Hello and welcome to a brand new Spyro fic! If you're aware of my stories on this archive, then I have to tell you straight away that it isn't connected to the universe established in the stories Crazy Little Thing Called Love, The One, Love of My Lifeand the upcoming one-shot The Greatest Discovery. This story actually takes place after the events of Dawn of the Dragon, which means we're going to the Legend universe!
So this anthology series is basically a way to showcase some of the ideas for Spyro and Cynder that I've had in the past, but wasn't sure whether or not to put it in a story or as a singular one-shot. Well, I'm kinda doing both in a sense. You could consider this a spiritual successor to The Rogue Lion's story, A Day in Warfang.
Anyway, enough of me babbling. Let's get on with the story. As always, I don't own any of the Legend of Spyro characters except for any original characters that may pop up. Enjoy!
(Chapter 1: Tiny Dancer)
Spyro didn't get the sleep-in he desired.
The purple dragon's eyes suddenly shot open and he quickly rose up from his bed, the end of the world weighing heavily on his mind from the flashback in his dream.
It took him a moment to realise where he really was. He was in a room—his room—in the Dragon Temple, barely furnished due to Spyro not being there for long. Out the window was the city of Warfang, still standing but currently rebuilding itself after the Golem attack during the last days of the war.
It had been four weeks since Malefor was defeated and yet, to Spyro anyway, it still felt like he pulled the world together yesterday.
He rubbed his tired eyes. He dreamt of that battle again.
Why was he still thinking about that day? And why that moment in particular? It was the last thing he remembered before waking up in the Valley of Avalar a couple days later with Cynder looking over him. But he wanted to remember the other parts as well: Spending time with Cynder in the Valley before they decided to return to Warfang, returning to the city to reunite with the Guardians and Sparx, seeing the dragonfly tear up at the sight of him for the first time that he was aware of.
Those were the memories Spyro wanted to remember, not memories of fire, brimstone, and the fear that he could have failed everyone.
With all these unpleasant feelings, Spyro wished that Cynder was around. He missed her.
After returning to Warfang, both Spyro and Cynder were put in separate rooms in the Temple that lay in the centre of the city. This was for them to have their own independent space after being chained up together, and also so the young dragons can get their bearings in the city where they can get a residence elsewhere.
Despite initially respecting the rules set by the Guardians, Spyro found himself being incredibly isolated when he wasn't helping out in the city. He had Sparx, who shared the room with him, but something didn't feel right. It's almost as if he liked being chained up with Cynder.
"Still sleeping rough there, buddy?" he heard Sparx ask from the windowsill.
Spyro's thoughts faded away at the sound of the dragonfly's voice; he returned to reality and shook his head. "I'm fine, Sparx. It was nothing, I'm just… remembering."
"About what? When you beat up that evil dragon?" Sparx queried, raising an eyebrow. "I meant Malefor by the way, not the one that's living near us."
Spyro rolled his eyes, not amused by Sparx's latest mockery of Cynder. He didn't mean it, Spyro knew that, but it was still annoying nonetheless.
"Yeah, still about Malefor," Spyro muttered. "I don't know what it is, but I keep dreaming about that final fight all the way up till I start to rebuild the planet. It's like I'm missing something… I'm just not sure what."
"You could talk to the Guardians about it?" Sparx suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
"No, they're too focused on rebuilding the city at the moment," Spyro said. "I wouldn't want to worry them… again."
Sparx shook his head. "We both know that those guys will talk to you no matter what," he assured Spyro. "You might have a chance when we go and see them this morning."
Spyro blinked. "The Guardians want to see us today? Why?" How could he forget something so important? It wasn't like him to forget meeting up with the Guardians of all dragons.
"I dunno, they just wanted to see us about something," Sparx replied, not caring that Spyro had completely forgotten about the meeting. "Maybe it's got to do with the amount of dragons that arrived the other day."
The purple dragon smiled at the memory. It had only been a few days after he and Cynder returned to Warfang when Terrador sent out the news of Malefor's demise across the land, hoping that the dragons that hid from the Dark Master's forces would return and populate the city once more.
A week passed, nothing.
Another passed, still nothing.
In the third week, everyone began to lose hope. The Guardians worried that they, Cynder and Spyro were the only dragons in existence, and that was starting to scare Cynder slightly. No matter what Spyro said to her, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she might be responsible for the possible endangerment of their race.
Then, a horn blared and echoed throughout the city. It was loud enough to ring in Spyro's ears and get the entire city's attention. Everyone watched the sky and saw dragons, lots of dragons of many ages, elements, shapes and sizes head towards the city. It was almost an unbelievable sight.
Spyro and Cynder were standing by each other when the dragons arrived, amazed by how much of their kind have survived countless years of war and bloodshed. The purple dragon gazed over at the black dragoness and noticed something he'd never seen happen before.
Tears flowing down Cynder's cheeks.
Spyro realised that they weren't sad tears, but happy ones. Happy to see the dragons thrive once more, happy that her life as the Terror of the Skies wasn't as chaotic as she once thought.
Once he saw the tears stream down Cynder's face, Spyro immediately extended a wing and wrapped it around the black dragoness. Cynder was initially taken back by this gesture; Spyro figured this was due to the suddenness of it, but she eventually warmed into it and leant close to the purple dragon, her head slowly falling into his shoulder as the dragons touched down into the city.
