4: Fathers and Sons
“So... “ Nestor said as Cynder returned home to the Artisans homeland, greeting her as the festival began to close down for the night. Lights began to slowly go out, stalls closed and fireworks were brought in alongside the little ones. Festivities would go on into the night, but those were mainly of the ‘adult fun’ kind, not meant for young drakes. “...Heard you and Spike had a little adventure of sorts!” the green-scaled dragon remarked as Spyro flew down to join them. Flame, knowing the way home escorted Spike there.
“...Or more accurately, Spike had a little adventure and a little meeting with someone. If I didn’t know better I’d say there would be love on the horizon for those two!” Nestor remarked, and Spyro turned to look at his mate in shock.
“Is… is this true? Do… do I need to give the ‘talk’ to Spike now?” Spyro asked looking as if he was practically praying towards anyone who was listening that this wasn’t the case. “...Nestor, if this is true you gotta help me.”
“Oh no, some duties are left to fathers alone!” Nestor said still having the nightmares of having to explain the birds and the bees to his young charge. “This one is totally out of my hands kid.”
“...Ugh, the gossip chain runs fast, doesn’t it?” Cynder muttered in distaste almost but confirming poor young Spyro’s fears. “Bet it’s that yappy kirin Fern Flare. Knew we shouldn’t have invited him and Cinder Glow to the festivities. I swear, ever since they regained their voices they’ve been chattier than ever…”
While we won’t get into details about the kirin quite just yet, the meeting with them and the dragons of the realm was a fairly interesting one indeed. Spyro and Cynder had known the legends well enough, a long time ago a pony and a dragon had somehow mated and produced an egg clutch. That egg clutch continued into the present day as the kirins, quiet little things who generally liked to keep to themselves. Well, except for that odd one who was into musical theatre.
“...Oh god. I’m going to need some brain bleach soon aren’t I… Bet I can get Gavin or Eldrid to brew some…” Spyro muttered to himself before Cynder slapped her mate over the head.
“Don’t be an idiot. It’s not that hard, just tell him to be safe about things and insert plug A into hole B!” Cynder said with a little smirk as both Nestor and Spyro blushed red at her crassness. Cynder then burst out laughing once more. “Oh, you two are so easy. Quite honestly, I highly doubt we’ll have to worry about that anytime soon. Joke about it we may, but I don’t think they’ll be mating anytime soon. Spike thinks Smolder’s a jerk, really. Besides, they’re a bit young for it I think…”
Spyro raised an eyebrow. “Bit young for it? He’s fourteen. ...Lord Torch above, I remember what horny little bastards we were at that age. ...Oh, and let’s not forget how bad Ember and Flame are. ...I’m still not sure they’re out of their ‘honeymoon’ period.”
“...I don’t think any of us are sure they are…” Nestor muttered with a small roll of his eyes. “Just last week I caught the two having sex in my office! And as you always say Cynder, it starts with hair pulling and then moves right into kissing!”
“So you’re saying I should be worried?” Spyro asked. “...Oh, I’m going to go grey before I hit a hundred by this rate!”
Cynder patted him on the back supportively. “So, should we be giving Smolder the “I hurt you and rip your guts out if you hurt him and break his heart” talk now? I mean, I know where her uncle Bubba lives…”
“Don’t tempt me…” Spyro grumbled a few puffs of smoke snorting out from his nostrils.
Nestor burst out laughing and both Spyro and Cynder looked at him with varying expressions of bewilderment. Then Spyro caught on and soon began to laugh as well.
“Um… Okay, I’m… I’m sorta lost here,” Cynder said. “I… Either of you mind explaining what’s so funny to the so obviously not telepathic one of the bunch here?”
“You don’t get it yet?” Nestor asked. “You’re acting like parents already! Just as I said to Spyro, you’d both figure it out!”
Cynder soon realized he was exactly right and fought back a chuckle as well, feeling a burning warmth within her chest. Love. She knew it had to be none other. Her face fell and her wings drooped as she was hit with another realization.
“You alright Cyn?” Spyro asked with more than a touch of concern.
“We’re already calling him our son, and yet… and yet he hasn’t worked up the courage to call either of us his parents yet…” Cynder murmured with a small sigh. “What’d you say about this Nestor? That’d it come with time?”
