Author's Notes: This is a rewrite of a story that I originally did in the early 2000's. This is a fanfic based in the world of the Spyro the Dragon games and while the original version of this story was set in the universe of the first three games (the only ones out at the time), this revised version borrows some worldbuilding from the later reboot and spin-off games. The main "plot" of the story hasn't changed from the original and it still takes place entirely within the world of the first game but I feel that adding in some additional canon, even though I am crossing streams, helps to retroactively "enhance" the storytelling and build the characters better, especially the fan character Roune.

The original name of this story was not "Shades of Purple", that is something that came about as a result of the rewrite because the aforementioned fan character has been redesigned to be a purple dragon like Spyro because purple dragons, in the context of the later games, are very rare. This, combined with her original trait that made here "a rarity" I feel helps emphasize that more. The original story was shared to Fanfiction.net a long time ago, easily more than 20 years, but was one of those things that got wiped out in one of the many purges the site admins did for racy content. Or, I may have deleted it myself when I voluntarily closed my FF account, I can't actually remember. Regardless, I've always kind of been fond of this story and I feel that this rewrite solidified it a little better; I'd like to share it with a wider audience now.

"Are ya ready?" Tuco, the balloonist, said as he completed the last points of his inspection on the frame and fire jet of his hot air balloon.

"Yeah, I think so," Spyro replied as his eyes followed Tuco around.

Roune, a dragon who was standing nearby, quickly snuck a quick nuzzle and kiss onto the purple dragon's lower jaw near his cheek.

"I'll write you a letter soon, Spyro," she said as she pulled her head back.

"I can't wait to read it," Spyro replied with a smile. "Come visit me in Artisans some time, take a break from all the snow!"

Roune smiled and chuckled a couple of times, rolling her eyes.

"Darling," Tuco interjected. "Hate to break up the moment but you're gonna wanna take a few steps back. Once this balloon takes off I don't want the basket swingin' and hittin' ya on accident."

Roune nodded and backed up several paces. As soon as she was far enough away the balloonist pulled on the release of the carabiner holding the giant hot air balloon down. Very slowly the balloon, with Spyro in it, began to rise.

"Miss you already!" Roune called out with a grin.

"Me too!" Spyro called back, his voice barely audible.

Roune stayed where she was until the hot air balloon was a tiny speck in the sky moving with the wind currents to carry Spyro back home.

"He comes here often to see you," Tuco said, finally breaking the silence. "You and him an item?"

"Something like that," Roune replied warmly. "Ever since he helped save the Dragon Realms we've stayed close. He practically saved my life, and everyone else's here too."

"Aye, I do recall the days. A many good moons ago."

Roune nodded.

"Ya like the knight in shining armor type?" Tuco added with a chuckle.

"Who doesn't?" She answered, returning the balloonist's playful tone.

Roune was one of the residents of Magic Crafters, and as such was a very skilled practitioner of the arcane arts. Her lair was within one of the many ornate castles scattered about the snowy mountains where her duties included helping to train apprentices and help them learn to hone their latent magical powers. She was quite regal-looking, donning gold bracelets around both of her forearms, one on her tail, and one smaller ring on each of her two primary horns. Around her neck she wore an intricate gold necklace with a pendant containing a faceted purple gem. The gem accented her body well, as much like Spyro she too was a purple dragon. Purple dragons were rarity in their world who were blessed with the ability to wield every kind of elemental magic, something that helped Roune tremendously and made her such an important part of the Magic Crafters Realm.

However, aside from being one of the rare variety of purple dragons, Roune was also quite uncommon in another less visible way. She was a hermaphrodite, something that did happen naturally with dragons but in vanishingly low numbers. To be both a herm and also purple at the same time literally made Roune one in a million.

Roune had known since she was a whelp that she was different, but in a way that made her special. Still, that did not prevent her from feeling distant from her peers. It was her secret after all, and not many other dragons knew, though in Roune's limited experience with courtship her "uncommon anatomy" had been a hurdle every time. Many drakes found themselves drawn to the dragoness due to her physical looks, but became uneasy when their relationships with her started to heat up and her secret was out in the open. She was seen as many things to many other dragons; a curiosity, a fling, and unfortunately sometimes even a monster.

