. I mean, look at how afraid and misunderstood everyone is of you. It only took a day for you to show them what hope really was: to change their minds about who you really are! Spyro, you're incredible! You're considerate, passionate, loving, strong, and a beacon of hope for everyone around you!" Her wide open smile, outspoken expressions, and overall joy finally got him to smile on the future again, "Like I said... I too once feared you. But back then, it wasn't because of your power. It was more so... what you'd do to me. How would you kill me, how would you make me pay for my sins, where would my body hang as my blood dripped to the floor; all those were fears I had... fears... ...that I'm sure many had when they heard how powerful you were."

"Do you... ...still have those fears?" Spyro shivered to hear what she had originally thought of him.

"Pffffffft," The female blew a raspberry, "Helllllll no. You've given me enough confidence and freedom to know that I'd beat your purple ass any day. Which... ...even if all else fails... ...I know I could stop you," Bringing her voice back down to show her seriousness, she always wanted him to know how she felt about the idea of him being a weapon, "I love you... and... I know you love me. From our kisses to our nights to our oh so enjoyable cuddling... I don't believe you'd ever become what others were... and that's because, unlike them, you have me," Her paw came back to his; a slight rub to the top with a thumb caressed and identified love within her actions, "Remember all the times I've had to save you from thee... what if, side of things? That one time in the mountain where you got stuck in the corruption, when you tried controlling your dark powers after we saved Cora, at the Volcano after you believed Ignitus had passed."

He smiled at first, hearing and truly believing in all that she had to say. With his smile came a laugh, one to which Cynder smiled for to see his joyous nature return, "I guess that proves the back and forth me and you have had for so long."

"Which one?"

"Who's saved who the most. Which..." The sigh he gave was a happy one, and the look in his eyes that he gave to Cynder was hopeful, "You're right... ...you're... right about it all," The mood for the two grew increasingly gentle; the wind making its way past and through their scales, offering a sense of warmth yet chill that brought upon a feeling of pleasure to their bodies and noses, "I guess we do still have our differences in who's done more for whom but... every time I look back... every time I remember wanting to give up... ...you were always there. Just our time in the Volcano alone felt like a lifetime of love and support. There was never a time we were apart, aside from that one night because of the Guardian's fears. But... it's because of that night that... I know... what I'd become, if I were to lose you."

"That kind of thought process doesn't make you a monster," His joyous feeling already faded, but Cynder was quick to aid in this low point of his life, "We've all thought about what life would be like without the other, and... if I'm being honest with you... ...I... ...don't know what I'd do without you. Sure, Ignitus showed me that 'what if' had you lost in a sense to the Destroy... but that was best case. If we're going off of what would've really happened... ...I might've lost control," She lied to herself, "No... ...I... definitely, would've lost it. In all reality, I wouldn't have know what to do with myself. I've felt the pain already when it came to losing you... to know... I'll be alone from her on out without you, and I... ...I couldn't do it..."

"So... ...what do you think that makes us?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we mentally couldn't live without the other... if we know that, losing the other would most likely cause another war... ...does that mean that we... shouldn't... be together...?"

Cynder sighed heavily to once again hear him questioning their relationship together. She understood why, and he was giving plenty of reasons to back his statement, but that didn't make it any less painful on her. Keeping herself calm and collected, at first, she decided to joke with him, "Spyro, If you want to bang Amara so badly than just say it."

"What?"

"When it comes to your thought process, I have to ask. Do you honestly hear the words you say half the time?" Her smile confused him, "Like it or not, either we ride together or we die together, there's really no in between. As I've already said, stop thinking about hypotheticals. If you were to try and apply this same logic to our first fight with the Dark Master, your recovery, the second showing, and many battles after; do you honestly believe things would've been better? Do you really think that, by us breaking up now, that'll prevent your nightmarish futures from becoming a reality?"

"I... ...I don't... ...I don't know..." A tear dropped from his right eye, one to which she could easily see, "I know what you mean to me. I know... how much, you mean to me; which is why I'm stuck in this position of, does us staying together benefit us and the world more, or would us parting ways do more good instead of harm?"

"Oh, Spyro... my cute, soon to be paralyzed, lovable, and lickable scales, purple dragon," The female shuck her head to him, "Stop. With. Thee. Intrusive. Thought," Each time she a word, her free claw tapped his chest, "Who gives a shit about the future? Who gives a shit about thinking on things we aren't prepared for? You're scared not because of the powers you have, but the powers to which you don't possess."

"What do you mean?"

"You're afraid of becoming a monster, afraid that you won't have the strength to save me, afraid of being betrayed, back stabbed, and lied to. But, look at everyone else around you and understand you are like a father to them," Cynder had high hopes that she'd be able to get through to him this way, "How do you think Serena feels? How do you think Kayla feels? They know that without a shadow of a doubt you could crush their skulls with minimal effort, and yet, even with those fears, you gave them a reason to smile; a reason to look forward to coming back, and a reason... to believe... in a real life hero... ...just like how you did for me..." Her lips watered for his, and thanks to the sun's reflections, she could tell she wasn't alone in wanting to make face with one another: Spyro's lips dripping saliva in anticipation, "Ever day is a day of growth... a day to learn something we otherwise wouldn't have know yesterday. Instead of those intrusive thoughts taking over, why don't we role-play the truth... as we have for my evil form?"

"The truth?"

"What if... down the line, I find out that I have a way to completely nullify your powers no matter how strong you are? What if your heart truly touches Corvus's own, and by some miracle, you reunite him with this, Luna female? Corvus teaches you how not to become evil, uses the Dark Creatures to watch over everyone on earth, and allows us some RnR from time to time. You gain the trust of your enemies, friends, and even those who otherwise believed you to be evil, and all this worrying; all this... unnecessary time spent near bedrock in your thoughts... it'll all have been for nothing," For some unknown reason, a row of teeth were displayed from the female: Spyro dropping sweat out of fear to what she might be planning to say, "So stop wasting the brain power worrying about all this other bullshit when you should be focusing on stuff such as: how am I gonna kiss Cynder tonight? How else should we role-play to keep things fresh and exciting? Should I wrestle for dominance with my tongue over hers but fail last second and allow her complete control over my actions? And, wait for it! Before you say anything! I can say without a shadow of a doubt, you'd say yes to the last one for sure."

"Haha!" Spyro laughed to this one, "You've got me there. And since 'I' seemed so convinced to give you complete control, I guess I have no choice but to give in to my body's needs. Though..." She was all at the ready for this wonderful, and completely dominate kiss, one to which Spyro would've been at her mercy for, but he still seemed to have more to say, "I... ...have to thank you. Even when I'm at a low point... even when I do things or say things out of rage, or anger... ...you take the time to understand what's happening, instead of believe that what you saw then was... who I am now... who I want to be. But... ...it's not. And in all reality, who I want to be seems to... contradict my powers."

"Because your strength leads many to believe your abusive? Maybe even a secret villain?"

"Yeah..." He looked at the muscles of his arms as he flexed, and though a frown appeared within his eyes, drool dropped from Cynder's mouth, "Having strength is another one of those... blessings, and a curse. But I guess with how my life has ended up so far, it's been... more of a blessing. Whether it be beating the Dark Master, saving Volteer, giving hope to those less fortunate... ...hehe... to be honest... ...now that I'm thinking about it..." The purple dragon seemed to laugh at his misfortunes, but it was the other way around, "I'm the dumbest son of a bitch on the planet!"

Spyro laughed out loud to how he was feeling now; his previous hauntings from intrusive thoughts seemed to have changed for him. Seeing her purple dragon laugh to the skies in a joyful smile, and those bright purple colors that the sun gave way to shine on to, Cynder herself couldn't help but share in on the fun. A smile for her formed too, as did a giggle for his contagious laughter. Even as his head came down, Spyro still snickered through his teeth; tears of a positive nature dropping down from his lids below and onto his cheeks. After taking a sigh, and a claw to wipe one of the tears that itched his face, the once seemingly defeated and lost dragon showed his true colors one again, "I'm over here talking about how we should've maybe parted ways, how I should've never been a part of this family, and that I should've focused on training. And yet... ...hehehehe... ...I know for a goddamn fact that your sexy ass would always be on my mind," Hearing him speak so highly on her figure made the female blush, "Being away from you... was hell..." He brought his voice back down, "When you saved me after the Volcano, I saw hope... ...when we reunited after you had ran from that arrow cutting my cheek, I felt a sense of purpose knowing I had someone to protect... ...and after reconciling with you when the Guardians separated us... ...I felt..."

"Warm?" She raised her brow.

"Hehe, honestly, not being with you for a night made my scales... uncomfortable."