An ending to a good memory, and the start of something new.
Spyro soon leapt from his bed and did a brief stretch as he addressed his dragonfly companion. "If the Guardians summoned us, we should probably get going," he muttered.
"You're not going to have some food or something?" Sparx wondered.
"It can wait," Spyro said. "I don't want to be late."
Sparx chuckled. "Why the sense of urgency, bro?" he asked. "You saved the world, the great big purple guy is dead and buried, and all the lizards have returned to the city… it's okay to just go with the flow sometimes."
"Guess I'm just used to being urgent," Spyro shrugged.
"Or perhaps… you just want to see a certain Terror again," Sparx teased with a cheeky smirk.
Spyro tried so hard not to turn red in the face, knowing how true Sparx's words were. Instead he frowned to cover his true emotions up. "Cynder is my best friend, of course I want to see her," he murmured. "And I would like it if you didn't call her 'Terror', that's not who she is anymore. You know that…"
"Yeah, sure whatever," Sparx waved off in an unserious tone.
Spyro rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's see what the Guardians want."
(-)
Soon enough, both Spyro and Sparx had left their room and began to traverse the halls of the Dragon Temple in search of where the Guardians were holding their meeting. As they walked out of their room and moved down the corridor, Spyro briefly gazed at the door to where Cynder was staying. The door was firmly shut, so it didn't tell Spyro whether or not the black dragoness was up and around or not.
Spyro then wondered if Cynder was actually going to be at this meeting, since the two weren't going at the same time. Sparx did imply that she was, however Spyro knew from the past that Sparx's words weren't always reliable. Maybe this was a meeting that had something to do with being the purple dragon? Maybe this was training in disguise? If that were the case, Spyro would've wanted Cynder to be there regardless.
The two soon found themselves at the room where the Pool of Visions resided and waited outside for a bit, where Spyro pressed himself against the door to see if there were any voices on the other side. To his relief, he could hear the muffled sounds of three male voices. Knowing who the voices belonged to, Spyro rapped his claws on the wooden surface of the door.
"Come in," one of the voices muttered. Spyro recognised it as the voice of Terrador, the Earth Guardian.
Spyro pushed the door open and poked his head through the gap in a slightly awkward manner, allowing Sparx to zip through the gap. There he could see the three figures of Terrador, Volteer and Cyril staring straight at him as they circled around the small pool that sat in the middle of the room, which made Spyro slightly nervous as they shared an uncomfortable silence.
Then, Spyro gazed past the Guardians and saw that Cynder was also sitting around the Pool of Visions. The black dragoness turned to Spyro and gave him a small greeting smile, which Spyro happily returned.
"Ah, Spyro, glad you can make it in time," Terrador muttered. "We were beginning to wonder."
"I apologise, Terrador," Spyro said, finding himself a place near Cynder. "I, er, lost track of time…" He didn't want to say that he completely forgot that this meeting was even happening, so he thought that a small lie would have to do for now. Spyro didn't like it, but he also wanted to avoid a lecture about something he was already fully aware of.
Luckily for Spyro, Terrador didn't catch his lie and nodded in understanding. "I see," he said. "But I must advise that you are more aware of the time next time."
"I will."
As the Guardians began to start their meeting, Cynder edged closer to Spyro and slightly tapped on the shoulder with the tip of her wing. When Spyro turned his head to see what she wanted, he saw that Cynder was smiling warmly towards him.
"Hey…" she greeted.
Spyro felt his face heat up. "Uh, h-hey," he muttered. He wanted to punch his brain; all their history together and all he could muster these days was just 'hey'? What in the ancestors was wrong with him?
Fortunately for the purple dragon, Cynder didn't seem to notice Spyro's emotional quarrel. "What do you think the Guardians want with us this time?"
"I don't know," Spyro shrugged, shaking off the initial awkwardness. "The world's at peace; I'm not sure what else is left to save…"
Sparx zipped between the two dragons. "Well, I'm hoping for a long vacation!" he exclaimed, soon turning his attention to the Guardians. "Hey, you guys! Are we getting a vacation?"
Cyril raised an eyebrow. "You think we would summon you three just to tell you that?"
"I dunno… maybe?" Sparx mumbled.
"No, our dragonfly friend, that was not the reason why we brought you three here today," Terrador said, shaking his head. "Volteer, would you explain to our young dragons the circumstances of this meeting?"
"Certainly, Terrador!" Volteer cheerfully obliged. "Now, as you may know, the rest of our kind have returned to Warfang. Since everyone has been desperate to celebrate, commemorate, honour the demise of the Dark Master, the three of us are organising a congratulatory, grand Ball to bring everyone together."
Both Spyro and Cynder exchanged glances after seeing the excitement on Volteer's face. They weren't expecting anything to be organised so soon, especially when the dragons had just recently returned and the aftermath of the war still lingered in the minds of those affected.
"Uh… what's a Ball?" Cynder wondered. Spyro had thought the exact same thing; he'd never heard of a 'Ball' before. Whatever it was, Spyro knew it wasn't just a casual meeting.
Seeing the confused glances on the young dragons' faces, Terrador mentally face-palmed. "Right, of course… you two are still getting up to speed with our culture."