“Mhm, exactly,” Nestor agreed with a small nod. “You weren’t instantly expecting him to come around to you, were you? No… no, the poor boy’s still -and always will be- in love with his birth mother. He’ll let you into his heart soon enough, given the interactions between the three of you that I’ve seen and your general personalities but it will take time.”
“Thank you, Nestor,” Cynder said with a small smile before she narrowed her eyes at him. “...Wait, please tell me you, Gavin and Maximos aren’t already placing bets, are you? Are you?” she asked in a slightly threatening manner.
Cynder still remembered when the three were placing bets on when she and Spyro were going to get together. She knew Nestor still kept the rubies from his win. She also suspected nobody really won anything, given it just seemed to be the same bag of gems that the three passed around for their at times increasingly ridiculous bets. Cynder also remembered the satisfaction she had gotten for sending all three of them running for the hills when she had found out about it.
“N-No!” Nestor said shaking his head rapidly. Spyro wondered if he was going to get whiplash from it. “Not at all!”
Spyro took note of the gem bag he was hiding behind his back but said nothing.
“...Okay…” Cynder replied not really believing him for a minute but electing to stay silent on the matter.
“Just hurry up on it, okay?” Nestor said with a smile. “And while you’re on it, when are you going to give me those grandbabies I’ve been hoping to spoil?”
“Goddamnit Nestor!” Spyro almost whined as Nestor burst out laughing as he walked his way home. “...I thought I told you to stop bugging us about it…”
“...I really hate your dad sometimes, you know that right?” Cynder asked.
The next day Spyro awoke bright and early. Cynder was already out at the festival grounds helping to prep things and on guard duty. Not that he minded, as this gave him some one on one time with his new son.
He smiled. Son. It felt so right really. He never would have thought about it until he adopted Spike but yet he found himself liking the term the more and more he actually thought about it.
Spyro’s smile found itself turning into a frown as he thought about the circumstances that were actually behind Spike’s adoption. Scale Hunters, he’d heard other dragons call them. These gnorcs were braver than the usual kind and actually actively went after other dragons no matter the size. Most were gnorcs armed to the teeth with goo guns and such, but as Spike had found out the hard way some of the beast taming gnorcs got in on the fun as well. Now you wouldn’t have thought vultures could have been particularly dangerous to a fully grown dragon and you would have been absolutely right. But when they were teamed with gnorcs they often swarmed the dragon in question while the gnorcs closed in for the kill with electro rods and flintlock pistols.
Fighting back a growl, Spyro brushed the thoughts away. Slowly but surely the scale hunters were being found and dealt with by the Peace Keepers and Dream Weavers dragons. You never would have thought dragons who dealt with dreams could be so vicious but Spyro knew otherwise. After all, if you were somehow stupid enough to mess with their kin they could really give you some nasty night terrors. Said night terrors could last long enough for another dragon to hunt you down and smash your skull in with a sledgehammer.
“Spike?” Spyro called throughout the home. “You there little buddy?”
“...Ugh yeah, I’m here…” Spike said as he emerged from his bedroom rubbing his eyes tiredly. “...Could have yelled a little louder why don’t you?”
“Sorry,” Spyro laughed sheepishly. “Was just looking for you kid, that’s all,” he said giving his adoptive son a little noogie.
“St-Stop!” Spike laughed. “So, did you come looking for me for any reason in particular or… because if not there’s a nice gem with my name on it that looks awfully tasty right about now…”
Spyro chuckled to himself, that explained why he’d found a few gems missing from the cupboard. Seems Spike had helped himself to a little midnight snack.
“So, just thinking that’s all,” Spyro said. “Not something I’m generally known for, but I see you’ve gone through the ‘molt’ as we call it, earned your wings,” he said gesturing to the two extra appendages Spike was sporting jutting out from his back.
“So?” Spike asked with a small shrug. “What of it?”
“Just thought we could go for a little fly over the dragon lands. I won’t tell Cynder about it as long as you don’t, and I thought it could serve as some good… uh, bonding time.”
He hesitated to call it ‘father-son bonding time’ as he wasn’t quite sure where Spike stood on that particular issue. He didn’t want to rush him any more than he needed to really.
Memories rushed through Spike’s head at the mention of the word ‘flying’. He remembered her, her warm voice and her soft pink scales that shined like a winter twilight over the horizon. He remembered his father as well. White scales, like new-fallen snow. Both of them flying alongside him and urging him on and up into the air when after he had just stopped molting. He heard their cheers of joy, and his mother’s voice once more.
