TLOSAND An New Life

New Life


Terrador entered the nursery area of the temple, looking over the eggs from this Year of the Dragon's first clutch. It was smaller than years past, due to the Dragon population being so small compared to before the war reached its awful peak. He smiled, walking carefully through the nursery, imagining seeing hatchling dragons, a sight it'd been over 24 years since he'd seen last…he then frowned, remembering why, the thoughts of that traumatic night reoccurring in the present creeping their way in. He took a deep breath to drive that thought from his mind. "May the Ancestors watch over you all…they know none of us could bare to relive that night…" he said to the eggs, praying they'd all hatch safely.

Nearby, Cyril had the same idea and he too walked among the nursery, though for him, it was counting all the eggs that appeared to be Ice Dragons. Cyril was naturally a bit…biased towards his own kind. This was known by the other Guardians and accepted-they all accepted, to an extent, one another's faults. Cyril continued walking and examining eggs until he found himself staring at one of the statues of Ignitus that had been given a place of honor in the temple, in recognition of his noble sacrifice. He gave a sigh, remembering their fallen comrade. "I do wish you'd lived to see this day, Ignitus…" he muttered to himself.

Terrador walked up next to him, having taken notice of Cyril's statement. "As do I Cyril…as do I…" He sighed as well, staring up at the magnificent statue. Terrador had taken Ignitus' place as the leader of the Guardians, but felt he couldn't ever really replace Ignitus no matter how strong a leader he was.

Cyril nodded solemnly. "I think of the four of us, Ignitus blamed himself the most for that terrible night…guarding another clutch of eggs to their hatching would've been good for him…"

Terrador nodded in a thoughtful manner. "All we can do is hope he's watching over and guarding them with the Ancestors," he stated. "…Still, it's hard not to miss him, we've defended this temple most of our lives along side him…"

Volteer joined them soon enough, listening in on the conversation. "I too can't help but reminiscence about the years we spent with Ignitus as our compatriot and friend, it is most unfortunate and saddening he was unable to witness the new Year of the Dragon, he always adored this occasion so much," he said, speaking a mile a minute. "It's particularly despondent that he should miss our symbol of appreciation to Spyro and Cynder for their timely salvation of the world," he continued, turning his gaze to a black egg sitting on a pedestal by itself, one of the statues of Ignitus standing over it, almost protectively.

"As much as it pains me to say it, something sensible finally came out of that motor mouth of yours, Volteer," said Cyril, agreeing with Volteer.

Terrador nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's a sad fact indeed…" he said, walking over to the egg. "Spyro was like a son to him, after all…"

Volteer nodded, looking out the window to see Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx coming down at the temple entrance. "And it seems they're here."

Terrador nodded. He lowered his head close to the egg. "Well, it looks like you're going to get your family now…" he reassured it. It wasn't uncommon at all for the Guardians to speak to the unborn Dragons to get them used to their voices before the eggs hatched.


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Spyro and Cynder landed in front of the entrance, Sparx hovering between them. "Ah, the dragon temple, good times," said Sparx. "Well not this temple, but the old one that fell into a volcano, had some good times there," he stated, Spyro and Cynder nodding in agreement. "Hey!" he yelled, looking at statues of Spyro, Cynder, and Ignitus that had been built at the temple, in recognition of the role each played in the world's salvation. "What? No statue of me? I helped too!"

Cynder sighed, shaking her head. "And I thought Cyril had an ego."

Spyro chuckled at that, his adoptive brother could be annoying and he had an ego at times. He then slowly looked to the statue of Ignitus, a sad look replacing his smile as he remembered what had happened back in the Ring of Fire…when Ignitus gave his life for theirs. He still missed the Fire Guardian a lot, yeah, he had his dragonfly foster parents…but Ignitus was like a father to him to. He shook himself out of it and looked to Cynder, noticing she looked a little nervous. "What's wrong?"

Cynder would've blushed if she'd been able to, looking at one of her statues. "Just a little…embarrassed," she said. "It's just…did they really need this many statues of us?" she asked, not used to excessive praise.

"Wait, I don't get any statues at all and you're complaining you've got too many? Lady, you've got problems," said Sparx, rolling his eyes.

Spyro chuckled a little. "Cynder, you helped me save the world, they're just grateful."

Cynder looked down timidly, this wasn't something the Black Dragon was used to. "I know…I'm just not used to being a hero, even after all these years…" she explained. "I mean, yeah, people thank us all the time, that's one thing, having a bunch of statues in my honor is a tad…excessive is all," she explained, looking at the statues of her and Spyro lining the temple entrance.