"A Ball is a formal social event," Cyril then replied. "There's food and other dragons you can mingle with—"
"And dancing, Cyril, that's an important part of it!" Volteer chimed in.
Cyril frowned at the electric dragon. "Yes, Volteer… I was just getting to that," he grumbled before clearing his throat.
Dancing was a concept that Spyro did know about vaguely, but was still aware of what it involved. Sometimes one could dance on their own, sometimes one required a partner; Spyro wasn't very skilled at the latter, particularly if it was with someone he didn't know well. His thoughts wondered if Cynder would be keen to dance with him, then he realised he wasn't sure if she was even interested in going.
Then Spyro got his answer. "Sounds intriguing," Cynder said. "What do you think, Spyro?"
"I think it'll be a good opportunity to meet some of the other dragons," Spyro answered. "When will the event be held?"
"In a few days time here in the Temple," Terrador replied. "We thought it best that we tell you early so you can get yourselves prepared. Since this is a formal event, do you two have a set of armour to wear?"
Cynder nodded. "We do. We managed to find some while we were tethered together."
"Good. Then that's all we have to say to you now," Terrador said. "You two can go about your day."
After thanking the Guardians, Spyro, Sparx and Cynder left the Pool of Visions room and proceeded down the corridor. Silence fell upon the trio, besides Sparx's whistling which seemed to irritate Cynder more as they strolled down the hall.
Spyro's thoughts, meanwhile, were more focused on the upcoming ball that was being hosted. He started to get mixed feelings on the whole situation, mostly because he was just nervous about being around other dragons. He wasn't sure what to even say to any of the dragons his age.
"So big party, huh?" Sparx suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "Personally, I'm looking forward to it. People love me; I'll be swarmed the minute I enter the room."
"I doubt that very highly," Cynder frowned at Sparx's eagerness. "Shame I can't say the same thing."
"How come?" Spyro asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"With half of the city possibly attending, it could be possible that many will recognise me as… her," Cynder muttered, the tone of her voice becoming sour. "Maybe I shouldn't go, it might be too much for me…"
Of course, Spyro couldn't blame Cynder for feeling that way. All her life, she'd been known as the dragoness that served the Dark Master against her own kind. Though Spyro and the others had seen that Cynder was not the same Terror of the Skies that she once was, the rest of the city hadn't been made aware of Cynder's heroic deeds.
As far as the city was concerned, Spyro stopped the Dark Master and Spyro alone. It was a fact that the purple dragon disliked, considering that, without the likes of Cynder, Sparx, Hunter and the Guardians, he'd be dead in a ditch somewhere by now.
"Well, what if we went to the ball together?" Spyro then suggested.
Cynder looked at the purple dragon, uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm not sure, Spyro… It's probably for the best that I—"
"I know some folks here might be aware of your past. But this is the chance to start anew, let people know the real you instead of what Malefor made you into," Spyro said. "And we'll keep you company. That way if there's any trouble, Sparx and I will have your back."
"We will?" the dragonfly questioned. Spyro gave him a short glare and he proceeded to clear his throat. "I mean… yeah, of course we will!"
Cynder took a moment to consider, looking beyond the corridor in thought. Spyro hoped that she'd accept; turning up on his own with a dragonfly companion wouldn't exactly be the best motivator for socialisation.
Besides, it might give him a chance to tell her how he felt about her. How he really felt about her.
After a few seconds, Cynder then turned to Spyro. "Alright, I'm in," she said, a small sly smirk soon forming on her face. "As long as you know how to dance…"
Spyro smirked. "Do you?"
Cynder shrugged. "Maybe," she said, maintaining her mischievous glance. "You might find that I'm full of surprises."
To Spyro's utter surprise, he was suddenly taken back by Cynder brushing her tail under his chin. While the purple dragon initially thought that she was just being playful and simply did that just to tease him, there was something deep down in Spyro's head that thought otherwise.
What was this behaviour called again? Flirting? Was Cynder, the former Terror of the Skies, flirting with him? Surely not… right?
Cynder chuckled slightly, smirking at the sight of Spyro's baffled expression. "Guess I'll see you there, Spyro…"
As the black dragoness continued on her way, Spyro sat on his haunches to take in all the complicated feelings that his head was swimming through. He had just asked Cynder, his best friend, to accompany him to a ball, a real social occasion that had nothing to do with war. Even though it was just as friends, it was still a big step in their bond with each other.
"So… Do you know how to dance?" Sparx asked his brother.
"Absolutely not," was Spyro's answer.
Oh boy, he was in trouble.
(-)
The next few days leading to the Warfang Ball were the most stressful days Spyro'd ever had in his life.
There was no time to relax or just sit for a moment; too much was on his mind at every spare moment. His armour that he chose to wear was dented and warped thanks to his many battles with Malefor's forces, so he had to find a blacksmith to fix it.
The most important thing on Spyro's mind was learning to dance. With dragons not being bipedal, dancing was a little different; a more natural and fluid movement involved using their wings to propel themselves to the sky and face their partner in mid-air.