Spyro was kind and respectful to her, though. Roune had first met the Artisans dragon many many turns prior when he was able to free her from the crystalline form she'd been trapped in as a result of the Gnorc invasion. In the moment she was overjoyed and showered the younger dragon with affection, much to his dismay. Her reaction stuck with Spyro however, and during his outings to the other Realms he would try to make it a point to say hello to Roune, if only as a fellow purple dragon. In the time that had passed Spyro was now a young adult, though a comparable measurement put Roune just into middle age. Roune couldn't deny that she could see herself with Spyro, and their relationship had become close enough that they were quite affectionate with one another, but she worried if he too would be the next drake in line who'd be turned away by her complicated sexuality. If not that, then the fact that she was almost old enough to be his mother would be a turn off; there were a lot of younger and more energetic dragonesses Spyro's age that were surely much more attractive of a catch.

Roune tried not to think about it. Instead, she started thinking about the letter she was going to write to him recounting her favorite recent memories and how she was looking forward to visiting him in Artisans. She'd made up her mind right then and there, as much as she detested riding around in those balloons Spyro was right when he suggested she was overdue for a trip to his Realm.

"I thought I'd find you here," Alban said as he approached Spyro.

Spyro was resting on a rock formation in the Stone Hill area overlooking the beach, his attention focused ahead at the horizon.

"Huh? Oh, hey Alban," Spyro answered as he turned around to greet the scribe.

"You've got a letter," Alban continued, rifling through his satchel to produce a small scroll which he handed to the purple dragon.

Spyro thanked Alban for the delivery and took the scroll from him.

"That your lady friend? Roune?" Alban asked with a smile.

"Yeah..." Spyro replied, looking at the rolled parchment. "She wants to visit here soon. I really want to show her this place, I think she will like it."

"Heh, this beach has made a lot of couples, that's for sure," the scribe said with a brief chuckle.

"Though uh, Roune is kind of a... special woman. You know that, right Spyro?" He added.

"Special? What do you mean?" Spyro asked.

"Well, it's probably not my place to talk. Roune isn't like most ladies, she's had a troubled romantic life. Just what I've heard," Alban replied.

"Huh... I haven't noticed anything strange about her though," the purple dragon said with a slight shrug.

Alban awkwardly rocked a bit on his feet and forepaws. Either Spyro knew and didn't mind, or he didn't know and might be in for a rude awakening.

"She's a gentle soul from what I know. Means well. I suppose that's what matters. Anyways chum, there's more mail to deliver so I must be going. Take care, Spyro,"

"Thanks again Alban, you too," Spyro said with a wave.

As the scribe turned to leave Spyro wondered to himself what he was talking about when he said Roune "wasn't like most ladies". Purple? He was purple too, that didn't make him strange or anything. He also knew she was purple too, of course. Spyro looked back up at the endless waves ahead of him. In his mind he pictured being in this exact spot with Roune. He smiled.

A few days later Spyro was spending time in the Town Square conversing with a couple of his local friends over ale when one of them, Nils, became distracted by something he spotted in the distance well above the settlement.

"Speak of the devil Spyro," Nils said with a laugh. "That might be her now!"

Spyro perked up as he spun his head around to look in the direction Nils was pointing, spotting the silhouette of one of the hot air balloons in the sky.

"Yeah! Maybe!" He said in an excited tone.

"Well? What are you still doing chumming around with us?" Alvar added.

"You're right, what AM I doing here?" Spyro answered sarcastically. "Gotta run!"

The purple dragon bolted from the outdoor table leaving his mug of ale behind. Alvar quietly grabbed it and emptied its remaining contents into his.

"To young love, well, mostly," the chef said with a laugh.

Nils and the others chuckled in response and followed suit with the toast, Spyro now long out of sight.

Spyro hurried to the docks at the other side of the town in time to catch the last few minutes of Roune's journey and see the balloon touch down near the pier as the dragon in the balloon's basket carefully adjusted the flame on the jet to land as softly as possible.

"Hello there, ma'am," Marco, the Realm's balloonist, said to Roune as she landed. "Welcome to Artisans."

"Good evening, Marco," Roune replied with a smile.

"I believe your concierge is waiting for you," the balloonist added with a snicker as he nodded to Spyro who was standing nearby.

