[Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. It has been a while since I posted a Spyro story. Over a year, in fact. Well, allow me to present to you The Legend of Shadow, a self-insert story that I recently got an idea for since on December 26th. I was just pondering over on how to start the story, and so this is what came to be for the beginning. It's been a while since I last had been in the fandom, so if there's any errors I might make, help me out, please, and thank you for reading my fanfic! I will be posting it on Archive of Our Own concurrently, if there is a new outage on this website in the new year.]

Prologue

Spyro stared out at the sun, watching the landscape in the horizon. His purple scales shone under the blazing sunlight, his amethyst eyes looking from right to left.

It had been ten years since the defeat of Malefor, the Dark Master, and peace had been restored to the Dragon Realms. Spyro and Cynder were living a happy life in the Dragon City of Warfang. They were helping the surviving dragons to adjust in the new age.

When he did not see any new dragons coming from the north, Spyro turned around and hovered down from the city wall of Warfang to the lower level. Landing, he met a few Moles who bowed to him. He smiled and nodded in their direction.

Spyro made his way through the city to the City Center, where he was expecting to see his friend, Cynder, guiding some of the new residents their way through Warfang.

I still can't believe that we survived the battle, Spyro thought, thinking back to the final battle with Malefor before the world was destroyed. He saved it, thus using his magic to restore the world to its natural state by pulling the pieces of the world back to the core. It had exhausted him at first, when he found out that he and his friend awakened to find themselves in Avalar upon the newly made peace. It has been a long time since then.

He continued walking to his detination, watching as some Moles were assisting the new dragons to their assigned homes in the white buildings.

"I love you."

The words whipsered in his mind, echoing from time to time, as Spyro stopped in his walk. Those three words made him think different about Cynder, the one whom he had rescued from the Dark Master's control in Convexity thirteen years ago.

She loves me, he realized. And I love her. Should I confess it? I'm not sure how she would take my words. He had been trying to confess his love for Cynder in the past few years, but each time he froze and slipped his tongue, nervousness taking over whenever he approached her to say it.

"Spyro."

He blinked, glancing to skyward as Terrador, the Earth Guardian, landed down on the ground beside him. "Terrador," he nodded in acknowledgement to his friend. "How are things going with the residents?"

"They are taking in the city," rumbled Terrador with his deep voice. "They just need to be guided along the many paths inside Warfang. Volteer is helping with that. And Cynder?"

"What about her?"

"Well, where is she?" Terrador asked.

"She's helping some others into their new homes with the Moles," Spyro replied.

"Good, good." Terrador looked pleased. "And what about you? You've been avoiding her, am I not correct?"

"How'd you know?"

Terrador looked around, then whispered to him: "Let us walk someplace safe for this conversation."

Spyro tilted his head, but nodded. He flew with the Guardian to the Dragon Temple on the upper levels of Warfang. Once they landed, Spyro folded his wings, as did Terrador.

"So tell me," began Terrador, "what's troubling you?"

"It's about Cynder…" said Spyro. "She was the first one to confess her love for me. I don't know how to respond back, Terrador. I need help on this matter."

Terrador's eyes shone. "Is there a particular reason why you don't know how to confess to Cynder?"

"Yes. Each time I tried, I freeze up, unable to say the words she once spoke to me back then."

"How long has this been going?" Terrador wondered.

"Since the war ended, about ten years in fact."

"Hmm," rumbled Terrador. "If that is the case, then why not go to her once the gathering of the new dragons have ended? I would like to think she would appreciate your presence, Spyro. She misses it, I suspect, after all this year."

"I know that we've been kind of separated from helping the surviving dragons to adjust life in Warfang," said Spyro, hanging his head low. "But I'm afraid I will freeze up again."

"Then do not fear her reaction."

Spyro looked up at the Guardian.

"Remember, she loves you more than you realize," continued Terrador. "She would be more than happy if you just take it simple and say the words she once spoke to you."

"Is it that simple?" asked Spyro, hopeful in his voice.

Terrador nodded. "Yes."

"Alright…I will try." Spyro sighed. "I will find her."

"Good luck, my friend," said Terrador. "I have other things to see to at the Temple."

"Thank you, and have a good day." Spyro spread his wings and flew in the direction of where he had found the dragoness of his life. The talk with Terrador had encouraged him to speak with her once more.

Spyro hovered in midair upon seeing Cynder walking outside the white building and exhaling a breath. He landed down in front of her. "Tired?"

"Yes," she responded. "All of the dragons I was assigned with alongside the Moles have gotten their new homes."

"That's good."

"May I know why you're here, Spyro?" asked Cynder with an eye ridge raised.

"I would like to talk with you, somewhere private, if you don't mind," he said, looking around to see if any dragon or mole was nearby. There were a couple of them staring at them.

"Sure. I could use some fresh air after all of these tasks."

Spyro smiled, leading the way through the city streets with Cynder beside him.

•••

Daniel was sitting on his couch, playing video games. It was a nice Thursday evening. His school had been through for the day while he had worked on his lectures. It had taken a toll on him, so he wanted some time to relax in his room before going out for dinner.

The game he was playing was called Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy on the PlayStation 4. He was about to finish the current level he was playing, when he heard his mother's voice call from behind the door:

"Honey, it's dinner time!"

"Let me just finish the level, then I will come!" he replied, focused on beating the enemies on screen.

"Don't take too long, okay?"

Daniel rolled his blue eyes, before he was finally done with finishing the Corellia level of the game. When he was finished, he paused the game, letting his controller on the table in front of him. He stood up, stretched his arms, and walked down to join his parents for dinner.

Once dinner was finished, he returned to his room. He stared at his paused game, then looked out the window. Daniel sighed, watching some birds fly in front of the tree by his window. After all these years he had been human, he wished he would be a winged creature that could fly.

By being a dragon would be a dream come true for him. Aside from Star Wars, his love of dragons were so strong that he wished he would meet his favorite idols, Spyro and Cynder, in their world. But he knew they were fantasy and not real.

Daniel walked over to the windowsill, leaning on its surface and stared to the outside world. "Man…" he muttered, "this life is boring. I wish to be a dragon…" At the same time, he knew his dream would never come true, since he only read some books about dragons, therefore dragons were only fictional.

"So, this human is the one destined for greatness? Hmm. We will get to that."

A voice suddenly spoke in his mind. Daniel gasped, whirling around, but saw no one. "Who…who's there?" he whispered, low enough so that his parents did not hear him talk nonsense.

"Do not fear, young human. I am a friend, and you are going to help me accomplish my goal once and for all."

Daniel did not realize whose owner the voice belonged to. He felt a numbness take a toll over his body, then dizziness before he passed out with a low thud.