Volteer happily was able to teach both Spyro and Cynder some of the basics, enough so that they wouldn't look like they had no idea what they were doing on the night. Cynder was more of a natural dancer than Spyro was, who proceeded to clumsily move through the steps. With each failure, the lessons started to irritate the purple dragon slightly; if he could excel at moving fluidly during a fight, why couldn't he get a simple dance move correct?
Eventually, the days passed and soon enough, Spyro and Sparx were both making their way to Cynder's room to take her to the Warfang Ball.
"Spyro… just knock on the door," Sparx muttered as his brother fiddled with the straps of his armour.
"I know, I know," Spyro said, sitting on his haunches. "How do I look?"
Sparx scratched his head, never hearing a question like that come out of Spyro's mouth. "I don't know… like a dragon in fancy armour?" he answered, unsure what to say. "Just knock on the door, bro."
And so he did. Spyro rapped his paws on the door in a polite fashion. At first, there was no direct response. The two brothers did hear some footsteps and, what they thought was, sounds of someone rummaging around, but there was no clear indication that Cynder had heard their knock.
"I'm coming!" Cynder's muffled voice eventually called out behind the door.
A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal the black dragoness was now standing in front of the two brothers. Spyro's mouth fell open slightly; he couldn't believe his eyes.
Cynder looked stunning. Not that she didn't look stunning before; Spyro always appreciated her inner and outer beauty, it was just something he wasn't expecting tonight.
The former Terror of the Skies was dressed in shining silver armour, the chest armour so polished that Spyro was able to catch a glimpse of himself through the metal. Her usual braces had been swapped for a sleeker design with swirls etched into the steel. The swirls were also present in her helmet, which was moulded to fit her head nicely and complemented her facial features.
Spyro, for once, was speechless. His heart quickly thumped through his chest as his paws began to moisten slightly. To him, she looked so pretty that no words could process in his mind. What could he say? What should he say?
"You alright there, Spyro?" Cynder wondered, approaching the purple dragon with concern in her voice.
Sparx waved his arm in front of Spyro's eyeline. "Dude, I think you broke him…" he then muttered when he got no response from his brother.
Spyro did eventually wake himself up, blinking rapidly as he returned. "S-Sorry, it's just…" he managed to stammer. "Cynder, you look amazing!"
It was Cynder's turn to be stunned, thanking the ancestors that Spyro wasn't able to see her scales turning red under her helmet. Fortunately, unlike her purple companion, she was able to maintain a bit of composure.
"Thank you, Spyro," she said with a smile. "You're looking handsome yourself."
Spyro adjusted his armour slightly. "Shall we?" he then asked, stepping aside to let Cynder exit out of her room.
"We shall," Cynder said.
The two dragons and their dragonfly companion soon began to make their way towards where the Ball was being held. Cynder was extremely nervous, many bad thoughts and scenarios running through her head as she walked next to Spyro. With her past haunting her every single minute of the day, she wasn't sure how this party was going to go once she turned up.
If they recognised her as the monstrous Terror of the Skies she once was, how would everyone react? With fear? With horror? With a quick execution of claws and horns on the spot? Cynder couldn't bear to dread the look on everyone's judgemental eyes and see the terror within—a terror she was so desperate to put behind.
When the trio reached the archway that led to the ballroom, Cynder suddenly stopped in her tracks as she saw the various unfamiliar dragons that were attending. She stood stiff, unable to move. It was like her mind was telling her to keep moving forward, but her body had other ideas.
"Cynder, is everything okay?" Spyro wondered.
"I don't know if I can do this…" Cynder murmured.
Spyro approached the black dragoness and wrapped a wing around her reassuringly. "Hey, you'll be okay… trust me."
While Spyro's words did calm Cynder down slightly, it wasn't enough to put her doubts away for good. She knew deep down that someone would see her black scales and her markings and make an instant connection. But she also knew that Spyro would be by her side, defending her to his last breath. It's what Cynder liked about him; he was loyal and kind, even if she tried to destroy him once.
Cynder took a breath and nodded. "Okay… I trust you," she mumbled.
With her confidence somewhat restored, Cynder strolled into the ballroom alongside Spyro and Sparx.
The ballroom was dressed elegantly for the occasion; three candle-lit chandeliers illuminated the room in a warm glow. Streamers coloured in purple and pink connected from above the chandeliers and spread themselves out from all corners of the room.
A large buffet table was laid out on the opposite side of the room, stuffed full of delicacies that neither Spyro or Cynder were familiar with yet. On the outskirts were dragons, lots of dragons, talking amongst themselves, not acknowledging the two dragons' arrival. Cyril was there trying to talk to an ice dragoness, only for her to walk away soon after.
In the centre of the room were more dragons, approaching each other and taking off in the air to dance with each other. Cynder noticed that Volteer was in the air, dancing with a fire dragoness. The two looked very happy and comfortable with each other, something that Cynder wasn't used to seeing with any of the Guardians.
"Ah, young dragons!" the trio heard Terrador call out to them. Terrador, like everyone else, wore a magnificent set of armour which was draped behind a green cloak. The cloak had the Earth symbol stitched onto the fabric, showing his status as the Earth Guardian. "Glad you can make the festivities!"
"Man, this place is packed!" Sparx exclaimed.
Terrador nodded in agreement. "Well, my young friend, this celebration has been a long time coming. Our kind hasn't had any occasion like this since before the war… and now thanks to you two, we can rejoice once again."
