Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes C27

Chapter 27: Loosing it All

SPYRO tumbled to the ground. Sparx had finally released him from his traction beam once both he and Sparx made it through the portal. Cynder appeared shortly afterwards. Spyro got up from the ground and ran as fast as he could to the portal, but it closed four feet in front of him.

“Nooooo!” Spyro yelled as loud as he could, with tears streaming down his face. It happened to him again, except this time he lost everything, not just his father. Again he was forced to flee from the Sorceress and again it cost him. He slumped over in anguish in front of the portal and began to weep. The Sorceress was going to kill every last Dragon, and he had a chance to stop it. And now it felt like he lost his father and grandfather in the same day as well. Sparx hovered above Spyro to console him, but Spyro lunged at him as soon as he got close enough, and he had to retreat from the rage of his best friend. “Sparx! How could you take me from Thomas! Why wouldn’t you let me save him?” Sparx could only keep his distance from Spyro, while Cynder remained distant, feeling just as despondent as Spyro. She didn’t know what to say. “Just get away from me Sparx. I… I don’t want to see you ever again!” Sparx hesitated; he didn’t know what to do. Spyro growled angrily at Sparx and unleashed a torrent of flame in his direction, Sparx retreated and flew off; he had failed.

Spyro panted for a few moments, before turning around to stare at the portal arc that brought him here. He continued to cry, not sure what to do next. Cynder approached after three minutes and remained beside Spyro. She could only think to herself that they were the only two Dragons left. After about an hour, the temperature and daylight were beginning to drop fast, and Cynder finally had the courage to talk to Spyro.

“Come on Spyro, let’s… find some shelter.” Spyro remained collapsed near the portal. He hadn’t moved nor said a word since Cynder accompanied him. He looked up, dismayed and defeated in his appearance, his eyes were bloodshot and tear lines could still be scene against his purple skin.

“I can’t, Cynder.” He sniffled and looked at the portal once more.

“Spyro, we can’t just stay here forever. And I can’t look at that portal anymore.”

“It’s over Cynder. You know it as well as I do, every Dragon is dead; the Sorceress has won.”

Cynder started to become angry. “It’s not over, dammit! If you think you can defeat the Sorceress… if Sparx was wrong for dragging you out of harm’s way, than do something other than wasting away here!”

Spyro was stunned by Cynder’s shift in mood. He got up and faced her. “There’s nothing left to fight for. Even if I could beat the Sorceress, she has already taken everything from me.”

“So what! She murdered your father, grandfather, and everyone else you care about and you’re just going to give up!”

Spyro couldn’t respond to Cynder. He just looked at the ground.

“That bitch has ruled the world for millennia; she has caused nothing but terror, death, and destruction to the ‘entire’ world! And you want to know something else? I overheard four months ago at the council of Elder Dragons of them talking about you as the prophesized hero to defeat her. You were right about yourself Spyro. Don’t let Thomas’ sacrifice go in vain. He gave up his life still believing in you. Now don’t prove him wrong!”

Spyro looked at Cynder again, the passion returning to him which was visible in his eyes. After a few moments, he responded:

“Alright Cynder, I will prove him right.”

“Good, now let’s get moving.”

Nighttime was quickly approaching, and as Cynder and Spyro took to the air, they noticed that they were high in the mountains. They also noticed a group of lights which appeared to be a part of a town. “Civilization this high up” Spyro thought to himself. They both landed and startled a few mountain Goats that call this place home.

“Oh my, everyone, run!” one of the goats said as he and the others retreated from the two Dragons.

“What is going on out there?” Someone said from the closet house to Spyro and Cynder’s left. A kangaroo emerged from the house and gasped once she got a good look at the two creatures causing havoc in her Alp.

“Well I’ll be darned!” the kangaroo said as she hopped towards the two. “I reckon you two be Dragons.”

“Yeah” Spyro said softly. Sheila could tell that something was depressing the two right away.

“Well you two seem to be on the short side for Dragons, I guess you’re adolescents then, although I’ve never actually seen one in real life before, only in pictures and stories. Dragons used to inhabit the entire world, and then they vanished. Poof.”

“We don’t need the history lesson.” Cynder replied in a similar sadden tone as Spyro.

“Alrighty then, why don’t you two join me in my hut and tell me what’s bugging you so, and Billy,” Sheila said to the goat that had ran in a panic earlier, “You don’t have to be scared, these two won’t hurt you.”

“Okay Sheila” the goat sad somewhat nervously.

Cynder and Spyro entered Sheila’s home and gathered around a table. Cynder lit her fire place for Sheila, and Spyro informed Sheila of what had happened to him and Cynder today.

“Wow… you’re lucky to be alive. That dammed Sorceress. A thousand years and she finally conquered the Dragons. What’s left for her to destroy?” Sheila looked at the two Dragons who were both sitting in melancholy. She changed the subject. “You mentioned a Dragonfly in your story; where is he? I’d love to see him, considering I also thought Dragonflies were all killed by the Sorceress, too.” Spyro looked away from Sheila, he felt too guilty for driving Sparx away earlier. He hadn’t known this about Sparx’s species. He was the only one of his kind, too, and he really did save his life in Artisans. “How could I attack my best friend?” Spyro thought.

“We don’t know where Sparx is right now” Cynder answered Sheila’s question for Spyro.

“Oh. Well, don’t be so glum sport” she said to Spyro while he still looked at the ground. “I also recall you mentioning all of the Dragons being entrapped by a magic spell that turned them into crystalline statues. Well, those Dragons are not actually dead. In fact, one of my dear friends actually knows of a way to reverse that spell.”

Cynder and Spyro both snapped their heads towards Sheila ecstatically. “Really” they both said at the same time.

“Yes really. My friend, the Professor, has devised of a way to defend his laboratory and accompanying town from that spell, as well as cure those affected by that magic.

Spyro inhaled sharply after Sheila mentioned the Professor. It invoked that memory he had when he was four years old.

“What’s wrong, Spyro?” Cynder asked concernedly.

“I… know who the Professor is” Spyro told Sheila. “He’s a small, brown mole, right?”

“His is actually. You’ve been to Summer Falls, Spyro?”

“Once, he’s… alive?”

“Last I checked. I can use the portal on the outskirts of town to visit him every so often and coordinate with the rest of the resistance in Avalar.”

“What about a faun named… Elora?”

Sheila didn’t respond immediately. “No, I’m afraid she died six years ago after the Sorceress unexpectedly ambushed her home.”

Spyro thought back to when Malefor stole the gem the Professor had in his possession. He was the reason she died. “As a matter of fact, Malefor himself might actually still be alive” Spyro thought to himself.

“Spyro,” Cynder said while he was in thought. “Were you in Summer Falls when you last saw your father Ignitus?”

“Yeah, and his brother Malefor was there, too. He might actually still be alive.”

Cynder thought back to what Red had said about Malefor at the council of Elders meeting.  “He most likely has the six other Power Gems, too.”

“Power Gems, eh?” Sheila said as she walked back into the living room caring to cups of water in her small hands. “I remember the Professor saying something about a Power Gem he had in his possession that he lost after he met a young purple Dragon that I’m guessing is you. He said he was knocked unconscious, and then woke up to find his village in ruins, his dear friend Elora dead, and you nowhere to be found. It took him a while to recover from that event, but he still tries his best to use his knowledge to aid the Avalar Resistance against the Sorceress. We should go visit him tomorrow, if you’re up to it?”

“Definitely.” Spyro said confidently. He had his reason to fight again.