“I know you can do anything… my son. My little Spike.”
Noticing how Spyro was looking at him oddly, Spike quickly gave him an answer.
“....Yeah, yeah, I like flying really. Just… uh, don’t want to do it right now, that’s all…” Spike said fighting back a tear or two and Spyro nodded in understanding.
“It’s okay, I understand, it’s cool…” Spyro replied sounding a bit dejected and brushing at the ground with his claw. “Look, I’ve gotta cook breakfast. Normally Cynder does it… but, uh, as you can see she decided to get started bright and early today. Even took the bagels I normally have ready for her. ...she has a craving for them as I understand it. Them and watermelons.”
Spike followed behind, still nibbling on his gem as Spyro walked into the kitchen and began cooking a spot of eggs and bacon. He even wore a cute little frilly pink apron that said: “World’s best dragon” on it for good measure. He got no end of teasing from Cynder about this, but who was he to turn down a gift from Elora. Nobody turned down a gift from Elora. She was scary like that.
Spyro was so focused on getting his coffee ready that what he didn’t see was said eggs and bacon catching on fire.
“Ackl” Spyro shouted when he finally did take notice after the smell of smoke reached his nostrils, and he quickly began trying to put the fire out before it burned down the whole house.
“...What… what do I do?” Spyro asked looking towards Spike for answers.
“How do I know? Do I look like I’ve ever cooked a day in my life?” Spike said looking left and right in a panic to find something -anything really- to help put out the fire.
Spyro then remembered the fire extinguisher Cynder kept nearby, like always kept nearby just in case something like this ever happened. It wouldn’t have been the first time something like this had happened really. For either of them, believe it or not. Cynder may have been the more accomplished cook between the two but even she had her mishaps in the kitchen. Quickly grabbing it Spyro pressed down and sprayed foam all over the fire… and all over the bacon and eggs which were now obviously ruined.
“...Well, that could have gone better,” Spyro admitted and Spike nodded weakly. “Let’s never mention this one to your mom okay? ...I mean Cynder okay?” Spyro said quickly correcting his verbal slip-up. He was amazed he hadn’t made one sooner really. He groaned to himself. Real nice Spyro, he thought. Real nice.
“...Let’s see if we can find something I’m less likely to burn. Like a honeydew melon or some good old fashioned dragonfruit. Or maybe… ah yes! Here they are! The wumpa fruits!” Spyro crowed triumphantly after a bit of searching and rummaging through the cupboards. He held up what looked to be an odd cross between a peach and an apple before calling: “Here, catch!”
He tossed it towards Spike who quickly leaped up and swallowed it whole before shouting back: “He shoots, he scores! Oh yes, I’m the dragon!”
Spyro had to stifle his laughter at Spike doing a triumphant little dance of giddy joy.
Spike for his part admitted he hadn’t felt like this in ages. For the first time, he did admit to himself only at least he could see why the other dragons liked Spyro. He was a bit of a doofus but he was fun to be around. He was like the sun, blazing bright and attracting others to him with his warmth. Spike himself he admitted. His eyes widened in realization. No, he thought to himself. Surely he couldn’t be… He surely couldn’t be starting to think of his fellow dragon like that could he? No, it was far too soon, far too soon for this sort of thing wasn’t it?
“Yeah… Uh, Spyro?” Spike asked fighting back more tears. “...Could we… uh, postpone the flying thing, and just take a little walk around the festival? I… uh, want to see it a bit more.”
“Sure kid… sure.” Spyro said with a soft smile. He could be patient. Roam wasn’t built in a day as they said. And like that Roam analogy, Spike surely wasn’t going to accept him as his new father with open arms in just a week. He could be patient, Spyro told himself. It hurt yes, but he could be patient.
And so the two set across the festival grounds, taking in the day and the fun to be had. Spyro, while tossing milk bottles with his son heard shouting and both looked to see Cynder. She was leading out this massive dragon with lime green scales and purple spines out of the festival by sword point. Said dragon was clutching a few kegs of beer in claw and had a bit of a gut.
“...Oh, him,” Spyro said and when Spike looked confused Spyro was happy to explain. Okay, happy may not have been the operative word here but you get a general idea. “Guy’s called Sludge, and there has never been more fitting a moniker for a dragon than his own. He’s slime really, always coming in and causing a lot of trouble. He even hits on Cynder, and perhaps needless to say we’re all quite sick and tired of him.”