"Volteer looks happy with that girl," Cynder then pointed out.
"Do you know who she is, Terrador?" Spyro wondered, noting how close she and Volteer were getting as they danced.
Terrador smiled. "Why, that's Hestia… Volteer's mate; they were separated during the war."
"Hold up, the walking thesaurus is married?" Sparx queried, sounding shocked.
"We all were at some point," Terrador muttered, grief in his voice. "Unfortunately, some were unlucklier than others…" He then gazed towards Cyril, who was having a conversation with an electric dragoness nearby.
Spyro saw the emotions in Terrador's eyes, the pain of remembering those who were lost in the war. The purple dragon had seen that kind of look before; he'd worn that same pair when he remembered Ignitus and the noble sacrifice he made.
Terrador then cleared his throat and looked back at the young dragons. "I'm probably keeping you guys away from everyone," he said. "Go on, have fun and mingle."
The Earth Guardian then proceeded to walk off and started to talk to a group of dragons he seemed familiar with, leaving Spyro, Cynder and Sparx still at the entrance.
"Mingle with everyone?" Sparx said. "Doesn't seem so hard… for me anyway."
Spyro ignored Sparx and turned to Cynder. "What do you think we should do first?" He asked the black dragoness.
For Cynder, that was an easy question. "Why don't we head to the food table? I'm interested to taste some of the stuff there."
"Yeah, me too," Spyro chuckled. "I'm starving."
The trio quietly edged their way through the small amount of crowds that had begun to gather. Cynder trailed closely behind Spyro and edged herself closer to him whenever she gazed at any nearby dragons.
She saw that the other dragons were staring back at her, their eyebrows raised when they tried to take a good look at her. Cynder was glad that they didn't immediately recognise her on the spot. A few whispers and murmurs seeped through the crowd, which made Cynder even more anxious than she already was.
They were going to recognise her eventually… she was going to be executed on the spot, she was sure of it.
"Hey, do you think that cheetah guy is here?" Cynder heard Sparx ask Spyro.
"Who? Hunter?" Spyro raised an eyebrow as a curious gaze swept over his face. "I sure hope so; he did help us save the world after all."
Cynder was about to add something to the conversation when she was suddenly bumped in the shoulder by a few female dragons that were around the same size as her and Spyro. Each of the dragons had their own distinctive element; one of fire, one of ice and one of earth. Not that Cynder cared what element they used, she was still a bit miffed that they were swarming Spyro like he was a beehive. They showed behaviour that she noticed made her purple dragon slightly uncomfortable.
"Oh my ancestors, you must be the purple dragon!" the ice dragon exclaimed.
Sparx zipped over to Cynder and edged closer to her head. "Yikes, here come the fangirls," he whispered discreetly.
Cynder rolled her eyes. Other dragonesses… she should've known.
Spyro appeared sheepish, too overwhelmed by the dragonesses to say anything. "Um… Yup, t-that's me."
The earth dragoness got a bit closer to Spyro. "I thought you'd be bigger… and older!" she observed.
"Is it true that you really defeated the Dark Master?" the fire dragoness wondered. "Because nobody said the world's champion was so handsome…"
"Handsome? He's gorgeous, have you seen his physique? It's to die for!"
Spyro, at this point, was too stunned to say something and had backed himself against the buffet table to gain a bit of space from the dragonesses that were surrounding him. His face was completely red and he was wide-eyed, staring in complete shock and darting between the three dragonesses whenever they spoke.
Cynder was disgusted. This was no way to treat someone who had saved the world, it was a clear sign of invading Spyro's personal space. And why were they getting a bit too personal with him as well? Cynder didn't want to know. She just knew that something had to be done about this situation.
"Hey, excuse me, I think you should leave him alone," Cynder said as she snaked through the three dragonesses and stepped in front of Spyro. She spoke in a calmer tone so that no further drama couldn't be created. "Can't you see that you're making him uncomfortable?"
The emotions of the trio of love-stricken dragonesses changed from gleeful to nasty in a heartbeat; Cynder could instantly feel the tension thicken just by looking in their eyes, however she stood her ground. She wasn't afraid of these desperate girls; they couldn't come close to all the battles she's been through.
"What's it to you?" the ice dragoness muttered with a sneer.
"I'm asking you to back off," Cynder replied. "He doesn't want your attention at the moment."
The earth dragoness shrugged. "I don't hear Spyro complaining, so you should be the one to back off."
Cynder scoffed. "He's not saying anything because you're not letting him! You're overwhelming him with bland flirtatious comments…" She then turned to the purple dragon that was somewhat hiding himself behind her. "Is that right, Spyro?"
Spyro nodded. "She's right. Sorry, girls, I'm just not that interested at the moment…" Not interested in those girls, at least.
Sparx shrugged. "Yeah, ladies… better luck next time."
The dragonesses all frowned, staring daggers towards Cynder as their true colours began to appear. However, there was one that gazed at Cynder with a curious look. It was like she knew who the black dragoness was but couldn't quite put the pieces together.
"Say… don't I know you from somewhere?" the fire dragoness wondered.
Cynder shook her head. "No, you must be mistaken."
The ice dragoness took a look at Cynder's markings on her forelegs and her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, I know you!" she exclaimed, sudden fear spreading across her face. "You're… the Terror of the Skies."