"YOU FELT THAT TOO?!" Cynder jumped up in surprise to hear him say this; her sudden energy surprised him, but seeing her stand in all her glory made him smile, "It was like, I was warm but, cold at the same time! It was like, an uncomfortable warmth, yet a chilling cold to which it felt as though I had no way to regulate my body temperature! And... not having you at my side, not being able to, push up against something felt so... off putting. I had grown so accustomed to pressure being at my back or side that, not having weight around me just... ...ugh! That night sucked ass!"

Since he had felt quite a lot better than his previously destroyed state, Spyro raised up in laugher, sitting now instead of laying, "I know what you mean. Even though I could fix the issue of being hot or cold, your scales just... I don't know, they... ...they really make any location feel like home. Which I guess is why sleeping in a bed or, laying in grass feels pleasuring as long as I have you."

"I know that feeling well..." A short breather was taken for the time being; Cynder wishing to sit at his side and really soak up the outside world's offers next to her love, "You know, Spyro... I find it funny. You've... never really asked me why I trust you," He looked to her confused, "I mean like, when I ask you why you trust me, I question you because I have a dark past, killed thousands without remorse, and if I ever felt the need, I could slit your throat or kill you while you slept. Do you ever wonder why I trust you?"

"Um..." This question was a head scratcher for him, "Is it because... ...I'm the only male you've been with?"

"I've seen the competition after we saved Cora. That's not it."

"Oh, so then... is it because of my looks?"

"Looks have nothing to do with my trust for you, my love. And yes, even though I'd like to mark every one of your scales in my flavor, it's still not one of the reasons."

"Hehe, well, considering I can't guess it, I'm definitely assuming you don't trust me due to my smarts because... pffft... I got nothing."

The two shared a laugh, "Hehe, well, I mean, you not being smart 'is' an advantage I could use against you."

"Wooooooow," Spyro couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Can't believe I just got called dumb by my own companion. That hurt, gorgeous."

"That's not what I meant," Her eyes rolled with a smile, Spyro laughing to see her turn against him, "The reason I trust you is because... ...well... ...for what Trish has said... for what Flair has gone through... for all the shit that goes on in the world out there... there's... never really been a time where I would say that, being with you has been the worse experience of my life. And if I were to say that... ...I'd by lying to you... and myself."

"You feel like being with me makes your life fulfilling?"

"Why do you sound so befuddled in me saying?"

"I don't know... ...I guess, in a way, I feel like every day that goes by, there's never been one to where I haven't failed you in some way."

"Goodness gracious," Seeing him beat himself up even for the slightest mistakes he could've made caused Cynder to shake her head, though still smile to hear how passionate he was to do right by her, "Spyro... my trust for you is... ...it's honestly something to which I don't have for anyone else... not even for the girls. I would trust them to protect me, to comfort me, and to help me through those dark times... ...but when I think back to something truly special, to whom really means the world to me... ...it'll always be you that I run head first into."

Spyro made some light on the situation by laughing, "You know, Cynder... while you may be going through something, me being your first target to run head first into doesn't sound like a good idea. Maybe the girls would be a better fit after all."

Cynder sighed heavily to hear him say that, "That's not what I meant, you ass," She somewhat pushed his face with her paw, smiling to see him blushing with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, "What I mean is... ..." She brought her paw back down; her scales rubbing up against his right side, and he knew this meant she needed comfort, "I always think back to our first night together at the Dragon Temple... ...how... absolutely horrific and awful it truly was," As her words continued to drop low in somewhat of a defeated tone, Spyro's wing dropped low and comfortably over her back, aiding in a way that didn't interrupt her, "The constant nightmares... the numerous amounts of threats that I gave to you... ...the tears that I cried being all alone outside the Temple..." Where her first sigh directed to Spyro was heavy and playful, her next one was weak and muffled, "I... will never... forget... what all you did for me those few short days... ...that first night alone truly starting a fire within to be with you."

"I don't know what you mean. From previous memory, you said that your time at the Dragon Temple was horrible because I wouldn't ever leave you alone," He smirked.

"It was opposite day for that one, singular sentence, okay?" Her smirk and word choice made him laugh, "Anyways... ...I... ...do you... remember, how you felt... on our first night?"

"It's definitely been a while since I've really thought about our time at the Temple, at least the very first night that is. Crazy how time flies when you're having fun."

"What about a world destroying event is fun to you?" She questioned him.

"What about Earth is fun? What about sleeping is fun? As long as I have you, even the most boring of tasks can become a permanent memory to constantly relive and smile upon."

"Okay, okay," For once, she gave this one to him, "You got me there," Her smile joined on with his, "After having described how our first night apart was... it... really made me think back to our 'real' first night together."

"By first night, I'm assuming you mean after I had saved you and brought you to the Dragon Temple?"

"Yeah... ...that night..." Having so much to remember, Cynder made sure to get comfy, laying down to her belly, paws out and chin resting onto them: Spyro following along to keep her company.

---

Sitting out in the open with her back to the door, the rather large landing area of the Dragon Temple proved to be a perfect spot for the young female. She wasn't bound by the walls of the inside structure, nor did she feel trapped and with no way out. Her freedom was her own; an odd feeling, and one that she's never experienced before. Even as a storm brewed off in the distance, strikes of lightning and rain making its way in a foggy display, Cynder simply sat there, looking up to the sky and off into the distance without a care in the world. The fear for what was next pained her, these new emotions that fought with one another made her lungs want to burst: one side telling her to yell out for it all to end, but another emotion was set out of anger. It wasn't so simple for her. Though, the only thing she knew that would comfort her once and for all was the idea of death. This idea made her hope in some way. The shine of her tail blade that was brought up close to her eyes was the only sight she felt sure of, one that she knew would truly end her nightmares. Without the sun's light, the moon helped little: depression setting in easily as there wasn't anything to look forward to. Her mind yelled at her, screamed, begged, and pleaded for her to end it all. The once still female started to shake and shiver; tears forming in her eyes as her claws scratched at the well fortified base bellow her. With her blade being the singular thought on her mind, all she needed was that one second. A second to raise her head, a second to connect it to her own throat, a second, of peace. However, where her thoughts became intrusive, it was difficult for her to concentrate over the sound of a voice. This voice was much, much more powerful than that of her own thoughts, so it was easy for her to get lost in what she was thinking about, "Hey! Cynder!"

She didn't turn to acknowledge whom ever was speaking to her. Her back still showed no remorse to those behind her, and her eyes stayed locked straight ahead. But even as she tried to keep herself from calming down; knowing and believing that her death was seconds away and wishing to get it all over with, this voice only got louder, and closer, "I have some good news!" She didn't need to look to her side: her eyes already noticed the purple dragon off to her left, "It took some convincing, but I was able to get you your own room!" Spyro chuckled in his usual manner, a smile keeping form to help show her no harm, "I know it's a small victory, but, look on the bright side. For once, you'll be able to sleep under a roof! You'll be able to wake up in the mornings and actually experience what it's like to have a real family!"

Instead of doing good, his words angered her, though it at least got her mind off of the taking of her own life, "Family? You call those four family?" Her hiss and need to spit was obvious to Spyro; his head ducking for upsetting her, "I've heard what you five have been discussing. I've been here for about two hours now, and already I've heard about twenty different ways you'd all would want to kill me."

"Oh, no, I..."

"SHUT UP!" Her shiny white teeth clapped with the roaring thunder, the storm making its way directly to them, "You don't understand what it's like! NONE OF YOU DO!" Each beat of her heart made the female bounce; her breaths feeling uncomfortable to her lungs and at many times painful, "I can't... STOP! I hear voices, I hear... ...I hear the cries of everyone I've ever killed! Those that I've done wrong by!" She shuck her head to rid the tears from her face, "When I see those trees, I see blood! When I see you all, I see dead bodies! When I look off into the distance, I don't see hope, a future! ALL I SEE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO KILL THOSE THAT I HAVEN'T YET! And who could blame me?! That's all I know! THAT'S ALL I'VE EVER KNOWN!"

Spyro couldn't find the words to express or even help the clearly broken and battered female. He didn't have the war experience, the time to understand just how horrific and terrible the world truly was. Without a way to comfort her, he simply sat with a frown, thinking and hoping that something would come to mind. But for now, Cynder continued: her teeth grinding in agony, and her wings strangling her own body, "This never would've happened if YOU HADN'T SAVED ME! This is all your fault!"

She hadn't realized it, but the four Guardians, as well as Sparks, stood at the entrance of the door, hovering between the exit and the entrance. Since they stood within the doorway, they had nothing between them and the outside world, easily viewing what all was happening. The four noticed her aggression, her stance over Spyro now as he gave in to her strength, ducking low and allowing her the voice in the situation. Cyril growled with a heavy display of teeth, rushing ahead but only making it a few steps before being blocked by a massive, muscular, and scarred wing. Cyril looked to Ignitus, trying not to attack him but make sense of the situation, "Why are you stopping me?! Don't you see what she is now?! Even with her in this, childish form, she's a threat! A liability to the whole world! And yet, you choose to put her life in the paws of another child?!"