“Well, can’t you just go ahead and banish him from your lands or somethin’?” Spike asked with no small amount of confusion. Spyro sighed and rubbed his temples.
“...Trust me, we’d all like to but unless he actually commits an actual legit serious crime like murder or something we can’t just do that. We can’t go throwing our weight around like the dragons of old. We’re feared for a reason kid, we’re still trying to shake off some of our reputation as mindless brutes to the lands surrounding us.” Spyro said.
Spike remembered a similar conversation with his mother.
“Now Spike,” she’d said to him back then. “We’re bigger and more powerful than a lot of the other races in the realms. That’s why we’re feared. That’s why you’ll be feared. You’ve got to keep your head hung up high, as others will judge you. You need to give them a reason to not fear you, and accept you for who you are.”
“...Ah, I see…” Spike said. “I gotcha. Thanks, da-I mean, Spyro.”
Spyro had taken notice of his little slip-up, and smiled but decided to say nothing about it. He was getting there. He was getting there like Nestor had said he would, slowly but surely. Yeah, there was that feeling again. That surge of warmth. That surge of parental love for his son that only a father could ever know and be proud over. He remembered Nestor describing it and how it was like no other feeling in the world. He was right on the money as always.
“Happy to help kid,” Spyro said as the two continued their walk. “Happy to help.”
As soon as the two were in one of the quieter areas of the festival, passing an older dragon sculpting a bust -it was of some great warrior resembling Maximos in some way- Spike finally spoke again. “...How bad is it, I mean? Mom being infertile? How bad is it for her?” he asked softly.
“Oh… right, Cyn did mention you overheard that to me…” Spyro said his wings drooping upon the reminder. He sat down next to Spike and wrapped a wing around him as he began to explain. To his surprise, Spike didn’t object to this motion. “Well, it’s not something I can easily explain. It’s more of a dragoness thing but Cynder obviously won’t completely elaborate on it for reasons you understand. I just know it’s pretty bad for her at times.”
“That’s… that’s why she wants me as a son so bad isn’t it?” Spike asked. “I mean, she told me it was only part of the reason but…”
“Yeah, it’s part of the reason kid,” Spyro admitted. “But make no mistake, she also loves you and wants you as a son because… well, what’s not to like about you kid? You’re funny, you’re spunky…”
“Then I’m not just some replacement for the son she can never really have?” Spike asked.
“No, you’re not. Never think that kid,” Spyro said. “Never think that!”
“I… I see…” Spike said. “...I suppose while we’re confessing things, I have something to say as well. I… I declined the offer of going flying together not because I didn’t want to -because I really did want to!- but because I felt I’d be disrespecting my mother’s memory.”
“...How’s that kid?” Spyro asked.
“Flying… well, it was like something me and her shared, just the two of us,” Spike admitted. “I… I don’t know how to explain it, but when we were up there together we felt…”
“Free as a bird?” Spyro finished. “...Yeah, I know what you mean. Flying, there’s nobody or nothing to tie you down, no rules or regulations or anything. And spending time with that special someone, whether it be your own mother or your mate, or your sibling or whoever it is? That just makes it even better. You get me?”
“Yeah, I get you…” Spike said his own wings drooping in sadness. “I’m sorry Spyro, if I seem like such a jerk, it’s just that I-”
“No, you’re alright kiddo,” Spyro said. “You’re still grieving, I can understand that. Torch knows that if I lost Nestor to something and I was suddenly adopted into some strange family I’d probably have a tough time. You just take all the time you need and just know this. We’re not here to replace your birth parents. We never were. There’s still plenty of room in your heart for them, and for us. We’ll honor your parents. They’re part of our family now, just like you’re part of ours.”
That was the kicker that finally opened the floodgates. Throughout this whole speech of Spyro’s Spike had been listening with slowly widening and watering eyes. And when it happened, when Spyro said these words the dam finally broke wide open. Spike rushed towards his father and hugged him tightly crying out: “Daddy…!” and sobbing into his chest scales. Spyro simply draped his wings around his son and let him cry.
“It’s okay kid, you go on. Keep crying for as long as you need,” Spyro said to himself. “I’ll be there for you… always.”