Spyro chuckled. "Cynder, you earned this," he said, giving her a nuzzle. "I couldn't have done it with out you, we both know that,"

Cynder nuzzled him back, then smiled to him. Spyro always knew what to say. It's times like that she knew they were meant for each other. "Well…not like I had a choice, I was tied to you the whole time," she joked, trying to lighten the mood for both their sakes. She was still embarrassed at the number of statues, but it wasn't a big deal.

"Helped you save the world? You couldn't have done it without her?" asked Sparx, looking kind of mad. "What? You act like all I did was float next to your head the entire time!" he said, getting a stare from Spyro and Cynder. "Oh yeah…" he muttered, remembering he had done exactly that. "But I knocked out that annoying parrot!"

"Ugh, that guy?" asked Cynder, disgusted, remembering Scratch and Sniff, Skabb's two annoying parrots back on that Pirate ship. "Those annoying birds nearly drove me insane. I don't know what was worse, having to fight in that nasty, dirty arena to the death or listening to the purple one yell insults the entire time and the red one calling me the 'Former Queen of Conquer'," she stated, clearly hating that nickname, mainly because it sounded just stupid. "Thank you for punching one of those little annoyances out cold," she admitted, causing Sparx to get a proud look at the praise, almost making her take it back.

Spyro chuckled. "Alright, that's enough, the Guardians are waiting for us,"

Cynder nodded, slowly looking at the temple entrance, walking in with Spyro. "Wow…not much has changed, has it?" she asked, looking around the main hall.

"Yeah, except it's less broken," said Sparx, floating around.

Spyro chuckled, finding that observation comical. "Well it is brand new, probably had some help from the Moles," he said, looking around at the new temple. It was breathtaking to see it without vines and battle damage, but otherwise, it was identical to the old temple (well, other than the statues).

Cynder nodded, looking at the statues again, getting a little embarrassed again that they'd made so many statues of them. "Yeah, that's true," she stated, looking to Spyro. "Still, it is impressive, looks much better than Malefor's corrupted version," she said, shuttering at the thought of that monster. She then looked to one of Ignitus' statues, noticing Spyro was looking at it sadly. "…You still miss him, don't you?" she said, sympathetically.

Spyro nodded slowly, remembering Ignitus' sacrifice. "Even after all this time, I miss him so much…" he said, lowering his head.

Cynder nodded, putting her paw on his back to comfort him. "I know how you feel…" she said, remembering Ignitus, he was the first dragon to forgive her for her past…he'd been so kind, despite everything she'd done…she might've ended up much worse without him. "He's a real hero…"

Spyro nodded, but then heard a door open nearby as Terrador entered the chamber, which put a smile on his face real quick. "Terrador! Long time no see!"

Terrador smiled back. "Hello, young dragons," he said, glad to see them again. "And dragonfly," he continued, not wanting another rant from Sparx.

"Finally someone remembers to recognize the little guy!" said Sparx, smiling. "I was starting to think I'd have to go visit the llama people just to get noticed again!"

Terrador turned his attention back to Spyro and Cynder. "It's good to see you again, you've gotten bigger since I last saw you."

Cynder and Spyro both smiled up to the larger adult. "We haven't gotten that much bigger, Terrador," said Cynder, a little embarrassed at his comment. "But thanks for noticing."

Spyro nodded in agreement. "You haven't changed much since last time, Terrador, I'm glad. It's good to see not much has changed."

Terrador gave a nod, agreeing that must be comforting. "True, this is your first time here since it was rebuilt. May I ask why?"

Cynder looked down, showing shame. "Spyro wanted to…but every time we got close…I well…"

"She chickened out," said Sparx bluntly, earning himself a snarl from Cynder. As expected, he screamed and hid behind Spyro's head.

Cynder then gave a sigh. "He's right…I…I kept feeling like I didn't belong here…that it wasn't right for me to come to such a holy place…"

Terrador gave her an understanding smile. "Young one, no one holds your past against you any longer," he said. "It wasn't your fault, and you did help fight Malefor. This temple and the world stand because of you and Spyro. If anyone deserves to be here, it's you."

Cynder gave a small smile. "Thanks Terrador…but its not just that…it's the darkness he left in me…" she said, looking at her black scales with hatred.

