The Realms of Chaos
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Friendship
Rating: Subject to change...
Author's Notes: Well, I've finally decided to start on Spyro fanfiction. Might as well, after all I do have several characters that would fit in Spyro's atmosphere perfectly. I do not own Spyro at all, and the only things I do possess are the items/characters/places that I've created in my imagination. Any characters or events are a work of fiction, so no need getting worked up over them. :) Note that this will probably be the only fanfiction I've made with a sense of humor tied in...
Notes2: The story takes place after the events of the following games: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, and Spyro: Season of Ice. Season of Flame happens after these events. Assume that Gnasty Gnorc, Ripto, and Grendor never died. (There's proof that Gnasty and Ripto never died. Just look at the epilogue in Spyro 3. As for Grendor...)
"All is well in Winter Tundra, as it always is."
A young dragon stood on the balcony of the castle that stood amid the realm of Winter Tundra, the most frozen place in Avalar. She was perched uncomfortably on the arch that separated the main castle entrance and the portal to Dragon Shores from the rest of the frozen wasteland of snow- coated portals, weather-adapted fodder, and trillions of falling snowflakes. The snow blended perfectly with her milk-white skin as it fell.
"I don't see why I have to stand guard during the night in the middle of a freakin' snowstorm..." The dragon maiden was ordered to stand guard in Winter Tundra during the night by her overseer Elora to watch for anything 'suspicious'. After all, this was the only job that was available for a creature as unique as she was. She was a lean dragon with a graceful body that resembled that of Elora's since her back legs supported her body rather than standing on four limbs. She also was as tall as the faun was, and just as well built, even though she was about the same age as Spyro.
She wasn't born from the same world that Spyro was born in, and her physique proved it. She had no horns, webbed 'ears' with cool blue webbing, biped feet, almost smooth skin, an untipped tail, and long blue wings that are able to fly without the use of magic. She wore nothing but a simple necklace made of a strong brown twine and a beautifully made shark tooth and a cool blue skirt that started from her waist and ended to her knees. The suspender that held the skirt was made of a bright yellow material.
Besides, even if she were born in the Dragon Realms, she would've probably been laughed out of any considerable work, she considered with a groan. Out of all the names in the world, why was she cursed with the name 'Snowflake'? Dragons were supposed to have noble names like Aiazor or Flight, not a name used for falling ice crystal! For that reason, most of her past bosses called her by her nickname; Passiflora.
"Well, at least I'm getting paid to sit here and do nothing!" Snowflake said to herself with a laugh. The one thing good about her, so she thought, was that she could sit in the middle of a snowstorm during the night without any warm clothing and not feel anything worse than a little chill.
"Maybe this is why they hired me. No one would be stupid enough to stand out here in the freezing cold in the middle of the night." Snowflake rose to her feet and stretched her wings to return circulation to her graceful webbed wings.
"I just wish for something extraordinary to happen, just to make it worth sitting here." Snowflake finally retorted to herself with a clever sneer on her face. She settled into a snowpile, ready to sleep the rest of the night off.
Fwooosh!!!
Snowflake sat up with a shock. In the distance, a large column of scarlet orange fire rose into the sky and spread a shower of embers across the land. The very sky itself was set ablaze with the strange light. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it faded away and left behind an eerie silence. The female dragon knew that her prayers have been answered in a way. Without a second thought, Snowflake leapt off her post and ran to see what had happened. 'It's a good thing nobody is awake at this time of night, or else all of Avalar would be up in arms!' The dragon thought to herself.
Snowflake used her wings to carry her over landmarks and boulders. When she finally found the place where the fire had risen, she was greeted with a strange site indeed. In the middle of the barren snow, standing next to a large yawning abyss, a figure was yelling and shaking something that was too far away to make out. Snowflake bent down low and crept closer to the scene. Luckily, her skin color hid her perfectly from view.