Spyro noticed that Cynder's calm demeanour faltered slightly as she gazed down at the ground shamefully.
"You've got some nerve being here!" the earth dragoness barked, her teeth bared. "While we celebrate, Malefor's puppet hides in the shadows… waiting to strike when we least expect it!"
"Tha-that's not true!" Cynder protested. "I'm not that dragon anymore… I'm not proud of the things that happened."
"Oh? You're ashamed of what you've done now?" the earth dragoness snarled. "That's not going to bring my brother back, who I recall you tore to bloody shreds!"
Cynder stayed silent but Spyro could tell she was on the verge of an emotional meltdown; her entire body was trembling and her lip was quivering slightly, a sight that Spyro had never seen from the black dragoness before. He wasn't sure if Cynder was going to lash out or emotionally break apart on the ballroom floor, but he was ready to protect his friend through whatever path Cynder chooses.
"I'm s-so sorry," Cynder managed to choke out. "I'm…"
Then she couldn't get any words out anymore, instead she raced out of the ballroom as fast as she could. Spyro was left stunned, he had never seen Cynder act that way before. She was usually… less emotional about being confronted with her past. Spyro never felt so heartbroken; if only he stepped in sooner…
"Cynder!" Spyro called out but it was too late. She disappeared out of sight, leaving Spyro alone. The world around him suddenly turned silent; the only thing he wanted to know was if Cynder was going to come back or not. He could hear faint traces of Sparx trying to snap him out of it but he didn't care, he just wanted to see Cynder's face again.
"Hmph… serves her right," the earth dragoness gloated to her friends, feeling satisfied that she made the so-called 'Terror of the Skies' go away. "That oyobisc knew what she did."
That last part snapped Spyro back into reality, fury in his eyes. So furious to the point that smoke started to seep out of his nostrils; he felt so angry, so frustrated. He was sick of everyone judging Cynder on her past actions, actions that she had no control over, it's not like she had a choice in a matter.
And that word? Oyobisc, meaning devil in the draconic tongue, was a great insult.
"Do not call her that!" he growled, making the three dragonesses suddenly uneasy.
Sparx, seeing how angry Spyro was getting, rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oh boy…" he muttered.
"You don't have the faintest idea of what Cynder's been through!" Spyro exclaimed. "She's done nothing wrong. Malefor's the one to blame here… he was the cause of the war, the reason half of the eggs got smashed on the night of the temple raid—"
"But my brother—"
"Malefor's doing," Spyro interjected. "Everyone that suffered during the war was all because of him. He used Cynder, corrupted her when she was only a hatchling. I freed her, gave her a chance to live a life that was robbed from her… and that will only happen if everyone just gave her that chance. Like she said, she's not that dragon anymore."
"But—"
"No, I don't want to hear it," Spyro shook his head. "Do me a favour, stay the hell away from Cynder and more importantly, stay away from me. I don't want to be friends with anyone that'll insult my closest friend for something she had no control of!"
With that frustrated rant, Spyro stormed off and left the ballroom in pursuit of the black dragoness. The three dragonesses, who were once trying to flirt with the famous purple legend, were now gobsmacked that Spyro had shouted in their faces and left a party meant to celebrate his victory. It was not how they thought their night was going to go down.
Sparx, who didn't decide to go after his brother, merely stared at the dragonesses with a smug smirk.
"Hey, look on the bright side," he muttered. "You're lucky that he didn't go full 'Dark Spyro' on you guys… Only the bravest souls, like yours truly, can survive that."
(-)
Cynder didn't want to stop. She wanted to keep running.
All her memories, everything that she'd witnessed through the eyes of the Terror of the Skies, came flooding through her head like a bad dream. They were painful, seeing the look of fear on those affected by the war whenever they saw her.
For ages, Cynder felt powerless, looking at the actions of her older counterpart through a space that she couldn't break free from. Now that she was free of Malefor's influence, she had to live with the consequences of that monster's actions.
She saved the world with Spyro… yet somehow it wasn't enough. In spite of everything she'd done for the people of Warfang, there was no way she could ever be trusted again.
Cynder found herself stopping in a nearby corridor that was connected to a stairwell, the moonlight providing a slight illumination through the window. The black dragoness sat herself on the stairwell, taking her helmet off and staring at her reflection through the tear-stained steel.
While Cynder had seen herself in her current form many times before, this time was different. The facade of a confident dragoness was gone; now all Cynder could see was the broken, emotional remnants of the Dark Master's corruption.
Was this what her life was going to be now? Constantly being reminded of her past? Getting the cold shoulder from any passerby whenever she was on the street? It was not a great life to live; no sane person could manage a life like that.
One thing was for sure, Cynder needed to be stronger next time. She wasn't going to be a complete mess; she was going to fight. Fight for a new life, like she's always done.
But how long will she have to fight?
"W-Why did this happen to me?" Cynder muttered quietly to herself, gripping onto her helmet. "Why was I one that was abducted that night? Why me?"
Her helmet, unsurprisingly, gave no response. Not even her inner demons wanted to have a chat with her tonight. Cynder knew what they would say anyway, and that just made her even angrier.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" she bellowed. Cynder then threw her helmet away as hard as she could, leaving one of the horns to stick through the wall opposite her.