"This was his decision, one that we had to agree with," Ignitus had a firm, calm, and collective voice, knowing exactly what he was talking about and using his knowledge to aid his friend, "Spyro's already done enough, and the young one seems to have no brakes. We threw him into this situation on our own failures. The least we could do is let him talk with her in private, that was his wish."

"But he doesn't even have his powers anymore! What if she attacks?! What if she uses her shadow powers to pull him under to suffocate him, or her poison to paralyze or even melt him?!" The Ice Guardian's heart raced to no end, and though it was all too painful, especially stressful, he knew a way to rid these unwanted feelings, "Ignitus... she's a child now... I'm not one to agree or smile on the idea of killing something young, something... defenseless... but what should stop us from walking down there right now and taking her heart out?"

"CYRIL!" Terrador slammed his paw to the ground, and the only reason Cyril was still breathing was thanks to Ignitus's other wing holding him back.

"Easy, Terrador," It was no surprise to him that Cyril would've said such a thing, or that Terrador would've found displeasure in his words: Ignitus in many ways knew all of what was to happen, "You promised that you'd give her a chance, Cyril, and where I can understand why giving your word and keeping it can be difficult at times, we shouldn't be worrying about destructive ideas. We will give her a chance. Spyro's strong, and he's already proven that very well. In the meantime, while the two young ones discuss, why don't we all take time to ourselves and catch up on lost time?"

"Do you really think leaving the two out here all by themselves is a good idea?" Cyril didn't understand anything when it came to how the Fire Guardian thought, "What if we find a dead body? What if we find Spyro's dead body? Or is that what you want."

"In the short time we spoke with her, it feels as though we've already failed once again. She sees us as enemies, and more likely than not thinks we want revenge for what she's done."

"She wouldn't be wrong."

"This is where we need to step back, and understand when and where we belong in a solution of a problem. We will make conversation with her when she feels ready, but we shouldn't avoid her as she'll see us as distasteful, and monsters in our own right. Keep in mind what she's been through, same too can be said about how this all happened. It's not her fault that she's like this, it's ours."

"Quite a predicament to be sure," Volteer, at the far left of the group and to Terrador's left, knew any outcome would have pros and cons, "However, I still believe in the ladder. There's really no win or lose here, considering life in itself is a mystery to which no-one would mentally be able to grasp, unless of course you have the brain capacity and spirit to be able to understand that sometimes being morally wrong is factually correct."

"Even after all that time apart, you still don't know when to shut up," Cyril lowered his head out and over to growl down to the yellow colored Guardian.

"What's the matter, Cyril? Upset that your little fantasy of being all powerful and better than everyone has shattered over the years? Getting your rear handed to you by a female must've really hurt your ego."

"I'll show you what's really going to hurt!"

"Enough!" Ignitus once again had to get between the two, "This isn't us, and I don't care if this has been an issue before the ten years apart. I haven't seen you all in so long, and for us to chew at each others throats when we could be making memories again isn't something I want to look back on and regret. Please... for once... and even if for an hour... let us enjoy this peace and quite... ...please..." Cyril and Volteer both had their show of teeth, but from the desperation and love Ignitus had for a family to reunite once again, they both sighed and backed off, "Thank you... ...And... ...look... I know we're all afraid, I know for what's happened, it's gonna take time for trust to build for anything anymore. But let us see what happens, and if anything major does happen, we will be ready. Promise."

Cyril snarled, snapping around and walking into the Dragon Temple. Terrador was to follow, and soon after was Ignitus and Volteer, though the Guardian of Lightning felt a weird pain in his chest to which he couldn't quite understand, "Hey... Ignitus..." The Guardian looked to him, "Do you ever have that feeling where... you feel like you're missing something... or even... someone?" Ignitus gave a raised brow for this question, "I don't know, I... it feels like my brain has locked away memories of someone and doesn't wish for them to be explored. When ever I try to look through these memories, my whole body feels as though it's having a mental breakdown. But... who could I be protecting myself from if we're all here?"

"Wait... Volteer, do you not..." For how Volteer described his pain, Ignitus thought it best to not bring her up, "Never mind. Look, we can talk about it more later, okay?"

Where Volteer walked ahead, Ignitus rubbed the yellow dragon's back along the way but stopped short as he noticed someone was missing. Turning around to see a bright yellow dragonfly still biting his nails at the entrance, the Guardian tried his best to ease the jittery male, "Sparks... you need to trust him."

"It's not him I'm worried about!" Sparks spun around in a jumpy manner, "What will I do if she kills him?! Where would I go?! Without Spyro around, what would I tell my parents?! That his death was my fault because I wasn't there as his brother to watch over him?! That it was my fault for not stepping in and making the decision to help on my own accord?!"

"Sparks..." During a time of absolute uncertainty and panic, something within the Guardian kept him calm, poised, and able to help all those who needed it, "She's scared, afraid, and will most likely snap if we're around. We... we've already failed her by showing our fears, our displeasure, our... hate, towards who she used to be," Taking a step forward to approach him, this helped Ignitus keep his voice low but legible, "Spyro is the only one who doesn't fear her, who doesn't have a negative opinion or view on who she used to be. It's best that we let the two have their time, and for Spyro to do what he does best: acting as a beacon of hope for those whom have long since been without the light," Sparks was still clearly agitated, but even so, there was help, "Come on, just sing that song you're always going on about. How did it go again?"

"Swing low, sweet chariot," Singing the song in his head and out loud helped him breathe, and thanks to the help of Ignitus, he flew away from the door and followed.

"I know what you are, and I know what you're after!" Cynder continued her barrage of hate fuelled rage upon the young one before her; Spyro clearly having next to no experience when it came to such dark themes, "Rather kill me and get it over with, you'd rather hold me against my will! Keep me alive to force me through hell for all the lives I've done the same to! You'd rather watch me burn for my mistakes than for me to TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT!"

With nothing much to say or do, the purple dragon kept his head low, his wings and tail to the floor with his paws out in front of him. Had she wanted to kill him, it would've been all too easy for her at this point. The Guardians were gone, she retained more power from their final fight than he had, and with the lack thereof to Spyro's abilities, Cynder's teeth clipped together in confusion and anger, but something else on emotional level as well that she's never felt before, "Why do you lay there? Why do you... EXPOSE YOURSELF?! You have nothing, you are, nothing! If I so wanted to, I'd slit your throat now and call it a day! But still... you lay here without power. Are you that desperate to die, or that stupid to think I wouldn't end your life?"

"Hehe..." Even at the worst of times where his life would hang in the balance, Spyro still found a reason to chuckle, "Well... I... don't really need anything to protect me as I know there's zero reason to fear you," Cynder was taken aback by this: her stance no longer towering over his as her eyes went wide and her body went back, the two now locking eyes from different positions, "The Guardians don't need to protect me, my powers I don't need anyway as I'm not going to attack you, and while it's obvious that you could easily kill me, I don't feel the need to run and hide for no reason."

Now that she had backed off, this allowed him to stand just a little bit more. Though his stance she saw as a threat, and her blade jerked up and around to her front as intimidation, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Even with this threat, he still smiled at her, once again causing this feeling of positive emotions that made things worse on her, "Why are you saying this?! If you know what I can do, if you know and have seen what I've done... then..." Her breathing completely failed her: her lungs enlarging and collapsing by the second with her tears, "HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE AND SMILE AT A MONSTER LIKE ME?! How can you look at my blade and not be afraid or even think about how I could dissect your insides! You... you... I-can't..."

The storm had finally caught up to the Dragon Temple: rain hitting the area rather hard, but visibility was still there for the two. Cynder saw the purple eyes that almost shined in the rain, whereas Spyro saw her emerald green ones that reflected the same. The two seemed locked with one another's gaze, neither making a move after what was said. Though now for what Spyro had said, the female's mind went through another stage of thoughts and feelings, all directed to the sole hero that stood in front of her. Her mind continued to go wild, but for some reason, Spyro seemed as though he was perverting her from thinking by keeping a conversation going, "I'm sorry..." His words scared her, so much so that she jumped and splashed to the water below her, blade still at the ready, "I'm sorry for everything that you've through. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to save you sooner, and... I'm sorry that someone such as yourself would have to undergo such horrific memories and events. But... that's over now... it's all over..." He took his steps one at a time, carefully predicting and reading her body movements to best understand his approach, "The Terror, the Darkness, the manipulation... ...it's over now..."

She didn't want to hurt him, but seeing his advancements, it almost boxed her into a corner, "No... No, you... you're..."