"You little toad! You mean to tell me that you don't know where it is?"The figure became more than a blob in the snow as Snowflake came nearer to it. It was a large blue-furred cat, who was easily taller than the lean dragon. It wore a long maroon robe with long sleeves and a shimmering black cape that covered most of its body except for its face, hands, and a long curving tail in the back. Judging from the tone of the creature's voice and the way the cat's body sloped, Snowflake assumed that it was female. A long jagged pink scar ran down her left eye from her forehead to her chin. She was holding a torn, beaten creature that was both purple and orange in both of her hands. Strange. Why did those colors remind Snowflake of someone?
"I...don't...have...it..." the pitiful form managed to choke out, and Snowflake had trouble hearing exactly what it said. The cat frowned with rage and trudged over to the edge of the great abyss. Snowflake sat up in disgust. She's going to kill that person! She scrambled awkwardly through the snow in a still-crouched position and followed the cat creature to where she finally stopped. She gave her victim a parting sneer and tossed it in without a caring thought.
"Pah! I've shouldn't have been wasting my time on that weakling!" The cat said to herself as she turned away from the abyss. She flicked her braided turquoise hair over her shoulder.
"He didn't even know what a Gigas Crystal was! Well, I guess even I, the great Changeling, has to find things out for herself. After all, a sorcereress can't seize the realms by wasting time on pathetic creatures..." She stormed away from the ledge without even looking behind her shoulder. Snowflake felt her blood freeze when Changeling stepped just a few inches from her hiding spot.
'Good. She's too involved to notice me...' Snowflake concluded in her mind. She watched Changeling storm off until she disappeared with a flash of green light. The dragon ducked to avoid getting hit by stray sparks. When Snowflake was sure Changeling was gone, she took a tentative glance over the edge of the large abyss where Changeling dropped the tortured form. She gasped when she saw that the creature had not fallen to his doom, but rather had landed on a narrow overhanging cliff that had conviently formed just under the place that Changeling dropped him. Lucky for him, Changeling didn't pay enough attention to her surroundings.
"Okay, I have two choices here. I could risk my neck to save whoever Changeling had beaten, or walk away and pretend that I didn't notice." Snowflake decided to herself. She turned away from the ledge and began walking back to her post. If she kept a steady pace, no one would know the difference. She took only three steps before she stopped herself and turned back to the edge of the abyss.
"Oh, what the hell? I have nothing better to do anyways!"
She jumped down to where the little ledge was with open wings. She landed gently on the narrow peak without even making a sound. 'At this rate, I can save somebody and get my paycheck! That will show my friends back home!' Snowflake thought to herself. However, her feeling of pride and accomplishment was shattered when she felt something scorching hot touch her neck.
"Don't come any closer, dragon! I may be injured, but I can still fight!" The supposedly hurt person shouted to her. Cold sweat trickled down the dragon's neck as she noticed that Changeling's victim was a bright orange lizard-like creature with torn clothes that was only worn when someone was greatly skilled in magic. A purple cape, or what remained of one, fluttered in the wind behind him. He was also holding a golden scepter with a red jewel adorned on the top to Snowflake's neck. The jewel gleamed with powerful magic, and it blistered the soft skin that protected her throat. The dragon maiden knew that he pushed the jewel further into her neck, she would choke to death.
"Hold it! I'm trying to help you! I saw that Changeling toss you down here, and I came to get you out." Snowflake choked. At the tone of her voice, the wizard slightly lowered his wand. She sucked in a long breath of air to replenish the oxygen she lost while she was at scepter-point. However, she also didn't expect him to once again jab the scepter into her skin, only this time in her chest.
"Do you take me for a moron? I know how your kind thinks, dragon. You'll save me from a falling death, but you'll soon hand me over to Elora and that fire-breathing purple pest! I'd rather die a peaceful death then die a toasty one." The edge to his voice was unnerving. Snowflake took one step backwards as she considered his words. There was something familiar about this wizard, but she couldn't quite place it. Why couldn't she remember?