"Cynder, you're not the one that Malefor infused with his darkness…but that doesn't mean you or me are unworthy to be here," said Spyro, remembering the evil half that he'd gained on the Night of Eternal Darkness, Dark Spyro. "That's just a part of us, but it's not who we are…we proved that by beating Malefor."

Cynder slowly nodded, understanding the point. "But…it's also why we didn't have eggs this year…we wanted to but…" she started, looking to Terrador. "We were afraid of what the darkness inside us would do to a child of ours."

Terrador smiled reassuringly. "Young dragons, you don't need to worry about that, come with me," he said, leading the way to the nursery.


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As the three followed Terrador to the nursery, they looked over the eggs in amazement. "Wow…so that's what dragon eggs look like…" said Spyro, having never seen them before.

Cynder nodded, amazed herself. "I didn't think there'd be so many…"

Terrador nodded with a small chuckle, finding the younger dragons' amazement enjoyable, as was watching little Sparx dart around the eggs, looking them over as well. "Dragons can have a large number of eggs at a time, depending on size. While a dragon Cynder's size would be able to nest this year, she'd probably only have one or two eggs, where a full grown dragon would have a larger group."

Cynder listened, but looked uneasy. "Well, I guess that'll help us…repopulate," she said, finding that conversation kind of awkward and hoping it'd not go further. She was still young, and her mind was three years behind her body, thanks to the time they'd been hibernating in the Time Crystal.

"Why hello Spyro, Cynder, it's good to see you again," Cyril said, walking over with a smile.

Spyro and Cynder both gave the Ice Guardian a smile, glad to see him. "It's good to be back, Cyril," said Cynder. "Were you waiting here for us?"

"No, Cyril was busying himself adding up the total number of eggs demonstrating promise of becoming Ice Dragons, you know how egotistical Cyril can be," said Volteer, joining them as well.

"Well I was counting the Ice eggs, but not for my ego!" countered Cyril, though rather defensively. "I merely wanted to see how many dragons I'll be teaching the fine art of ice, well and Spyro too, if he's so inclined."

Spyro chuckled. "Of course, Cyril, I'd be happy to help teach the new dragons, but Terrador said he had something else to show us?"

Terrador nodded. "Yes, I do, Spyro, Cynder," he said, leading them towards a pedestal nearby. "Cynder, where do you think your coloration came from?"

Cynder blinked slightly, confused by the question. "Well from Malefor's darkness, it made sense in my head at least."

Terrador shook his head. "Well you're wrong, young dragon," he said, giving a kind smile. "The coloration of your egg was as black as your scales," he explained. "You've said you have memories of your life before you were corrupted, do you ever remember yourself being another color?"

Cynder thought back, trying to remember, she then recalled her nightmare from earlier that day, remembering she had been black before Malefor's darkness had been infused with her, the memory causing her to gasp. "I…I don't…I was black before he corrupted me…" she said, startled. However, that thought did make her happy to some degree. "So…I'm supposed to be black dragon?"

Volteer nodded. "Correct, your scale pigmentation, even if the Dark Master had not infused with his negative energies, would've been as black as night regardless, its quite fascinating as never before you had their been such a dragon prior, you are in fact the prime member of your particular variation of our species," he explained, going so fast it was hard to keep up.

"Uh…what did he just say?" asked Sparx, confused.

"I think he said that Cynder was the first black dragon and would've been even if she'd never been Malefor's slave," explained Spyro, somewhat confused as well.

"So why can't he ever just come out and say it?"

"Wait, so I'm the first black dragon? How is that possible?" asked Cynder, dumbfounded as to how that could happen. "I mean I know the Purple Dragons just popped up with Malefor, but…"

"Well it's quite simple, Cynder," said Volteer. "Over generations genes drift and alternate, causing mutations in the genetic material containing the blueprints for our very being, thus as a result, unforeseen effects can occur, for instance there have been albino dragons whose skin lack pigment of any kind due to a genetic alte-"

"Volteer! Please! They're confused enough without your nonstop babbling," interrupted Cyril. "What this motor mouth means is that species change overtime, and simply put, Cynder's breed finally emerged as a result of this."

Cynder slowly nodded, understanding…kind of. "Ok, while its comforting to know this is my natural scale color, why do you bring it up now? Why wasn't I told 12 years ago?"

"Well Cynder, it never really came up," said Cyril. "There were more pressing matters, like helping you cope with the troubled past being under Malefor's thumb presented to you, or saving the world. Your color was something we figured you already knew."