"Right?" He chuckled, standing there for a second to see her frightened and more tensed figure, "You feel as though you should be punished. You feel as though... for what you've done... someone sooner or later will want their revenge, correct?" Spyro didn't want to bring this up as he knew how damaging these thoughts were to her, but he wanted to tackle them with her to ensure safety above all else, "You can't blame and beat a child for a mistake that its never learned or understood, you can't blame a tree for growing old and falling over, and you especially can't blame someone for their actions when them themselves had no control over what it was that was happening. I've eaten some weird berries before and let me tell you, hehehe... I don't even remember how I got to my bed," She didn't move, which, for him, was a very good start, "You're... different. I don't see the Terror, all I see is her opposite... hope, opportunity; a female that could really change the future for the better... and while you may have the same name as the Terror... don't let it be tarnished by her. Instead, build a new foundation for who you are! Let it be known as to what the name Cynder really means! You're better, stronger, and far more loving than that corrupted side of you ever was!" Time after time, nearly every word that this purple dragon had to say, this new feeling continued to burn. She couldn't tell what it was, if it was comforting, controlling, or aggravating. Because of this battle, this near warfare that her body and emotions were undergoing, she couldn't allow it to continue, "It doesn't matter... none of what you're saying matters!" Taking her blade to her neck, her tears mixed with the ran; her pain uncontrollable, and with only one way for it all to stop, she wanted to take it, "Either you take my life, or I'll do it myself!"

"What?!" For someone as young as Spyro, being put in this type of situation was unnerving, "Do you really think taking your own life will make the pain go away?!"

"There might not be truth in death, but any afterlife compared to this life that I have now... I'LL TAKE THAT INSTEAD!" Her tail blade shuck, her arms and legs grew weak: once again another fight within her ensued. She didn't want to die, but at the same time, how could she live with such pain. For her, it was a time of death either way, a position of loneliness becoming her only true future, "I don't want to live like this... to live with these mistakes that I've caused... these... emotions... these... claws..." For her mind, she saw blood, left over scales and skin that attached to her from the victims she killed. Screams, cries, and pleas from those she had killed echoed in her mind. Focusing on the puddle of water that formed below her, she saw the Terror: what she believed to be her true form. Clenching her eyes shut, the puddle was splashed upwards as her fist hit the ground below, "I'M NOT HER! But that doesn't mean I won't become her again! THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T BECOME A THREAT TO YOU AGAIN!" Her blade's tip pointed to her throat: her mind made up on what she wanted to do, "AND I CAN'T, I WON'T LIVE LIKE THIS! I WON'T HURT ANYONE ELSE ANYMORE!"

"CYNDER! DON'T!"

Closing her eyes and awaiting the pain, she threw her tail forward, directly to the front of her throat. It successfully connected to scales: blood splashing outwards with the tightness of skin trying to keep itself from being ripped apart. There was no pain in what she had done, but her body felt as though it had thrown itself back: the pain to her seemingly none existent. Realizing a sudden warmth to her, rain no longer dripping down to her body, and the pressure around her feeling far different, as if someone was around her, she clenched her teeth before opening her eyes. A gasp, followed by widened eyes sent shock through her system, seeing now what had happened. Spyro stood above her, growling in what sounded like pain. At first, Cynder believed it to be rage, maybe even the need for revenge showing itself so soon. However, when her tail attempted to pull away, the purple dragon growled out in even more pain. Something within her told her to stop, to hold still, and at all possible not hurt the one above her. Looking down now, she gasped once again. Her blade had gone through the front of his paw and out the other end. With her eyes having been closed, she didn't notice his jump forward and protection over her attempted suicide. He saved her, and though he had suffered a painful wound from the sharp, thick, and pointed blade, he still laughed, "If you don't want to hurt anyone else... ...then I... beg you... ...please... ...please don't leave me." His words were like a cool breeze to her scales: massaging each one in a way that gave her goosebumps. For once, the pain she had undergone seem nullified. Her eyes looked up to his, her emotions yearned for more of his voice, and her body seemed to push more into his wing for warmth. With his figure over hers, the tears from her face showed bright and true. Their formation was met with a fall down the sides of her face, her lips quivering in a desperate attempt to do anything: to say anything at all. But for Spyro, all he saw was a lost, scared, and confused little hatchling without the parents to comfort her. He knew he needed to step up, and after having saved this female once before, he was ready to do the same thing for the rest of his life, "I may never truly understand just what pain you might be going through: how awful, twisted, or hopeless you might feel right now. But..." He chuckled in a smile, "I do know one thing... ...you should never have to feel that what you're going through... or what you have is something you can only take on alone. I might not have been there for you when you were born... but I will be now... and I will continue to be a guide through what life really has to offer... whether it be comfort, care, or love... ...you will never be a monster to me."

She wanted to smile, she wanted to agree, she wanted to feel as though everything would be okay. But intrusive thoughts hit her in waves, declining all that he was saying, displaying teeth in displeasure, "So that's all I am to you? Some... dog?!" He didn't mean for it to sound like that at all, but she sure took it that way, "I do what you say or you put me down, correct?! Either I stay here, or get hunted down out of fear that I may become a monster again?! DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M THAT BLIND!" Her teeth nearly snapped up at him, "You'll use me... you'll betray me! Do you honestly think I don't know what you'll do to me after what I just did with this!" She yanked her tail forward to display his wound for both to see. He whimpered in pain as her blade wasn't dull, very much so cutting through a little more of his flesh and scales which dropped more blood from his wound. This blood fell down and onto her chest, and where her point was proven in what she had done, feeling the warmth of this blood, seeing it and the pain within the purple dragon's eyes, a new form of pain attacked her. Guilt and depression hitting her hard in the heart, "I'm sorry..." Her voice was out of defeat: fear taking over in what he might do next for her actions, "Please, I...! Spyro... ...Please don't hurt me!" The emerald green of her eyes disappeared upon the closing of her lids, her head ducking low, awaiting the punishment that she knew was up and coming. For what felt likes minutes, nothing happened. The suspense of her death was near, but instead of feeling pain, she once again felt this comfort in his voice, "Cynder..."

"I'M SORRY!" She cried, "I can't... ...I... ...I don't know what to do! I DON'T WANT TO BE HER! I KNOW I'M NOT HER!"

"Please... ...open your eyes and look at me..." Spyro seemed very calm, understanding, and being very careful with how he moved, "Your eyes are like a signal to me. Without that emerald green shine, how will I find my way home to you?" Upon hearing this, her lids immediately opened in surprise: her eyes looking within his to see whether or not she was being lied to, "Hehe... there you are. And I know you might be asking, how can my emerald green eyes guide you home? Well... being with you... I feel at home... I feel... safe... happy... and protected."

He tried his best, and though she retaliated, it wasn't as severe, "Why do you lie to me?! You barely even know me! There's no reason you should feel anything for me aside from fear, agony, or... ...pain..." Her final words brought her eyes to the wound she caused on his paw, looking down on herself and her actions, knowing this moment would forever haunt her nightmares. "Cynder..." Every time he spoke, he was calm, understanding, and very close to how Ignitus acted. Cynder shuck her head, trying to ignore the lies he laid within her mind, "No... ...No, I... ...I won't let you lie to me..."

"And I won't let you lie to yourself," Now that she had looked back up to him, he brought across a smile for her to lay eyes on, "Breathe in the air... take a moment to understand that you're safe now..." His right wing raised which made her jump, but as she watched closely, his wing hovered over her exposed horns in the rain, keeping them from getting wet as well, "I'm not asking you to get over it... ...I'm not asking you to grow up on this situation. All I want is for you to know... you aren't alone. If you want time alone, I can understand that. But... don't take this pain, these memories, these years that you've suffered through all by yourself... ...please... ...don't... ...leave me."

His words made no sense to her. He had so much emotion behind what he was saying, his voice and words acting out as though they had known each other for years. She was falling for him, but with what all she was already dealing with, it was too much for her to handle, "After I attacked you... after I just stabbed you... FOR ALL THAT I'VE DONE!" Making sure not to move her blade, her claw was used instead: a single finger pointing at his chest, "You think I deserve to be let off without so much as even a scratch?! You'd rather protect them than to have me hung over and over again for my mistakes?!"

"And who ever said I would let you off so easily," This time around, her eyes grew cold, knowing sooner or later, he would've wanted revenge, "If you're so adamant about some form of punishment, then how about we make a deal?" Her new found feeling of love was shattered: everything about her now boiled, and where she would've cared about his pain before, all she wished to do now was rip her blade from his paw, "For what all you think you've done, all that I ask for, in order for you to atone for someone else's sins... is to spend the night here."

Her emotions stopped to a halt, everything within her nullified and on standby as to what her emotional response would be to his reasoning. All she felt now was confusion, and a desperate need for answers, "Wh... ...what...?"

