Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes

Chapter 38: Unlikely Alliances

Author's Note: A continuation of Chapter 36.

Gnasty and Ripto were aboard a boat that was making its way towards an island that Ripto's naval reconnaissance identified as the gathering place for the Avalar Resistance. He had convinced the Sorceress that he could ambush the unsuspecting rebels and alert her once he did so. But Ripto had different plans.

"I am not agreeing to this, Ripto. Defying the Sorceress is certain death. There's no reason for us Gnorks to turn against her, after what she's done for us."

"You moron! Have you forgotten who banished you and the Dragons from the Forgotten Realms a thousand years ago? And what do you think will happen now that you've pledged your allegiance to the Sorceress? Take my life as an example. I was born into her subjugation. And the Rhynocs themselves have never been free for generations. It's either obedience or obliteration with the Sorceress. Ask my father. Your species will be under her control for the rest of its existence."

"You know this is suicide. And adding the resistance? Are you insane!?"

"Spoken like a true coward."

"Why you little, I'll crush you!"

"Enough" Ripto yelled as the talisman on his neck began to glow. "I knew you were nothing but a coward! You and you people were under the control of Dragons for centuries and instead of taking care of them yourself, forming an army and killing them all, you did nothing and allowed the Sorceress to do everything for you. And now you're willing to be a slave for the rest of your life instead of fighting your captors yourself. You're pathetic!"

"And asking the remaining purple Dragon who's a toddler is brave and courageous!?"

"I'm neither a coward, an idiot, nor full of hubris Gnasty. I know that I cannot take on the Sorceress. But that does not means I will allow her to control me any longer. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And don't try to act as if you're superior to the Dragons you allowed to control you your entire life, even with borrowed power from the Sorceress."

This little Rhynoc had insulted Gnasty, but for some reason he couldn't attack him. His words were the truth. As much as it tore through Gnasty's ego, Ripto was right. He thought he had acted as a brave leader for his people and finally uprooted the control the Dragons had over Gnorks. But in reality he was a coward. And Gnasty knew now that he had traded one set of oppressors for another one.

"Go warn the others Gnasty. We're arriving. I hope I've convinced you of your cowardice and persuaded you to scrounge up whatever courage you have and join me. Although you and your people may be repulsive, you may still prove useful."

Ripto headed to the front of the ship, he was about to drop the cloaking spell masking this ships presences from those who were gathered on the beach.

Spyro finally got up from where Malefor had left him. Cynder, Sparx, Thomas, Magnus, Hunter, Byrd, Bentley, Sheila, the Professor, and a few others had gathered on the beach after Malefor had vanished. All of them had witnessed Spyro's terrifying transformation. Cynder looked the most frightened, for she was the one who got up close to him and snapped him out of his trance. But a trance wasn't an accurate term for what had happened to Spyro. It was a transformation in form as well as an alteration of consciousness. Spyro remembered it so well, Malefor killing him, his lightning enveloping his entire body, causing the most intense pain he had ever felt as well as what he was saying to him. How he was a coward who abandoned both his father and grandfather when they needed him most. Why it was for his tentativeness that the Sorceress would do what Malefor was doing to him at that moment, slaughter him. And then something in him just snapped. It was instantaneous; a surge of hatred and anger swelled from inside of him and the darkness took over. All he could think of was murdering the Dragon that stood in front of him. And the scariest part was that he didn't fight the sensation, he embraced it. The power... their fight would have continued until only one of them was left. But then he saw and felt Sparx and Cynder's presence. Cynder has snapped him out of it. It didn't matter what she had said, for Spyro didn't really care. It was her fear and love, her concern and compassion for him. He heard it in her voice and felt it once she touched him. And then the darkness subsided.

"I can't become that, ever again" Spyro said exhausted. "I couldn't fight it." Cynder was still close to him, comforting him and helping him stand up.

"I don't think you have a choice, Spyro." Hunter refuted. He stared at the young Dragon. The doubt he had for him now gone.

"No, that power will corrupt Spyro." Magnus responded.

"If you can defeat the Sorceress, Magnus, then by all means go for it. But everyone here is counting on Spyro to defeat the Sorceress, and now he can. But you won't let him."

"Hunter, I can't ever become that again." Spyro yelled angrily.