In the Dream Weavers realm, Luna and Lateef watched with a smile through a crystal ball even as another dragon, an icy aqua blue walked up. They didn’t notice him approaching and just continued to watch the father-son moment unfold.
“...So, it’s finally happened,” Lateef said. “I was wondering when it would. ...Oh, by Tiamat. I owe Gavin five rubies!”
Luna stared at her fellow dream weaver for a second before laughing a little. “And what of Spyro’s strange dreams that he came to you about a few days ago?”
“They are… something he will have to work out on his own really,” Lateef admitted. “I thought them a danger at first… No, we thought them a danger at first but they are really something Spyro must work through on his own.”
“Even if they take the shape of… him?” Luna asked. “He is still a concern and you know it. The Dark Master’s taint isn’t fully gone from this world, as creatures like the ones you call gnorcs still exist.”
“And we slowly battle away at the dark, to erase it,” Lateef said in return. “You worry about your own land’s problems. I know it is slowly coming to the time when you must return to your sister.”
“...Yes…” Luna whispered her form flashing briefly between its normal appearance and a darker side, covered in light blue armor. The shadows in the room seemed to grow ever darker for just a brief moment before receding. “Yes… Yes, it is around that time is it not? I can only hope my sister’s student is up to the task of finding the Elements and reuniting them to save me from my prison. A prison of my own making I admit, but a prison nonetheless.”
“I’m sure you will be fine,” Lateef reassured in that wisened voice he was known so well for. “Here, time and space is warped but even I can tell my calming presence has had an effect on you. When we first met, you were so full of rage and now you are barely a threat to this realm at all.”
Long ago, Luna’s powers had reached out from her moon prison and had touched the dream realm. Lateef was one of the first on the scene and had rapidly stopped the Nightmare’s power from tainting the realm. He in fact reached out to her and gave her a voice to talk to. With that, he could see the future slowly change to a far better world where one student met her destiny far sooner. The lands were calmed much sooner than they originally were as well, with the kirins finding their voices again and Cadence becoming a ruler of the land of crystal far quicker.
“...Yes, yes, I have changed haven’t I Lateef?” Luna smiled as she began to fade away. “I know that the young student my sister dear has chosen shall be up to the task.”
As Luna left the world of dreams just as Cynder began to chase a bag holding Gavin around, Ignitus suppressed a smirk as he took one last look at the reincarnated version of his son and smiled. “Good work… Spyro. I’ve never been more proud.”
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You're doing great with this fic! Funny thing is that I literally just read the third chapter. It didn't even have the link to this chapter when I opened it, but I saw the update when I returned to the fic's page.
Also, found a contradiction. Last chapter Cynder says Spike wasn't old enough to have his wings yet, it's the reason why they went through the portal in the first place, but in this one Spike says he sprouted his wings even before his birth parents' deaths.
9742060
Frag... Crap. ...Yeah, that'll have to be fixed. Or you can chalk it up to Cynder just being Cynder, being that wee little bit too protective of her son, seeing him a bit younger than he actually is. All the same, this is the new paragraph.
9742090
No, he's right to correct me when I need it. And I definitely needed that. Critique is your friend, I always say. Listen, and learn from it. ...God knows I'd hate to become Nick Sparks 2.0.
F in the chat for Spike
So everything with Luna is all sorts of unusual. So the pony stuff could have an effect on the dragons.
9742113
Okay and I am sorry.
9742733
It might, but these dragons keep to themselves... mostly, with the exception of inter-racial politics and only getting involved if something directly threatens them. Luna's actually one of the few ponies the dragons care for. They mostly want to be left alone.
And as for the wacky time and space thing, dreams are... weird. There are reports of people dreaming about things before they happen, and this is just building off that.
Hmm. Do they need fire extinguishers? Does this Spyro have ice breath or is he still limited to fire?
This was after Dawn of the Dragon. Spyro and Cynder defeated Malefor.
9745952
Fire, really. He in his brief moment of panic 'forget' he had the ability.
9746159
Ah. Wasn't sure if those existed here.
9746191
You can sorta see some Asian style dragons in Reignited, with some of the dragons you rescue having elongated bodies if I remember correctly.
What about powers that Spike will have?
9746996
Well, it won't be for a fair while, but you can presume he will have Spyro's powerful flames like any good dragon. As for what other elements he has access to... (If any) I'm not saying.