The two dragons had locked eyes from the moment Roune was close enough to be visible as Spyro eagerly waited for her to land. After Marco secured the balloon's basket to the dock he did the courtesy of unlatching its door and motioned for Roune to disembark.

"Thanks Marco!" Spyro said with a nod to the pilot as he stepped forward to meet Roune.

He gave the other purple dragon a gentle nuzzle, who returned the gesture in turn. Their lips met for a quick kiss and as it broke and Spyro pulled his head back he was greeted by Roune warmly smiling at him.

"I'm really happy you came to Artisans, Roune," Spyro said.

"Anything for my mighty hero," she replied with a slight wink.

"So, did you at least have a nice trip over here?" Spyro asked as the two dragons began to walk away from the docks back toward the town.

"No, it was terrible," Roune replied with a laugh, following beside Spyro. "You know I hate flying around in those things. If I had the endurance to fly here myself I would!"

The two purple dragons spent the remainder of the afternoon mingling with the Artisan locals who were pleased to see their resident's companion had come to visit. Roune happily caught up with everyone she knew, including Spyro's friends who playfully taunted him for bringing his female friend to their "boys club". Roune laughed and played along and joked back with Nils and the others, if only because them making jokes like that meant they probably weren't privy to her personal troubles.

After another round of drinks Spyro led Roune across the island toward Stone Hill, where he'd been daydreaming earlier. The two sat side by side on top of the old castle ruins facing the shore, which consequently was also the side of the horizon where the sun set. Roune had seen the sun set many times in her life, and it'd set many thousands of more times for her than it had for the dragon sitting beside her too. But, it was still a beautiful sight to behold. Seeing such a cosmic wonder, even if it was still just a routine thing, with someone she was close with made even the most mundane things that happened every single day special. They spoke about life, their own day to day adventures, and about each other. Roune had leaned against Spyro who'd occasionally nuzzle and kiss the top of her snout as their conversations gradually became more personal and intimate.

"You know, I really wanted to take you here because this place is special to a lot of dragons in this Realm," Spyro said.

"Here? On the castle?" Roune asked.

"Not right here, right here. Down there; over the ledge," he clarified, nodding toward the ocean.

"What's down there?" She pondered.

"The beach, one of the few places on the island not covered in large rocks and boulders."

"...I've never seen a beach before, what makes this one special to Artisans?" Roune asked.

"I can show you, if you like," Spyro said after a brief pause to find the nerve.

Roune nodded and said she was curious. Spyro led the way off of the weathered castle toward the ledge where he pointed over the side to show the sandy shore directly under them just a few yards down, then over to the side where the cliffside was shallow enough to be used as a makeshift staircase. The two dragons carefully climbed down and walked onto the sand. Roune wiggled her forepaws and feet against the ground having never felt beach sand before. She curiously explored the area and ventured out into the water enough for it to cover the first few inches of her body. The night air was calm and cool, contrasted by the gentle warmth of the shallow ocean water softly lapping at her. Spyro joined her in the water and touched his snout to hers. Rather than planting a quick kiss on her lips he instead parted his slightly, and Roune did the same. Their tongues met, entwining around each other in a much more intimate gesture of affection. It was something the dragons had done before a handful of times, but only when they knew they had privacy.

"I haven't shown you what part of this beach is special yet," Spyro said as their mouths separated.

"This isn't it? Where is it?" Roune asked warmly.

"Follow me."

Spyro walked back onto the shore and guided Roune around the front of the large overlook that had been carved and built into the cliffside, the one they'd climbed down from minutes earlier. Tucked away around the other side of it was a shallow cave that had naturally been eroded into the rocks eons ago. Spyro walked inside, Roune following close behind, until they reached a modest sized space that looked like an antechamber but was actually only as far in as the cave went. In the dim light of the moon that had reflected into the cave Roune could faintly make out various little carvings in places all over the walls, letters and little symbols. Some of them she recognized, others she didn't.

"What's this place?" She asked, studying the markings on the walls and tracing her finger across some of them.

"It's..." Spyro started before pausing.

Roune turned around as she heard Spyro's voice quickly trail off.

"It's the place here in Artisans where dragons come to... have some time alone. Outside of their lairs, I mean, here on the beach," he said after taking a slow deep breath to compose himself.

"Oh... you mean...?" Roune began to ask.