His laugh brought a slight sense of fear, though with his eyes and smile following through, she felt the need to trust, and to believe in who he was. He delivered, far better than she could've ever imagined, "I can't tell if that response was out of a question or fear, considering how loud the Guardians snore, I'd be afraid too. Who knows when I'd wake up without ear drums," Her face felt weird: the sides of her cheeks seeming to push backwards as her lips stretched upwards, "I don't know how you'd feeling laying with me and under my wing, but... ...can I be honest with you... ...It's about my fears... or rather... a fear that I have of you..."

Cynder knew this was going to happen either way, yet it still pained her to hear the Spyro didn't trust her completely, "I... didn't expect you to trust me so easily."

"What?!" His wording came off poor, "No no no, I trust you completely!" His words came off so sure, so much so that her heart skipped a beat, and a red, burning sensation was felt to her cheeks, "I just... ...promise me... that you won't try to kill yourself again," Her body fizzed from a new found emotion: a very joyous, heart pounding, blood rushing type of happiness, "That's... my only fear that I have of you... that you'll wake up in the middle of the night and kill yourself... ...that you'll... give up... when your life hasn't even started yet. Please... all I ask... is that you give life a chance. I will try my hardest to give you the love and care that you deserve to the best of my abilities! I promise, swear on my life!"

A feeling built in her throat, one that she couldn't recognize. Nothing about what she was feeling was anywhere close to how she normally felt, and the same could be said to any kind of emotion that she knew of. Unable to contain herself, a giggle dropped from her mouth, a smile forming from each end of her lips. This side of her made Spyro's scales stand on end. The way she giggled, the gentleness of her smile, and the obvious truth that what she was previously was nothing like her real self. Something bugged her however, and she wanted the truth on the matter, "You'd... really trust me, to lay at your side?" He raised a brow, making her heart skip yet another beat to see he didn't actually fear her, "What if I wake up and kill you? What if I... turn, next to you, and kill you that way? You'd really trust sleeping next to a monster?"

"You are not a monster," Spyro was very quick to clear that up, "Also, if I didn't trust you knowing just how handicapped I am, why would I throw my words out there that we should... well... cuddle."

"Cuddle?" She didn't understand the word, "What does that mean?" Instead of him being able to answer, she went through her mind trying to remember, "Oh..." A red blush hit her once again, "Isn't that something someone does when they... love... someone...?"

"Oh!" He blushed along with her, "Well, yes, but, it's more of a, care, kinda thing. I... want you to know that... I care about you."

Rather hold back this feeling that ate at her for so long, her wings acted out against him. She was careful, knowing of the wound she had still caused, but that didn't stop her from doing what she felt and knew was right. Her wings dropped over his back, pushing and begging for him to come closer. He didn't fight it. Instead, he laid down atop of her, the two sharing a heartwarming embrace. Cynder's head held over Spyro's right shoulder, his warmth and protection over her making her grip over his back tighter, her mind and body begging for more of his love. Where her mind started to go adrift, the purple dragon let his lips close to her ear hole, whispering warmly; gently to the pained and afraid female, "I love you..." Her eyes shut open, completely confused in what he had just said, "Wh... What...?"

---

"Hehe. I just said that I love you."

Coming back to reality, Cynder had to regain her surroundings over where she was and who she was with. Having been spaced out for so long, coming back from such a memory was a little jarring for her. A tear fell from her eye due to the memories she had just relieved, and where normally she would've wiped it off herself, the Spyro she was with now helped her with the liquid on her face, "Whoa there," His claw raised to her scales, the back of his talon gently rubbing underneath her eye to collect the droplet, "What were you thinking about that made you drop a tear?"

His claw coming close to her eye, the clear view from the tip of his talon, and the idea of what he could've done made her that much more emotional. She giggled in some way, knowing that this was brought up plenty of times before, "Hehe... ...you know... ...I'm glad I'm not the only one that questions our trust in one another. But I'm sure it's not just us whom we have this trust for "

"What do you mean?"

"Your claws. You could've easily ripped into my eyes, or even dug your claws through and to my brain and killed me."

"Goddamn, Cynder! What the hell were you daydreaming about that made you think about... that?!"

"I... remembered back to my time after you had saved me. Our first night at the Dragon Temple," Her paw so elegantly caressed, flipped, and touched the palm of his right paw, shivering in a flash of what seemed to be blood, and a wound that had been made by her, "I tried to kill myself... ...I couldn't live with any of it: the emotions, the drive to kill, the constant wonder and worry to how brutal my death may be," Each of her fingers moved between his own, holding onto his paw in a sense of love, "I... remembered that... ...I hurt you..."

"You did?" Spyro didn't really remember something like that having happened, especially since it was so long ago and very cloudy for a memory, "Cynder. What the Terror did doesn't reflect..."

"Spyro," She stopped him right there, "Think back to our night. Think back to such a horrific moment in time. My blade neared my throat. I closed my eyes and had accepted my fate as a soul to the Temple: where my body may forever stain the front of its structure. You jumped in the way, held your paw across from my neck and took the force of my blade," He was starting to remember, though thankfully, piecing everything together didn't take that long as she gave all the details, "I was confused, scared, frustrated, annoyed... and all of it came back to bite me. Even when you tried your best, I ripped your scales apart. I yanked my tail blade just as intimidation, and it costed you more blood... suffering... pain..." She couldn't face him, "It was all my fault."

Haven been given the time and refresher on what all had happened, it clicked in his mind: the truth coming back to him in all sorts of ways. The memory of the event was now as bright as day, and he could recall the event with only a smile, seeming unaffected by her words, "You made up for it though," Cynder's eyes flicked up to his; Spyro's voice seeming to have more joy and excitement after she had seemingly brought up a dark point in time, "You gave me your promise; told me that you wouldn't kill yourself. And even with all the nightmares that I had, all those, fever dreams... waking up next to you felt... right... Something about seeing you breathing... seeing the light in your eyes when you woke... ...I had gone through hell fighting to save the Guardians... but with a few short minutes of time spent with you... ...it felt... worth it. We only spent three days together before you left but... ...they were... ...the best three days of my life."

She couldn't help but fell anger towards herself, sighing in no surprise to hear Spyro say something such as he had. His smile was genuine, and his words followed that path. After having really thought about it; the nightmare that was the past still lingering in Cynder's mind, she couldn't help but giggle, "What a shit show," Spyro laughed at her words and smile, quickly understanding what it was she was feeling before she had even said anything, "The past blew major ass. I can't believe I even woke up during those times. The Guardians I hated, the world I hated, the Dark Master was more of a prick... ...Hehe... ...Here we are reminiscing about life again. But, then again, I'm assuming that has something more to do with the fact that... we know in more ways than one... what we have and the times we're experiencing are the good times. And... thinking back to the past... without Flair... Claire, Ersa, Trish, Carith... all of my friends... ...I don't think I could ever do it alone."

"What about me?" Spyro raised a brow to her.

"I don't know. What about you, mister, 'wall destroyer'?"

"I...!" His face lit a fire in his heart, "Are you just trying to hide the fact that YOU said we'd do it on this roof?!"

"WH...?!" She now joined in on their combined embarrassment, "Uuuuggggghhhhh..." Cynder let go of his paw, using both her wings and paws to hide the guilty red pleasure of the idea, "I hate the things I say some days, AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I SAY IT!" Her wings flung out into the air, as did her paws in a fit of rage, "It's annoying still that I don't understand my body. When ever I say things like that, or anything that has to do with us... mating... my body just, burns, and makes me uncomfortably flustered! It's like a part of me says yes, while another says no! Is it wrong for me to think that way?!" Her embarrassment and confusion came to a halt, a question sparking her interests, and a cute, innocence rised from within her, "Does that make me... a terrible female to you?"

Her words tickled his scales; something now within him heating up to a point of enjoyment, liking the innocent, careful, and rather cutely confused female. It didn't help that she instinctively starting rubbing her scales, almost as though the idea and topic that they were talking about gave her ideas, and motive behind what she wanted and how to get it. It was all a confusing mess, and Spyro tried his best to explain, "W-w-w-well, you s-s-s-see, the thing is..."

"Needy?" Her voice suddenly became very lustful, steam blowing up and out from Spyro's head.

"Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh, I-I-uf-duh-thi-thi-think we should um..."

Him scooting away for her was a snap back to reality. The idea that she was making whom she loved uncomfortable, and from his lackluster words, it made her think poorly on herself. Immediately, Amara came to mind as to why Spyro may be avoiding her: their possible future together. It was a thought she snapped at. Not because of anything Spyro had done, but because she herself knew for a near fact those two would never be together, and Spyro would never betray her like that. Embarrassment turned to frustration; the female quickly standing up and walking away from the purple dragon. Spyro stood suddenly, reaching a paw out and calling her name, "Cynder, wh-!"