Then all the emotions overwhelmed her and she completely broke down. Tears streamed down her face at an uncontrollable rate, Cynder covering herself up in her wings to muffle any cries so that anyone wouldn't hear her.
She just wanted the pain to stop.
"Cynder?"
At the sound of the voice, Cynder did her best to stop her sobbing as she emerged from the comfort of her wings to see who was talking to her.
"S-Spyro?" Cynder managed to choke. As much as she liked to see the purple dragon standing near her as opposed to anyone else, she didn't want him to see her like this.
As if by instinct, Spyro slowly approached the black dragoness and pulled her into a comforting embrace. As soon as the two dragons touched, Cynder immediately felt a soothing sense of calmness wipe over her. It was a strange feeling, but a feeling that Cynder kind of liked. Her sobs started to slow down, fading into hitched irregular breaths as she struggled to calm herself down.
"I don't deserve to be here…" Cynder whispered.
Spyro looked at his companion with wide eyes. "What?" He muttered, shocked to hear that come out of Cynder's mouth. "That's not true. You have every right to be here!"
"Tell that to them," Cynder said, gesturing to the window that looked over the city. "I'm responsible for everything that ever happened during the war. I'm the reason the dragons had to flee and go into hiding… those who survived my wrath anyway."
"Hey, don't say that… Those girls back there had no idea what they were talking about," Spyro murmured. "You know that you're not responsible for anything, you had no control over yourself."
"It was still me, Spyro!" Cynder exclaimed. "No matter what you say, or what the Guardians have said, I still have to live with the suffering that my other self did. And that's what the people see. Not Cynder the Hero, just Cynder… the Terror of the Skies!"
A single tear seeped from Cynder's eye and she was quick to wipe it away.
"I just wish that people could see me for the dragon I am now…"
"And they will, Cynder," Spyro reassured her. "It will just take time. As much as I would like everyone to immediately forgive you, life just doesn't work like that."
Cynder knew that Spyro was right. Opinions about someone don't usually change like a switch of her elements; she would have to prove herself in order to be redeemed for her actions. If she wanted a fresh start, this is what she needed to do.
The black dragoness, once her emotions were sorted out, separated herself from Spyro.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Cynder then softly apologised. "I don't usually break down like that…"
"You don't have to apologise, Cynder," Spyro said. "Besides I should be the one to apologise… I should've stood up for you earlier."
"Maybe I should've stayed in my room tonight…" Cynder muttered, before turning to the purple dragon. "Why did you want me to go to this party?"
Spyro looked down at the ground, not making eye contact with her. "Because I…" There were many reasons why he asked her specifically, reasons he didn't have the courage to say.
Except for one. Spyro took a deep sigh and answered.
"Because I wanted to dance with you," he said.
Cynder stared at Spyro, intrigued by his response. She certainly didn't expect that answer.
"Wait… really?"
Spyro nodded. "I just thought that…" He struggled to put a sentence together but took a pause to collect his thoughts before he continued. "If there was one dragoness that I wanted to share a dance with, I wanted it to be you. Only you."
For the first time since she arrived at the party, Cynder smiled. Her smile instantly washed away any negative emotions she had beforehand. Touched by Spyro's words, her cheeks turned red. Spyro didn't notice, however, since Cynder used her wing to cover up her blushing.
But while Cynder was being discreet, she was able to hear what was going on in the ballroom from afar. She could hear music; nice, enchanting music played brilliantly by the gentlest touch and somehow made the atmosphere more magical.
Which gave her an idea.
Cynder sat herself up and moved in front of Spyro, offering him her paw.
"Well, if you're still up for it… show me what you got."
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "Are you up for it?"
"As long as it's just you and me, I'm always up for anything."
Spyro smirked. "Alright then." He then followed Cynder to an open space in the corridor. "Do you remember the moves?"
"Do you?"
"I think I can remember a move or two."
Cynder chuckled. "Okay then. Lead on then."
"As you wish."
Gazing into each other's eyes, the two dragons started to circle each other as they waited for the next piece of music to start. As the song started to play, Spyro and Cynder closely approached one another and began to hover off the ground with the lightest flap of their wings.
Their movements became so fluid with the music, swaying in the air and only connecting with each through gentle nudges that transitioned into another move. If one was watching this, one would think they were experts at this. But they weren't, Spyro and Cynder didn't know much about dancing… They were, however, skilled at working together in tandem. Being chained by a magical chain had some advantages, despite the two's initial reaction to it.
As the song finished, the two dragons wrapped up their dance by spinning around towards the ceiling with their tails linking them together. Before they could hit the roof, they separated and gilded back down to the ground. Spyro was able to intercept Cynder's flight and catch her in his paws before they touched.
Their dance was finished, the two teenagers stared at each other as they took a breath. Both of them were utterly surprised by what they just did. They never moved like that before, it was truly a breathtaking accomplishment.
They were silent, not saying a word to each other. Spyro gulped nervously as he soon realised how close he actually was to his black-scaled companion. Cynder realised this too and strangely felt herself moving closer to Spyro's face, a feeling that Spyro felt as well and also started to lean in close.
"Um, am I interrupting something?"