"You know what, Malefor was right about you Spyro." Hunter replied equally as angry. "You want to avenge you people, but when that moment will come, you'll hesitate, and it will cost you your life."

"Back off Hunter," Cynder said furiously and approached him. Hunter didn't flinch. "You don't know anything about Spyro."

"Enough" Byrd interrupted everyone calmly but with authority in his voice. "This meeting and its location has been jeopardized. We need to relocate and re-strategize as soon as possible. But Spyro, when we do march against the Sorceress, when our final battle ensues and you face the Sorceress, I need to know that you will not hold back. That you will do anything you need to kill her. Only then will I authorize my forces to attack. If not, then we do this without you. Understood?"

Byrd's sudden demand made Spyro think. Maybe this dark power was the only way he could be a match for the Sorceress. And if that was true, then he had no choice but to use it.

"I will." Spyro responded, to the surprise of Cynder.

"Professor" Byrd than ordered, "How long will it take you to fix the portal here?"

"Ugh, with some help, I should be able to rebuild the arch within the hour. The problem will be reconnecting to magical channels of Dragon magic. Thomas and Magnus should be able to assist me with that."

"Good, get started immediately. I want everyone off this island before the day is out."

It was then that A Rhynoc and Gnasty just suddenly appeared on the beach, with a fairly large wooden ship behind them which was covered in metal plating. There presences startled everyone. It was as James feared, the spy had alerted the Sorceress of this meetings location and she had sent Rhynocs to kill them all. It was the small Rhynoc on the beach that talked first.

"Greetings, Avalar Resistance. Before you do something rash, I would like to talk with you first."

Spyro couldn't recognize the small creature in the purple robe, but he did know that the tall green thing to his left was a Gnork. It had to be Gnasty. Hunter pulled out his bow and armed it with an arrow.

"Ripto, I have no intentions in talking with you. You and your Rhynocs have murdered hundreds of Cheetahs."

"Yes, and you must be the oh so elusive Hunter. You've dispatched a lot of Rhynocs as well. I guess that makes us even." Ripto waved his hand, and Hunter's bow caught on fire, prompting Hunter to drop it before he was burned. The whole island was surrounded by ships similar to the one behind Ripto. There was no way out of this, and the rebels her knew it. This might be their final stance. The Sorceress had found them and was going to kill them all without even having to do it herself.

"Hunter, Spyro, Everyone, do not attack Ripto! Understood?"

"You can't be serious, Byrd!" Agent 9 said loudly from behind. "I see a Rhynoc! Let me at him!" Tantum had his pistol out, ready to fire, but his father restrained him before he could do something foolish. Tantum wasn't going to avenge his fallen brothers and sisters today.

"You can't be serious, James." Hunter said with scorn in his voice. "This man is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. Cheetahs, Monkeys, Penguins alike. And you're going to do nothing!"

"We are surrounded, and I am not going to attack if he does not have hostile intent... even if he did kill my wife."

Hunter could see it now, the rage being concealed behind the small Penguin's face. It was taking everything he had not to attack Ripto and the Gnork beside him.

"I'm pretty sure I don't need to introduce myself" Ripto said somewhat arrogantly. "But I am Ripto, the leader of the Rhynoc army that has been under the control of the Sorceress for countless centuries. I'm not going to justify my people's actions. What happened in the past is not important. What I offer you is. I plan on turning on the Sorceress. No longer will I or my people be under her control. Gnasty and his people will aid me in my conquest. The Dragons over there may take his actions as unacceptable, but in reality Gnasty's decision to entrap the Dragons in a crystalline spell, though a ploy of the Sorceress, may have spared their lives. With the Dragons' crystallized, the Sorceress has not bothered finishing them off, although she is unaware that her spell is reversible. I was sent here to destroy and/or capture you. But I instead offer you a chance to join me and the Gnorks in overthrowing the Sorceress. If you wish to allow you ignorance and hatred of me and the Rhynocs cloud your judgment, fine. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

No one could believe what they were hearing. The mercenary of the Sorceress, the creature that was responsible for carrying out her dirty work, was going to help them.

"How can we possibly trust you?" Hunter said with absolute hatred in his words.

"You can't. But you don't have a choice. We leave immediately. The Sorceress dies today."