"I'm sorry!" She didn't go much further; giving herself slight distance between her and her lover, "I'm just... ...I'm just annoyed."

"This really is something Ersa can help you with. I know it's still scary not knowing what's next, and I can only assume that, by us talking about such a sensitive topic, you're thinking about Amara again, aren't you?" Her body jumped: him acknowledging and understanding the truth helped her plenty already, but he had more love to give, "When it comes down to it, I too feel a hormonal drive, but that's because we were thrusted into our teen years, our very late teen years. We say and do things because in that moment, it feels right, and while you may regret it later, that regret is, sometimes a good thing. Because we know that who we are now, and who we used to be, are different in the best of ways."

"So when I say I want us to mate on this roof in description detail, what comes to your mind?" Cynder turned fully to see him truly for what he was, wondering even herself how she may respond to her own question when seeing the male she had.

"In... all honesty?" He seemed to question her, and from the teeth she gave, it was clear what her intentions were, "I guess... ...joy... and in many ways, hope," She was rather caught off guard to hear him being open and honest about how he felt towards her, no longer hiding the truth about how he felt, "I said I'd stand by my words, about us being the Pen and the Cob. I don't want to decline what's already been made established, and for me to lie or say I feel weird about us being together... it would only hurt you. I feel like, for once, the truth is actually something that doesn't need to be hidden."

Cynder was at a complete lost for words, wondering in a pounding heartbeat whether or not he just admitted their future together. She didn't want to get her hopes up, or to let on the overwhelming amount of heat and joy she was experiencing. However, her voice cracked under pressure, and revealed the truth, "Did you just admit to us being... m-m-ma..." She bite her lip, knowing exactly what this was and what he was doing, "No... no no no, this is either a dream, or you're avoiding my questions by saying something that you know I'd WANT to hear!"

The bump and skip Spyro's body made was clearly out of the same vein that Cynder was feeling, the two simply questioning each other now on who was telling the truth, "You... you want... to be my mate?"

"WH...?!" She needed to change the subject, and fast, "I WON'T LET MYSELF SUCCUMB TO YOUR SICK MALE NATURE!" Her paw slapped to the floor before a finger was used against the male to point at, "I shouldn't be the one being embarrassed, it's YOU whom should feel ashamed! You dare say something so sick, something so, MALE LIKE, to me?! Talking about how the only walls you'd destroy are mine?!"

"Not in that way!" Cynder's raised brow saw right through stirred up emotions, her wanting the truth one way or another, so Spyro had to think fast on a cover up to what was previously said, "Your walls as in 'your' walls, like, where you live: those types of walls," Sweat dripped profusely from the purple dragon's pores; Cynder's sat up right figure and crossed arms fueled his adrenaline, "To clarify: I would only ever destroy your 'bedroom' walls, but it came out as, your walls."

"And tell me, why would you want to destroy my walls? Sorry, bedroom, walls?" The female was in no way buying into what he was saying.

"BECAUSE THEY PROTECT YOU!" He jumped on the chance to save himself: the word choice she had used clearly was in his favor, "Damn those damning walls! Protecting you around every corner when you sleep: that's my job and mine alone!" Spyro tried to act heroic in his line of reasoning, "I would only destroy those walls because I actually care about you. Destroying someone else's... ...bedroom walls, isn't my job, nor is it needed from others," It was a decent enough play though Cynder seemed to let him off easy with a roll of her eyes, "I'm loyal to one type of destruction: that being the kind that only involves me and my lover."

Cynder simply sighed, knowing she wasn't in the clear either for what she had said in the past, and since they had already agreed to put that all behind them, she had another question eating away at her, "Spyro... ...be honest with me," Her voice dimmed itself, not filled with depression or one simple emotion: a little bland for some reason, "I hate always having to question who we are and what we have... what are future holds... and... if you even love me or not," Spyro took one step before she stopped him, "I don't want to hear it! That's... not what I'm trying to get at..." He took his step back and listened closely, "I know you might have your reasons, and I know with everything that's been going on, asking something of you doesn't help your situation at all..."

"Cynder..." Even after having taken his step back, he took two steps forward, "It's okay to tell me the truth. You've... really helped me, and I'm glad I didn't take on this pain alone. The same should be said for you."

His words brought upon a smile to her lips, visibly thankful for his emotional support, "Thank you, Spyro..." After having heard his voice, and taking a nice enough sigh to enjoy the feel and air around her, she was honest with him, "Do you... not... love me?" She didn't want to take too long of a pause and come off as rude, "I'm not saying that because of your training. I'm not... saying that because of the mere seconds we spend apart. I'm saying this because... well, back when we first found out that we, liked, each other, it felt like every minute or two, there was a very, very high chance that one of us would peck the other, and there was almost never a point we didn't have red cheeks. But now that we can kiss each other, nibble each other... feed our, tongues, into one another... it feels like we kiss less often. Why is that?"

"Oh..." Spyro scratched the back of his head, having thought about this exact situation coming up sooner or later, "I guess it's because... well, I'm not guessing here, but... it's mainly because... I don't want what we have to seem pushy, constant, or expected. I don't want our love to get old by me constantly doing the same thing, or for you to feel as though I'm smothering you ever second of the day to the point of boredom or disgust. A kiss starts off the day and is expected, a few in the middle to keep things simply and sweet, then a kiss at night to end off the day. And... honestly, if I were to do what 'I' wanted... I'm pretty sure the idea of some sort of, sexual act, will stain my mind."

"Hehe..." Figuring out just what side she was on in her emotions, the feeling of depression left her: joy making itself known in its purist form for her, "I know what you mean there. Back when we were constantly pecking one another on the cheek every day, I wanted to strangle you because the idea of love was so obviously there! And... in a way... you admitting that makes me feel... better, in a way. To know that you're trying your best to love me, while still making it enjoyable for me as well, it's... ..." Cynder's sigh emptied a weight of fear: filling her body on inhale with nothing but pleasure, "Thank you..."

"For what?"

"Don't 'for what' me, ass," She nipped, "You know what all I'm thankful for. And... after having relived that memory... I just... wanted to thank you... for never giving up on me. Who the hell knows where I'd be now, or in what hell I'd be burning in had I not listened to you... had I not... trusted you. Even to this day, I lie and wait for what bitch might cross our path and try to steal you from me."

"Why stress over that type of situation?" Spyro chuckled, "She'll most likely be dead before I even have the chance to say hi back to her."

"Because I know that would hurt you..." Thinking about her inevitable competition and what to do made her feel weak, "I want you to know that I love you... but I don't want to be possessive and come off as some bat shit crazy bitch who doesn't understand what trust is. But... thinking about losing you... thinking about a future where we aren't together and I'm left out in the rain... what am I to do...?" Her head dropped down, seeing the bright, reflective shine of the sun from her tail blade below, "Is that where my life ends...? Is that a fitting finale to my life after what all I've taken from others...?"

Her chin was pushed upwards by a forceful yet gentle pressure. She didn't have much time to think or even catch her breath as her lips were sealed closed by another. Spyro had held his claws to the base of her chin, acting as support as he looked down on her, the kiss in his dominate favor. It surprised her to feel so much love come from the simple press of one's lips to another, but from how wet his lips made hers, it was clear that each appreciated and loved what they had. Something about Spyro playing it slow, allowing his lips to make their gentle moves, and for their thoughts to run wild from closed eyes was everything the two could've wanted. Cynder was at his mercy, and for some reason, something within her jumped, sparking fire within her heart at the idea of being submissive to the purple dragon. The male's taste was one that she begged to cherish: her tongue dropping out to lick across the smooth texture of her lover. Spyro did the same back to her, though backed as soon as he had did so, making sure that he had the last laugh. The once pleased and over the moon female turned evil, her eyes flinging open in a jolt whereas Spyro's went slow, "What the hell?! Are you trying to piss me off?!"

"Hehe," After what had felt like his lowest point, the killer female seemed to change Spyro back to who he really was, "That's for thinking so poorly about yourself. Next time, try to think more positively, then I'll let you have the last lick."

"Spyrooooo-" Her head fumed at him: the pleasure he had given to her was very much enjoyable in all the right ways for her, "The Terror feels like it's clawing its way out, ready and begging to take what you have: what you owe me!"

"It'll happen tonight, I promise. Though, with Amara coming around, technically, it'll be happening very soon since you want to make her so jealous."

"UGH!" As distressed as she was, Cynder knew she had to control herself, "This feels like the past all over again! I feel like, we've evolved emotionally, yet I don't want to say anything, and I know you don't want to either! So how the hell am I supposed to deal with this... this... HEAT! This uncomfortable, unbearable, heat!"