Instantly, a wide-eyed Spyro and Cynder backed away from each other and looked up to see that Sparx was in the middle of the corridor.
"O-Oh, Sparx! What are you doing here?" Spyro wondered.
"Looking for you guys, obviously!" Sparx answered. "As you may have noticed, you kind of left me with those girls back there…"
"They didn't give you much trouble, I hope?" Cynder queried.
"Nope," Sparx shook his head. "I gave them trouble. Told them what they needed to be told, you should've seen their faces. Priceless."
Cynder sighed, knowing no good could come from this. "Do I even need to ask?"
"I just gave them the classic Sparx charm, nothing too brutal," Sparx answered. "There's only one person that can make fun of you, Cynder, and that's me."
Rolling her eyes, Cynder snorted in half-amusement. "Gee, thanks."
Sparx shrugged. "It's the least I can do, considering you two left me with those vultures."
Spyro rubbed the back of his head. "Right… sorry about that," he said. "But I wanted to check to see if Cynder was okay."
"You don't need to explain, bro," Sparx smirked. "You did what you had to do."
He then scratched his head, noting how distant Spyro and Cynder had become all of a sudden. "What were you doing before I arrived exactly?"
Spyro's face heated up, his purple scales covering up the intense blushing that was spreading across his cheeks. How in the ancestors was he going to explain this? Sparx did like Cynder, as much as he refused to admit, but what would he think of his brother liking her as more than friends? What would he say, Spyro wasn't sure. It was either going to be utter disbelief or perhaps mockery until the end of his days.
"Well… I—"
"I tripped on the step and Spyro caught me," Cynder then interjected. She then gave him a sly discreet wink, adding to the list of times Cynder had saved Spyro from some kind of danger.
Sparx didn't seem to believe that as he narrowed his eyes towards the black dragoness, but he ultimately sighed.
"That's it?" Sparx said, smirking mischievously. "I had no idea you were such a clutz, Cynder."
Cynder shrugged. "First time for everything, I suppose."
"Well since you two are fine, I'm going back to the party," Sparx said. "You guys coming?"
Cynder did think about just heading back into her room for the night. Her emotional outburst had made her slightly tired mentally, but she didn't like the idea of giving up. That's not how she lived; since in her world, giving up would mean instant death.
If she gave up, then everyone that ever had a grudge against her would win. And that's something that Cynder doesn't want to happen.
"We're on our way," Cynder decided to answer.
"Really?" Spyro wondered, sounding surprised. "Are you sure? We can always go back to our rooms if you want."
"Yes, I'm sure," Cynder replied. "I can't escape my past, nor the people that are affected by it Like you said, Spyro, everyone just needs time to see me… as me. I can't do that if I run away from the problem. This is something I need to live with for now."
Spyro smiled proudly at Cynder's words. This was the start of a long recovery for Cynder, a journey that could result in her past actions being forgotten and forgiven. But deep down, there would be troubles and struggles along the way. As long as they had each other, they could overcome anything.
The trio then decided to head back to the ballroom, Sparx zooming in front of the two dragons and not taking notice of them as they approached the entrance.
Spyro was about to follow the yellow dragonfly when he was stopped by Cynder grabbing his paw gently. He turned to his companion, unsure why she stopped him.
"Hey, Spyro?" Cynder muttered, a warm smile on her face. "Thank you for, you know, comforting me."
"You're welcome, Cynder."
To Spyro's utter surprise, Cynder leant in closely and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. As soon as Cynder made contact with his face, Spyro froze in place. His heart started to beat at a thousand miles as he stared at the black dragoness with a baffled expression.
"Oh! Um.. wh-what was that for?" Spyro stammered, unable to put his thoughts together.
Cynder wasn't sure how to answer that. She was staring at the purple dragon with pure perplexity, like she acted on instinct.
"That's for… well, being you," she eventually replied.
Cynder gave one last smirk at Spyro before parting ways and rejoining the celebrations, leaving Spyro as stiff as a brick as he contemplated what just happened between the two.
Did Cynder just kiss him? It may have been on the cheek but still, it felt so… nice and warm. It felt right.
Spyro remained standing in the corridor, staring at Cynder from afar. To Spyro, she was the only one in the room. She was the centre of his attention as the lighting of the ballroom captured Cynder's beauty in a way Spyro wouldn't have thought possible.
Back in his days in the swamp, Spyro never thought he'd felt such strong feelings towards anyone before he met Cynder. Despite their rocky start, Spyro saw the real Cynder from the moment she was rescued and, as the war progressed, they became close friends and Spyro found himself developing more complicated feelings for the black dragoness.
Cynder was there for him when Ignitus died and she was there when he pulled the world together. He couldn't imagine crossing the skies with anyone else.
He was gonna tell her how he felt. Someday.
For now, Spyro had his entire life to look forward to. His journey was only beginning…
Alright, this is where we're gonna end it. Honestly, I didn't expect to write as much as I did. Hopefully the other chapters will be a bit shorter.
So I'm thinking this story will have 8 chapters, but I'm always happy to do a bit more if there's an idea.
For now, I'll leave you with this story until the next couple of months or so while I update a story not in the Spyro archive. Maybe I'll even write The Greatest Discovery sooner, depending on how I feel creatively.
This is TARDIS1039, signing off… Allons-y!