"Yeah..." the younger dragon said, feeling his face flash with heat. "I... I think I love you, Roune. And I'm in love with you too. I figured, taking you someplace meaningful to Artisans might be, uh, romantic. More than just telling you all of this in my lair."

"Oh, Spyro..." Roune said, her throat feeling slightly dry as a rush of adrenaline hit her body upon hearing his words.

"I was hoping maybe, we could add our names to the ones in here?" He said, stepping up close to her and sharing another deep kiss with the Magic Crafter.

It was everything Roune wanted to hear. Even if her knowledge of the existence of the cave she was standing in was something she'd only learned within the past hour she understood how important it was and why it was special. The letters and glyphs she was looking at? Those were dragons who had spent their lives in this Realm and left their marks with their mates on these walls so the legacy of their courtship would survive long after they had passed on. Yes, she wanted her name here. She wanted her name right next to the one of the dragon whose tongue she was currently lovingly wrapping hers around.

Their kiss broke, and started again, several more times. Roune could feel her arousal building in both parts of her body, her female anatomy gradually relaxing and opening up while her male anatomy slowly firmed up inside of her slit. She was excited and anxious all at the same time, but this seemingly no-turning-back place was always the exact moment things began to go south for her. Slowly, Roune maneuvered toward the center of the room and began to lower herself down in such a way that Spyro could mount her, hoping that perhaps she could have this one night of passion and let a combination of the low light and her position obscure things. But, as he followed her to that spot, his own arousal begging to be let out of his slit, he nudged her side slightly and motioned for her to move.

"Roll over, Roune," Spyro said.

"On... on my back?" She asked worringly.

"Yeah, I want to kiss you as we share our love," he said with a smile.

Roune felt a pang of fear hit her gut again. Why did he have to be this romantic? She knew if she laid on her back with her belly facing up everything that made her both a female, and a male, would be completely exposed.

She obliged and slowly rolled over onto her back unfurling her massive wings as to not lay on them, and as Spyro nuzzled her chest and began to move himself close to standing over her, she finally broke.

"Spyro..." she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes?" He answered.

"There's... something I really have to tell you about me. Before we do this, okay?"

"What is it Roune?" He could tell something was bothering her. "You can tell me anything."

"I... here, look..."

As Roune spoke she pointed down toward her lower body. Spyro followed her finger and turned around, not sure what he was supposed to be looking at until he saw the lips of her slit start to part and a modest-sized dragonhood emerged from it. Suddenly, the brief conversation he'd had with Alban made perfect sense. This was why Roune was "special"; this was why she had a complicated history of relationships. This... was why some dragons apparently spoke about her behind her back.

"Roune... you're a drake?" Spyro said, turning back to look at her with an entirely confused look.

"No... I'm not just a drake or a dragoness. I'm... both," Roune answered.

"Both?" Spyro asked, dumbfounded. He didn't know such a thing was even possible.

He glanced back down at Roune's maleness for a few moments before looking back up at her. In the time he'd looked away he could tell even in what little light reflected off of the water and into the room that she had started to cry. This was the part where Spyro would leave her there, disgusted. Roune was convinced of it.

"...that's okay," Spyro finally said, his tone neither encouraging nor discouraging but sounding more matter-of-fact.

"Okay?" Roune choked out.

"Yeah... it's okay, Roune," he said, this time sounding more reassuring.

"You're not... you're not upset?"

"I'm surprised," Spyro answered quizzically, "but no, I'm not upset."

Spyro resumed his movement to place himself above Roune. He straddled his legs on either side of the Magic Crafter's body, behind hers. He leaned his head down to give Roune another quick kiss, smiling warmly as their lips separated.

"I heard you were a 'special' dragoness, and I think I understand why now," he said. "It doesn't change my feelings though, I still want to share this experience with you."

The Artisan dragon inhaled sharply and let out a soft grunt as he finally pushed his shaft out from his slit. Both of the dragons glanced down between themselves at the same time, a mixture of nervousness and curiosity swirling in the space between their bodies. Spyro shivered slightly as he felt his dragonhood brush against Roune's, the drake never having pictured himself with a partner who also bore the same equipment as him. He was much larger than her down there, not that it necessarily mattered to him but it did let him keep up his inner feeling of masculinity. Roune was delicate in a womanly way; her entire body was as petite and feminine, even the parts that were male, as any other dragoness he'd ever met. She was, of course, the first one he'd been this close with though.