"It also doesn't help that everyone seems to either be getting engaged, or having fun of their own. But... while I don't know how I can help with what you're feeling, just... remember something..." Spyro turned to walk away, though not to get away from her; simply to see the view of Warfang as he spoke, "I don't know how you feel about me calling you my Pen... and... me... being your Cob. But if it's anything that me and you both agree on..." His head turned to look at her as he sat near the edge; the sun perfectly encapsulating his bright, hopeful, and handsome smile, "Then I guess that means we're already engaged too, don't you think?"

Cynder was at a complete lost for words: stunned in a reality she no longer believed to be true. To hear him outright say such a thing was all too much, everything coming together all too perfectly for her, and she couldn't believe it. But the way he ended off in a question, almost as if even he himself didn't understand it all, or was contemplating if what he was saying was from the heart or not, the female couldn't make heads or tails of the situation at all. Her heart said yes, but her mind and senses said no. Though, because her brain had more to process than anything, something told her to back away, to not believe in what was happening. Her anxiety went through the roof as something at any moment felt as though it were to happen, The Dark Master is going to get loose, Flair and Cyril will have a fight, Claire will leave Ignitus! SPYRO COULD... ...HE... ... HE COULD DIE! The gift of giving seemed to come back around to her; Spyro having an idea that took her mind off of what all was, or rather, wasn't, happening, "Oh, hey, Cynder, that gives me an idea," He turned to see her bouncing body, shinning scales due to sweat, and somewhat of a red blush, making him believe at first that she was just embarrassed, "Would you... like to learn, how to dance?"

His words brought her back to a more fulfilling reality, realising her thoughts were getting the best of her, and she tried her best to simply ignore them, "Da... Da... Dance...?"

"Yeah. You place your arms over my shoulder while I hold your hips."

She had seen something similar to what he was asking, wondering what his true intentions were, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Stop! Hold on!" Now the distress in her voice was clear, a paw being used as well as her other one to signal a timeout, unable to deal with what all she was feeling, "You can't come at me with the idea that we're engaged and then say something like that to which exposes my underbelly!" He hadn't even thought about it like that and was swift to blush, "I-I-I-I don't even know how to dance! And yes, that's the point of learning but, what if I fail?! Or, what if the plan is for you to fail, I fall down on you, and you force things into a frisky situation?!"

"Cynder..." He took a very, very small step, attempting to reason with her without startling her.

"Is that what this is?! Or... Or-or-or is this some kind of, perfect moment... A moment that will forever haunt me when you die tomorrow-JUST AS WE WERE BECOMING SOMETHING MORE! Something... ...something we... I..."

"Breathe, my love... breathe..." He had sat there, knowing had he stood, she might've taken his movements out of reality, believing he was walking towards her when he wasn't, "I will never, ever, force you to do something you don't want to, or don't feel comfortable in doing. You don't owe me anything, and you're free to do what ever you want. That's what I've fought for," Spyro stood slowly, carefully making sure to read the space around them and her emotions to get an idea of what he's working with, "We're not actually engaged, and I've seen your underbelly plenty of times," His laugh kept her frozen solid: the idea of backing away from him being the last thought on her mind, "But I don't look at your underbelly to see what you keep to yourself," Stood to her front, his paw was lifted from the ground by his own strength, "I look at it... to see you breathing. To see your lungs move up and down, to know that... you are breathing comfortably," The warmth of his paw wasn't a normal feeling: purple flames clearly exposed themselves from his scales and onto her chest, "Then I get to look to your chest and feel the life within you. The life that you deserve, the life that now has more importance than before. You have friends: a family, and a loved one to wake up to. They're all eager to know of your safety, and to see that beautiful smile," She was at his mercy: getting lost in his eyes, or the warmth from his breath and paws, all the way down to his voice, "Together Forever, remember? We still have our whole lives ahead of us, and that includes making one too, right?"

Cynder bit her lip in love over who he was, wanting to turn the tables and get frisky with him even after what she said he would pull on her. She couldn't understand even herself to what was really setting her off: whether that be an unknown force, or preparation for the future, the only thing she could do now was take a step back in a mental and physical state. The inch she took away wasn't too much of a worry for Spyro, though a raised paw clearly showed that he was ready to run after her if need be. The female didn't run, but instead sighed, looked away, and opened her wings in a blush, "I did it again... and as such... I... deserve... punishment..." Her openness and exposed holiness sent a drop of blood down Spyro's nose, liking everything about that shine that the sun gave to her scales, "I'll do... what ever you say... Use me however you will..."

Making light of a bad situation, and simply wishing to help in general, the purple dragon had a little fun with her words, "What ever I say, huh?" She growled, and this display of teeth proved to further the force of his more male like nature, "Turn around and lift your tail for me."

"WH-?!"

"Hahahahaha!" Spyro had a laugh to see the scales on her face turn from black to red in a split second, "I'm joking!"

"Spyrooooo-" Heat raised her blood pressure to a point that smoke nearly made its way out of her ear holes, "You really want 'her' to come out, don't you?"

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait... hehehe..." Even through laugher and tears, he heard her words and seemed against them for some reason, "I don't want her... I want you... I want you... to experience this event with me," He closed the gap between the two, making sure his voice was clear, his eyes visible, and the mood set perfectly, "We'll simply slow dance, nothing more. Granted, it's my first time dancing with someone too but... this... is a memory, I'd only ever want to share with you. A memory I'd only want to make with you," Cynder didn't know who this was or where this male came from, but she felt her body liquify, somewhat inside and out, "Basically, think of slow dancing as an extended hug. To make things more comfortable, I'll take lead, okay?"

Still very much hesitant on the idea as a whole, she fought through her fears and knew how much this would mean to him, especially herself as well if she were to pull it off correctly, "O-okay, I... phew..." She was ready to do as instructed, "I... I trust you."

"Don't worry. Unlike learning how to swim, it'll be easier for me to catch a mistake before it happens."

"The good news too is that... back when you were teaching me how to swim, you were there for me... and I know you will be now," His heart fluttered for such kind words, same as her own, feeling nothing but satisfaction for having said that, "Hehe... I... I know if I fall... you'll catch me...-"

"Just like when we were sledding.?"

Spyro spoke in unison with her, him saying it as a question and her saying it as a statement. It shocked her, a stunned emotion of pleasure coursing throughout her, seeing her and Spyro as the same to Volteer and Ersa: in sync, knowing one another's thoughts and emotions, a future and bond that stayed as such throughout space and time. Their hearts raced with one another; Spyro knowing that it was his move to keep things going, "Your arms are, in a way, going to use my full body as support. Stand to your feet and hold her arms loosely around the back of my neck as if you were giving me a hug," Still she thought about her exposed underbelly, and though it was obvious and a stupid thought that she hit herself mentally for, he still came prepared, "My eyes aren't worried about what's below you or me," He groped her cheek after having raised his paw, comforting her through these confusing emotions, "It'll be on those gems of yours. Those emerald green eyes that'll beg for safety and a sense of protection when we're dancing."

Cynder nodded in understanding, shaking her head to a point that Spyro dropped his paw, "I don't even know why I'm being such protective, or rather, overreacting about it! Something within me just feels warm... I can't tell if it's stress, hope, or dread. But..." She growled, stiffening herself up and ready to continue without her emotions holding her back, "I'm ready when you are."

His nod signified his acceptance over her movements. Remember what she was told, her body moved gracefully. Though her first time doing this, his words seemed to be enough for her to understand. Lifting her body up and exposing herself for a second, her arms draped over and around the back of neck. With her in position, it was the purple dragon's turn, and he made sure to keep things leisurely, "Now with me up on my feet, my paws are going to hold your hips. Is that okay with you?" The thought of saying no didn't existence within her: Cynder nodding and allowing for his paws to hold her there, "I'll keep my paws warm as to not spark discomfort from your lower back," With his paws placed and the two in position, there were a few more words that needed to be said, "Remember to leave enough room so that we both feel comfortable. If you're ever in doubt over how you feel, or how I feel, don't hesitate to ask if we can readjust or if I'm uncomfortable. Though, I'd say it's the man's job to make sure his female is set and cozy," Even with his paws on her hips, he could feel every beat and pulse from the veins in her body: the female's heart seemingly racing through the roof, "You're doing perfectly, Cynder. It's okay to be afraid, but hear my voice when I say, you're doing amazing."

"Says you," She giggled, "I can feel the veins on your neck pulsing, and I can feel sweat dripping from your scales. Bet if I checked your heart rate, you'd be just as nervous as I am."

"Hehe, you got me there. The good news however, we don't need to do any fancy footwork yet. All we need to do is simply sway our hips and knees, and make sure we feel loose and comfortable in doing so," Spyro took lead, making sure she knew what she was doing by following along with his movements, "Then, we either rest our gaze upon one another, or... we rest our heads, close our eyes, and enjoy our movements and thoughts that way."