Terrador nodded. "And Cynder, there's another reason, while you're the first black dragon, you're soon not to be the only one," he said, stepping out of the way to show the black egg the Guardians had been examining previously.

Cynder gasped, looking over the black egg in shock and surprise. "Y-you mean there's going to be another black dragon?" she asked, walking up to it and looking the egg over closely. Something just felt…good about it, a kinship she'd not felt before…even with Spyro, or rather a different type…it was hard to explain…

Spyro was shocked as well, then look to the Guardians. "So…what can a natural black dragon do?"

"Well we honestly do not know," said Cyril. "Since Cynder was the first and was corrupted by Malefor, we have no way of knowing."

"But we can speculate that perhaps one of the elements she now possesses was likely her original one," said Volteer. "Since she has not developed a secondary type of power after being restored to her natural age, we can only assume that ether her natural elemental abilities were completely supplemented by the ones obtained in her corruption or that one of them is in fact her natural one. After all, the simple fact Malefor discovered those four elements does not make them inheritably nefarious in nature."

"Volteer is correct," agreed Terrador. "Malefor may have developed Wind, Poison, Fear, and Shadow, but he did so before his fall to evil."

Cynder wasn't listening, she was focused on the little egg, something in her seemed to instruct her to slowly stroke the top of it with her paw in a motherly fashion. Doing that felt good for some reason, natural. "So…you want us to raise it?" she asked, having gotten that much from Terrador's previous words. She found herself hoping that was the case…she couldn't explain it, but she already felt like this little egg was hers; it was something she'd never experienced before. Perhaps it was the realization she wasn't alone in the world as the only black dragon and finally had another member of her species to care about that was causing her to bond so quickly.

"Well it's only natural," said Cyril "This egg's parents will be unable to care for the hatchling once it's born, so they put it up for adoption."

"And we thought of you, of course," said Volteer. "Cynder is the only other dragon of this one's kind to ever be born, and as for Spyro, well if a child isn't proud to have him for a father, I don't think they could be proud of anything."

Spyro looked to Cynder, seeing her already having grown attached to the little egg, a maternal instinct having surfaced within her. "Cynder…its your choice, we did want to have a child, we just…well, you know…so what do you think?"

Cynder gave the egg a motherly nuzzle, then looked to Spyro with a nod. "Let's do it…thank you," she said, smiling and nuzzling him, getting a nuzzle in return.

"Hey! I'm going to be its uncle, won't I?" asked Sparx, getting kind of excited. "I am your brother after all, Spyro."

Spyro smiled to Sparx. "Well adopted brother, but yeah, I'm sure you'll make a great uncle, Sparx." He looked at the small egg, smiling. He allowed himself to began feeling the same way Cynder did, at least to an extant. He wasn't a Black Dragon, so he couldn't feel the same kinship as she did. Still, the fact was he now knew this egg was his child, not biologically of a course but that didn't matter. He still considered Nina and Flash his real family and they were dragonflies, so blood relation had never mattered to him. As far as he was concerned, this child was his and he'd love it like one.

Sparx shrugged. "You're adopting it to, so no big deal there," he said, floating around the egg. "So, any name ideas?"

Spyro blinked in confusion, the realization of what this choice entails finally hitting him. "Name ideas? We don't even know if it'll be a boy or a girl, or what element it'll have, or what it'll look like other than color," he said, contemplating all these things. There was a lot for a new parent to think about after all.

"Well there will be time for all that, you two," said Cyril. "After the eggs hatch, remember, for the time being, we still have to guard all these eggs."

Cynder nodded. "Of course," she replied, tearing herself away from her adopted child, which was surprisingly hard for her to do. "That is one of the reasons we came here after all."

"And there's another reason as well," said Terrador, giving a smile, they had one more big surprise for the two.

"Yes, I almost forgot, we have another surprise for you," explained Cyril. "Ok! You can come out now!" he called.

Spyro and Cynder looked to one another in confusion before another dragon their size and age came running from nearby room, sliding to a stop in front of them. Her skin was a bright pink, except for her belly, which was white or cream colored, her eyes blue, and the webbed spikes that were on her back a purple color. She also had backwards pointing yellow horns that curved slightly upwards. Her defining traits, however, were the fact her tail tip was shaped like a heart, the point of which pointing out, and that she had a gold necklace with a pink heart shaped jewel.

It would seem this girl had a thing for hearts…