Crash and Spyro, A Friendship Across Lifetimes

Chapter 10: The Beginning of a Bond

SPYRO brought Cynder and an unconscious Crash to his favorite secluded spot. He and Sparx came here whenever he just needed to get away from the Artisans. The area was tranquil and quite, an excellent place to think or be alone for a while. Spyro liked living in Artisans, but ever since he began receiving extra attention from his teachers and the older Dragons, he just felt as if he needed a place where he could be alone. The area was a beachfront location, with a small waterfall coming from a stream which flowed into the ocean. The forest was behind, and a small alcove could be found to the right. The warm salty breeze coming in from the ocean felt great; the noise from the waves and chirpings from the birds completed the atmosphere. Spyro landed on the beach and gently placed Crash on the sand. Cynder landed after, and took note of the location and surroundings.

"Nice place, come here often?" Cynder asked Spyro. She looked around some more and listened to the waterfall.

"Yeah, I come here whenever I need some alone time. I discovered the place shortly after I got the hang of flying. This place allows me to get away from other Dragons and just unwind."

"Why would you need to get away from other Dragons? Are you bothered by the attention?"

"I don't know. I feel very different from the rest of my birth class. And I'm constantly reminded of it, with the attention of the elders, the pace at which I've been learning, my skin color, and having Sparx following me around. I feel like sometimes I don't belong."

"Have you told Flame or Ember about this place?"

"I actually haven't. I like them both as friends, but Flame is... well annoying most of the time, and Ember..."

"Loves you" Cynder interrupted before Spyro could finish. She checked on Crash, who still lay unmoving on the beach and was breathing softly.

"Yeah. Flame and Ember have been my friends for a while now, but besides them two, I kind of feel alone when I'm in Artisan's sometimes."

"So you come here alone to... alleviate your loneliness?"

"No. I guess what I mean to say is that I feel like an outsider sometimes. I feel different when I'm around my peers. It's uncomfortable."

"Spyro, are we friends?" The questions threw Spyro off balance, why did she ask that? It probably had something to do with Spyro mentioning Flame and Ember, but not Cynder, even though she regularly accompanied him and the others.

"Umm. Yeah. But it's different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, our friendship is newer than say mine with Flame or Ember. And it is because I think you made me feel less alone once we had a common interest." The conversation was becoming awkward, fast. However, Spyro found the courage to continue. "I was very confused about you when we first met. I couldn't understand why you hung out with Flame, Ember, and I even though you hardly talked with us. I knew you were an independent and strong willed, yet I barely ever heard you speak. I think I knew because it is something we have in common. We... question our blind commitment to the Dragon community. It goes against our nature, be we wonder why we must devote ourselves to a cause and lose our identity in the process. We don't want to be just another Dragon, we want something more."

Cynder was looking away at this point. It was the first time that Spyro had ever come out and told the complete and honest truth to another Dragon (he had to Sparx, and he always listened). They both waited on the beach in silent awkwardness until Crash began to regain consciousness. He sat up from his resting position, and noticed the two Dragons standing to either side of him. They probably expected him to say something. He looked at his right shoulder and noted that it was healed. The Dragonfly. Crash couldn't really explain why he knew this, it was probably knowledge he received during his vision he had after seeing the Dragonfly for the first time, or it could have been Aku-Aku. Crash looked at both Spyro and Cynder, who were staring at him and not saying anything.

"Hey" Crash pronounced awfully using his normal voice.

"Hey" Spyro replied awkwardly. Something told Crash this was not how Spyro thought this conversation would start. "So... what's your name?"

"Cra..." Crash tried to say, but his throat become unbearably itchy again. He sighed audibly and gave up exercising his throat for the day. Crash began to think that he would never be able to speak normally, no matter how much he practiced. "My name is Crash." The monotone voice of Crash's SAD confused both Spyro and Cynder since it contrast so much from his goofy voice, even though they had heard this voice earlier. "As you've noticed, I don't speak very well, but I have this device on my neck that will speak for me. I don't like using it, so I will keep the talking to a minimum."

"Hugh" Spyro responded. "So, how long did you have to practice that magic spell?"

"This 'Speech Assistance Device' is purely electronic. I don't think I'll be able to explain it, but just know that it isn't magic."