The slow dance had taken form in a near perfect manner for the them. The sunlight was just right, the clouds keeping cover as to not completely expose them, and the sounds of the wind and open air felt like music to their scales. Though their hearts raced and their minds hesitant on what was to be said next, an idea came to Spyro's mind: a song that would fit perfectly for them, "You know... usually a couple dance to a song or two. What do you say? Mind if I sing? Or, do you have a song idea in mind?"

"I can barely think straight," Her laugh was intoxicating: the female in pure ecstasy over her lover's embrace, "If you've got a song than go for it."

"Alright, let me think here..." He made sure to give it some thought, knowing what he was to say here and now could change this moment for better, or worse, "I have the perfect song idea, one to which... you might know as well," This caught her eye, her brow raising as to what he could mean by this, "Hehe... I can't believe I'm about to do this but... phew... ...here I go."

Spyro took his time to prepare, for once not going head first into what was next: this challenge in his life needing not brute force, but a steady, caring, and loving voice. First impression to him meant everything in this moment, and with his lips salivated, his mouth soaked, and his throat clear, the purple dragon serenaded his voice close to a true other worldly being, " / This is the dark-est night / Stars have all faded away... / Quiet upon - this - world /... ...Through, the, clouds, there, is, a, light /"

Though she had never heard a song such as this in her life, the lyrics clicked in her mind, so well to a point where she knew the exact notes and pitch to work in unison with Spyro's already heavenly voice, " /We, will, find, our, way /" The sways became more than that: movements within one another's feet started a subtle dance of real movement, " / I would die for you / Cross the sky for you / I will send out a light burnin' for you alone / Yoooou're allll I neeeed /" Their voices worked perfectly with one another's: Cynder's taking the high, and Spyro's following in a way that didn't break his voice, and in many ways hid under the perfect melody of her own, " / To set - me - free, / And this fire will guiiiide you / home - /" It didn't take a discussion for their voices to work as one: their hearts acting as a beat, their voices working together through one another's soul, " /Where our hearts are - wide - ooo-pen! / Where our promise unbroken! /"

Without a thought or care in the world, it left their feet exposed for error. To her incredible dismay, Cynder lost track of her footing and stepped to Spyro's feet below. He had no idea where else to go besides down, losing his footing as well but acting quick enough to hold Cynder close in their fall. His wings shot outwards, his tail wrapped to her own, and thanks to his quick thinking, a rock bed formed behind him halfway through his fall, keeping Cynder's arms that were around him from being slammed on concrete. With this stop in force thankfully not being a huge one, he was able to gradually put the earth of the roof back in its position, laying himself easily to the floor. Cynder was quick to freak out, backing her paws from him entirely and crying out in agony, "I'M SO SORRY!" Tears had already formed from their soul-to-soul connection before, but now these droplets were from nothing but displeasure, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO...!"

"/ I would die for you / Cross the sky for you /" Spyro hadn't a care in the world: his tears falling down his cheeks and to the floor below, mixing with his loved ones, " / I will send out a light burnin' for you alone /" His claw wiped a tear from her eyes, his tone brought down to a smooth, gentle, goosebump inducing crawl: his voice stunning her to hear this wasn't just a song to him, it reminded him of his goal, " /You're... ...all... ...I... need... /"

At this point, the two had simply broken down into tears. Their bodies yearned for one another's, their eyes yelling to one another's soul to hold the other, and their hearts urging to feel the love from each other. It was no surprise to either of them for what was next. Spyro's head could only inch upwards before being tackled down by the female above him. Cynder needed him, she craved him: her thoughts went wild, the heat within telling her to do more, to feel more, to experience it all with him. What ever it took, she wanted to claim every scale on his body, whether that be inside or out. Her tongue would dominate over his for seconds, though she'd purposefully allow him control only to dominate him later on. The way her body wiggled and moved set a fire within Spyro. Where the female's paws covered both sides of his cheeks to dig her tongue deep within him, the purple dragon gripped the sides of her ass, inviting her to gyrate her hips more over his most sensitive of areas. The thoughts within the two ran wild, each believing that there wasn't anymore time that could be spent wasted waiting on the other. What they had, needed, and wanted was all there. Even if there was a way to stop, the idea of sexual desires and mating was too much for the two to truly do anything. Neither complained: both wanting everything and anything out of the other. Where Spyro could feel the primal need to roll his female over and bite down on her neck to paralyze his pray before taking what was rightful his, towering over her in a display of dominance later, all thoughts and hormonal actions were cut to a sudden, screeching halt due to the cries of multiple dragons, "UGH... AHHHH!"

The cries rang in the two's minds, both stopping dead in what they were doing: eyes widening now upon understanding what it was they were doing. The two laid there for a second, realizing how close they were, and to just what thoughts they had towards one another that were clearly erotic. Cynder quickly backed off, though it was clear her scales needed to do the same, having basically stuck to his on their own. As she stood, Spyro's paws slid off her rear, and though he wanted to say something, he knew he couldn't have. Where she covered herself up, walking off and away with her back turned to him, it was obvious that she wanted to take a breather in peace. Her wings wrapped around herself, and her head hung low, shivers taking over with what sounded like small cries of defeat. Spyro wasn't too sure what all his body had done without his permission as well, so he too did the same type of coverage once he had gotten up. Rolled over and up to his fours, his wings covered below himself, hiding anything that could've shown itself during their session. Looking out to the wide expanses of Warfang, he looked to the front gate, squinting his eyes and having seen a handful of dragons flying away from over there. Using his dark powers as a guide, one of his Dark Dragons was able to make it over in no time, giving him a view of the situation. Spyro's eyes lit like black flames, his vision connecting with the Dark Dragon he had sent. What was seen shocked him, borderlined horrified him, "Shit!" His genuine fear and anger scared Cynder, the female seemingly weak, frail, and unwilling to do much of anything now, "What the hell are you doing, Amara?!"

She was still curious to know of the situation and only slightly shifted her head to ask, "What's... wrong...?"

The voice that spoke through pain and tears wasn't one that Spyro wanted to leave her off on. With his Dark Dragon keeping watch, the purple dragon used any and all available time he had to try and fix everything, "Amara's drawing blood from Warfang citizens, Axel seems pissed to all hell, Celina's got a stupid grin on her face, and Serena and Ava are on the ground in a pool of their own blood."

"WHAT?!" Cynder now fully turned, her darkness sparking within, ready to fight and most likely kill who ever harmed them.

"Cynder..." He still had enough time and hoped at all best that his voice would get to her, "Are you... upset that something happened... or that... something, didn't, happen?" She didn't seem ready to answer that question, her face looking away from him in somewhat of a pissed off yet worried frown, "Hey..." There wasn't a way he could find that would help him focus even with all the power in the world: he needed to know he didn't make a mistake, "I love you... I've... always... loved you..."

"How did I know that song?" She murmured, "Did you control me into knowing it?"

"My... best guest is that, it's from our time in that Crystal. Some of our most powerful thoughts leaked into one another's mind. I don't remember ever killing anyone, and yet... I remember being next to a blue flower... A family was sitting next to a small pond, and then... the blue turned to red... and my claws felt... tensed... like I was ripping through skin and scales," Spyro didn't like this tension at all, afraid that what he had done was a mistake that would haunt him for the rest of his life, "Cy... Cynder..." She heard it clear as day: without her, he was lost, "I'm... sorry... if I hurt you-"

"Spyro..." The Terror spoke: Cynder having her mind dead set on what she wanted, "If you ever cheat on me, beat me, or ruin these hopes and dreams that I have of you..." Her eyes went white, her body grew in size and length as she approached him, and her teeth dripped saliva, "I will snap your spine and force you to eat yourself out of existence. Do I make myself clear?" He still didn't know whether that meant he had done something wrong or not, and thankfully, she was loving enough to admit it, "I'm... sacred... alright. I love... everything, about you... ...everything. But the more we become this close to a future... a new chapter in our lives... I fear for what might take you away from me. I... want... you... but with all this bullshit going around, I... ...I..."

"Cynder..."

Reaching a paw up to her as this form made her slightly taller than him, he brought her face down, holding a gentle kiss, another one to her surprise from what they had already experienced together. She wasn't complaining at all, tilting her head to really grasp his lips. The love she had put into this helped him, his mind becoming clear and focused. Even with the backing of their lips; a string of saliva showing that they still desperately wanted one another, Cynder had more words for him, "Focus on being their hero. Then... we... need to talk. Nothing bad, so don't get all whiney or some shit, just... ...I love you too... I love you, so much."

Spyro's chuckle brought a smile even to the Terror, "Thank you... I won't forget this."

"Prove that later tonight, agreed?" She smirked with a raised brow.

"I shall be your captivate," He agreed, laughing joyfully to her.