"Take me," Roune said, the edges of her lips slowly turning into a shy smile as she locked eyes with Spyro.

Spyro slowly ran the underside of his firm length along Roune's slit, her opening slightly parted by the presence of her maleness sharing the same orifice as her female parts and having everted from its upper side. He rumbled slightly, her slick sex letting him easily glide against her lips and the underside of her shaft. The drake reached down with his right forepaw and used it to guide his length into her, pressing the tapered point of his maleness against Roune's parted lips. As the head of his shaft pushed into her Spyro let go and brought his hand back up to brace against the ground, letting his hips and the weight of his body do the rest of the work to enter her fully. In one long and deliberate stroke he hilted her, the soft yellow scales of his crotch meeting the grayish blue ones of Roune's.

Spyro stirred again, grunting pleasurably under his breath as he took in the sensation of mounting his partner. Roune was unlike anything he'd felt before. He grinded his body against hers for several moments burying his shaft into her slick folds and also rubbing his soft belly scales against Roune's maleness in the process. Roune moaned softly, savoring how it felt to have both of her sets of organs lovingly pleasured at the same time. She trusted Spyro; for him to say he still wanted her the way he did, she felt like she could let her guard down and just enjoy this moment.

Roune yipped sharply as she felt Spyro pull his hips back a bit and thrust into her, the drake finally starting the pace of his motions. His movements were slightly awkward as evidenced by his inexperience, but the conviction with which he drove himself deep into Roune's body showed how confident he was with his desire to make her feel like the object of his affection. Spyro rurred pleasantly, arching his back and neck for a few moments before guiding his snout down to nuzzle underneath Roune's as he continued his pace of thrusting powerfully into her. His adventurous tongue and the breath exhaling from his nostrils tickled at the dragoness' neck.

And then, in an instant, he bit down on her.

Roune's eyes shot open, the dragoness gasping suddenly. Spyro was choosing her.

As Spyro's teeth shallowly pierced Roune's skin he was committing to something wired into the psyche of every dragon for thousands of years and countless generations. The faintest amount of the Magic Crafter's blood touched the Artisan's tongue and as the metallic taste registered to him everything about Roune was imprinted into the deepest parts of Spyro's mind. The image of her figure, the sound of her voice, the unique scent of her body, and now the way she tasted were locked away in the very core of his being. The action also kickstarted a psychological effect in Roune as well. She felt a sharp pain in her neck everywhere Spyro's teeth punctured her skin but almost immediately that pain was replaced with a calming warmth as the dragoness' body underwent the motions of having been chosen as a mate. Her altered state allowed this exact memory to be cemented in her core as well, this singular gesture of a bite accenting her entire relationship with the drake expressing his most deepest of desires for her.

The rush of endorphins hitting Roune's system flooded everywhere. She cried out as she reached climax, tightening around Spyro's dragonhood as her own maleness pulsed several times and released a small load of white dragon seed onto her bluish belly scales. Spyro, still biting down on Roune's neck, joined her in climax. He moaned, his voice reverberating through her neck as he felt his shaft explode inside of her. His length contracted tightly, each one releasing a thick rope of his essence deep inside of the dragoness' body. Spyro grinded his body against hers, prolonging his peak as much as he could until his emissions were capped by ever-weakening pumps.

Slowly, Spyro let go of Roune's neck, a very thin trickle of bright red blood running down its side. It was a minor wound, though as insignificant as it looked while the wound healed the marks left behind on the Magic Crafter's neck would serve the important social function of relaying to other dragons in the Realm that Roune was now someone's mate. It would be a temporary badge of pride, one that invited congratulatory comments from other dragonesses who themselves had also been chosen by a drake. It was a rite of passage, one that may have taken Roune longer than most to achieve, but one she still completed nonetheless.

As Spyro's head pulled back he locked eyes with Roune and gave her a tender kiss.

"When I bear your child someday... I hope he has your eyes," she said as the kiss broke.

Spyro smiled.

"If it's a girl, I hope she has yours," he replied.

The two dragons embraced and kissed again, holding each other as the remaining afterglow of their courtship gradually faded. Roune sighed peacefully and closed her eyes as she held Spyro around the base of his neck. He was her hero all over again.