Spyro and Coco, A Love Forged by the Loss of Loved Ones

Chapter 2: Two Evils

The Time Twister's Purpose was never to collect crystals, I'm not an idiot. And I certainly wasn't going to allow myself to be controlled by an evil ancient party mask any longer. Having Crash gather Power Crystals had already failed once, and I wasn't dumb enough to try the same plan a second time. I also knew a head to head confrontation with my once loyal subject was not going to end well in my favor (since that plan had failed twice as well), but it was an excellent way to have Uka-Uka removed by the "supposed" explosion of Time Twister. I had also instructed Dr. Nefarious Tropy to convincingly throw his fight with the Bandicoot. All was going according to plan, Aku-Aku thought I was dead along with his brother, and I was free to carry out my grand plan.

As a man of science, magic and mysticism had never been something I'd never taken interest in or though was real until Uka-Uka attempted to control me. From that point on, I came to the understanding that I needed to harness this unexplained science to my advantage. If it could be harnessed, weaponized, controlled, I could finally have my way with this world. But I needed a way to understand it. And all I had to do so was study history with the aid of the Time Twister Machine. N Tropy thought I was crazy, but I was convinced that the key to world domination was a mastery of science and magic. Peering back in time, I may have found my answer.

The history I though was true, evolution of man transpiring over millions of years, seems to have both happened and not at the same time. Contradictory and a paradox, I know. But apparently at some point over a hundred thousand years ago, man just appeared on the scene. Well, that's not entirely accurate; humanity's timeline appeared on the scene, almost as if by magic. What I was seeing with the aid of my Time Twisting Machine was an alternate reality, where all kinds of mystic creatures existed: Dragons, fauns, orcs (gnorks?), a random assortment of hundreds of varying anthropomorphic animals like in a child's video game or something, etcetera. But apparently this reality had existed instead of our own, until a chaotic event cause that world to be destroyed, literally breaking at the seams. But it wasn't necessarily a planetary crisis, it was a timeline crisis. That stream of time ceased to exist and was replaced with the one I'm currently familiar with. Why? What happened in that past reality that caused it to no longer exist? The answer seamed to revolve around the life of one Dragon. Interestingly, the creature was very much magically inclined, and fought to save his world from a multitude of threats. But finally, when he attempted to stop the crisis to his timeline, he was defeated by a most powerful adversary. I need to study this creature, either the Dragon or the foe that destroyed his timeline. I need to understand how to control magic, and I have no sources in the present. So the question is which one?

"N Tropy, N-Gin, I've identified a new creature for me to... dissect."

"What, the Dragon you spent a lot of time observing?" N-Gin responded.

"There's something special about the creature. A young example of his species, sure, but apparently is the greatest demonstrator of his species ability to wield magic, as well as being linked with the most pivotal moment in history before the dawn of man, and I need to know why. So I want to bring it to our time. N Tropy, make it happen."

"Boss, the temporal ramifications of bringing any form of entropy forward through time is completely unpredictable, not to mention dangerous. You'd essentially be violating the Law of Conservation of Matter."

"I don't need a chrono-entripital lecture. I co-built the Time Twister with you, and I need you to help me make this happen."

"So you can learn magic! Give me a break Cortex! It's not real. A man like yourself should not believe in this fantasy nonsense!"

"Was Uka-Uka fantasy nonsense, N-Tropy?"

"No, but..."

"And we destroyed him. The magic Uka-Uka wielded though could be ours to have as well, but he is gone."

"Well then why don't you capture Aku-Aku instead of attempting to defy all laws of Physics!"

"His form of magic will never help us. It could never be used with the intentions I have."

"And you believe this Dragon from the past is your best solution."

"Hmm... No, I want the creature that defeated him."

"And don't you think we'd be putting ourselves in the same situation as having Uka-Uka around? This 'magic' can't be controlled."

"This time I'll be prepared."

----

Spyro had done a lot for the Dragon Realms, and sacrificed a lot as well even though he didn't know it. He risked his life for his community simply because it felt like it was his destiny. These dangers always kept coming, continually increasing in severity and destructive potential. And with so many lives in the balance, Spyro felt compelled, driven to save as many as he could, protect them from danger without regard to his own safety. Sparx took care of Spyro's ailments, and Spyro took care of everyone else's. This selflessness is what coast Spyro the most, for he never had the chance to live just for himself. Because his purpose in life was for everyone else, he ignored his own self.

It was why he never learned to love anyone, for his devotion was to everyone, not just anyone. It was why if he ever failed, it would devastate him, even if he just lost one person.

Malefor was the most powerful adversary Spyro would ever face, because he was a reflection of himself. A purple Dragon yes, but instead sought the destruction of everything that Spyro held dear. He, in his attempts to stop Spyro, began to summon opponents from Spyro's past to defeat him. Gnasty, the Sorceress, Red, all defeated without much problem. And then Ripto came back, the oddball out of the bunch. The threat that was accidentally brought to Avalar, the one who seemed to pose the least risk; he never actually died. He had come to Malefor once he began his crusade against the world. He asked only for a shot at Spyro, for he sought revenge. So when Spyro was confronted by Ripto again, it was not an apparition, it was the real thing.

"Well look who it is? Tiny Ripto. Malefor has to be running out of ghosts from my past at this point."

"I've waited a long time for this, Spyro, many years of preparing for this day. You made a mistake when you mocked me all those years ago in Avalar; when you fought me in the Winter Plains. Never wound what you can't kill."

"What are you babbling about, shorty? You're certainly the most talkative of Malefor's conjuring's."

"You don't get it, do you Spyro? I'm not a ghost; I'm not a puppet of Malefor's; I'm the real thing. And I will have my revenge!"

"So you weren't charred to a crisp when I knocked you into a pool of lava?"

"A mistake you'll soon regret."

----

Spyro most likely would have gone on to defeat Ripto and save the world from Malefor, Elora was sure of it. But neither of them finished that confrontation. It never made sense to her while she was alive. How she, Spyro, and Ripto were brought so far into the future, or who the man was that brought them here. So many questions with answers that only brought up more questions. But the details weren't all that important; it was the one Dragon she hadn't had enough time alive with that was on her mind. As she lay, bleeding out with death impending, she gripped Crash's hand tightly. She cried a small tear caused by both the overwhelming pain throughout her body and the regret of never having enough time to love Spyro like she wanted to. The kind, orange, mute Crash looked at her reassuringly, and then attempted to pick her up. But it was too late, The Time Twister exploded and they both met there end together.