"Alright. Where did you come from, and how do you know my name and this Dragonfly's name?"

"Well... Sparx told me."

"Wait, you can actually understand him?"

"He told me through a vision. I saw it before I blacked out earlier."

"Why where you spying on the Council of Elders meeting?" Cynder interrupted, trying to keep the conversation on topic.

"I... was not. My arrival there was an accident. I'm from the future."

"The future!? How far into the future?" Cynder asked surprised.

"Around a hundred thousand years, I'm not sure exactly sure." Crash stood up from the sand and looked around. The place was familiar. He walked over to the alcove to the right fairly quickly.

"Hey, where are you going!" Cynder flew forward to catch up with Crash, making sure he wasn't trying to escape. Crash stopped at the entrance of the alcove and stood there.

"I've... been here before. He said to himself, though Cynder heard. Crash turned around and went back to the beach. He stared at the tree line for a moment, then to a location left of the river.

"This is N Sanity Island."

"N Sanity Island" Spyro, who had followed Crash to where he was standing, said in confusion "This is The Realm of the Artisans."

"I will live on this beach one hundred thousand years from now." Crash thought about the first time he and Tawna washed up on this beach, the time they had spent together here, Coco and Niko. No, Crash buried the thoughts before they could consume him.

"Are you okay, Crash?" Spyro asked concernedly.

"Yeah" Crash replied in his normal voice. Spyro could tell that he was a little choked up.

"So, you and your people live here in the future. I wonder if we Dragons are still around. One hundred thousand years sure is a long time from now."

"I don't have any people" Crash responded. "I am the first and only of what I am" Crash was omitting Tawna from the count. "I was... created... actually, enough about me. Do you or Cynder have any more questions for me?"

"If he is really from that far from the future, then he knows nothing of the Sorceress or Gnasty and is useless to us." Cynder retorted to Crash's question.

"Yes, I do have more questions, Crash. And don't mind Cynder, I think she's still mad you punching her in the snout."

"Fair enough, but I think skewering my shoulder makes us even." Spyro and Crash both laughed, and Cynder growled mildly annoyed and turned around. Crash hadn't laughed in years.

"So Crash, you mentioned earlier how Sparx told you through a vision our names. Did Sparx tell you anything else?" Sparx started hovering in-between Crash and Spyro and looked at Crash. Crash looked back and smiled softly.

"He's your guardian, Spyro. And if you're wondering why he healed me, it's because he wanted to, I didn't ask him to."

"My... my guardian? Did Sparx tell you this?" Spyro was learning about his best friend for the first time in his life.

"He will protect you from danger as best he can. He will return back to his normal color in around twenty-four hours. And just know he loves you as much as you do him." Sparx returned to hovering over his best bud.

"Thank you for telling me this." Spyro said somewhat emotionally. Cynder peered over in their direction after hearing what Crash had to say.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere for a while, And I'm currently being hunted by most of the Dragons on Artisans. Do you mind if I stay here Spyro, the place is... special to me."

"Of course you can, Crash."

Just then, the sky darkened and the wind picked up quickly. Sparx started to fly around erratically and Aku-Aku's eye's started to glow rapidly. Crash felt that he needed to act quickly, for Aku-Aku was warning him of an incoming danger, but not for him, for the Dragons.

"Spyro, move!" Crash yelled in his normal voice as he tackled Spyro and they both tumbled to the ground. A lightning bolt had stuck where Spyro was a moment ago. Cynder, alerted by the danger, ran towards them, but was struck by the same lighting as before. She immediately froze and crashed into the sand. She muffled a few words but couldn't move her jaw. Her skin began transforming into a crystalline structure until her entire body was encased in the material.

"Cynder!" Spyro screamed as he got up from where Crash had tackled him and ran toward the crystalline Dragon. Crash got up as well, and followed Spyro. "What happened to her!"

Crash tapped Spyro on the shoulder and pointed towards the center of the Island. A flurry of lightning strikes could be seen over Artisans. What had just happened here was occurring all over Artisans.

"Cynder" Spyro placed his front paw against the statue, but to no avail. Crash stood next to Spyro in support, but didn't say anything. Sparx circled the statue frantically. Why do all the best and worst moments in Crash's life happen on this beach, Crash thought?