She felt a burning sensation in her chest, and realized that the wizard had become so fatigued that he couldn't even stand upright properly. He had dragged his magical scepter across Snowflake's skin and brought it into the ground to use as a temporary crutch.
Snowflake smiled to make herself look innocent. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you receive medical help, even if I have to demand it!"
Snowflake slammed her tail to the ground to prove her point. "Heck, I'd help you even if you were Ripto himself!" The lizard started to laugh, a sinister kind of choking cough. Snowflake raised an invisible eyebrow.
"What's so funny?"
"You stupid winged lizard. I am Ripto!" Snowflake felt all of her courage drain from her body. She was actually in the company of Ripto, the same Ripto that destroyed half of Avalar, sent monsters against the civilians, and rode on a fierce green dinosaur. 'Boy, this is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done!' Snowflake thought.
She felt like pushing him over the edge to be rid of him, but suddenly she felt with a pain of guilt that the idea was too sadistic, even if it meant bringing back peace to Avalar. She also felt fear. If Changeling could beat up Ripto just like he was nothing more than a stuffed toy, then how powerful was she? Did she make the column of fire she saw earlier?
She heard a coughing fit come from Ripto, and realized that while she didn't feel any cold, he was freezing with several open wounds to add on to the cold. He might catch his death in this weather if she didn't act fast. Snowflake glanced back at the ledge that led back to Winter Tundra, and then turned to her rescuee.
"Right now, it doesn't make a difference who you are. I'm going to bring us both back into Winter Tundra, and I'll find you someplace warm. How does that sound?" Ripto didn't respond. He was too busy keeping himself from collapsing into the frozen ground. Snowflake realized that he expended all of his energy by yelling at her. She threw up her arms in defeat.
"Well, I hope this doesn't deduct anything from my pay..." Snowflake then lifted Ripto using both her hands and her tail to add support and used her giant wings to lift them both up. It didn't take long, but the young dragon found out that her wings could only handle the strain of carrying one body for a period of time. Still, she couldn't place him in freezing snow, or it'd be as bad as the abyss.
'If Ripto really is up to no good, I'll let Elora take care of business...' Snowflake thought to herself. Snowflake traveled with her extra passenger until they landed under the same arch that she was standing guard on earlier. Snowflake gave a quick glance around her surroundings to make sure no one saw her commit this crime. In the section of the tundra that Snowflake had to guard, the cold wasn't as powerful as it was near the yawning abyss.
"You're not like most dragons, are you?" Ripto asked quizzingly at last. He was leaning against the castle's wall. "I mean, most dragons would probably either torch me to a crisp or spear me with their horns-oh, wait. You don't have horns-scratch that. Most dragons would just leave me there to die." Snowflake didn't even bother to turn around.
"In case you haven't noticed Ripto, I don't look like most dragons, don't sound like most dragons, and don't have a powerful, beautiful name like most dragons! I wasn't born in Spyro's realms, therefore I'm not a Magic Keeper, Peace Crafter, or whatever they call themselves!"
Snowflake sat down in the snow with a huff. "In fact, I'm only on this frozen wasteland to pay off my student loans back at Willowbranch..."
"Really? You don't work for Elora or Spyro?" Ripto's voice was filled with joy, a sinister kind of joy. Snowflake frowned; she knew that the wizard was probably scheming of some way to use her in the future when he gets better, but she pretended to not notice.
"Yeah, she's my boss, but only because she's the only one that could hire me on such short notice. If I don't come back with enough money to pay off my student loans, all of my friends are going to say 'I told you so!' They think that I can't do anything on my own!" Snowflake growled at the thought of seeing her human and phoenix buddies glaring at her and saying those dreaded lines.
She could almost feel their contented, sneering smiles, and the laughter rise from their throats. She cringed, but she smiled to make herself feel a little better. "Well, at least an evil villain's easier to talk to then a mound of snow. Right, Ripto? Hello? Ripto?"
The orange lizard had fainted from the cold. Snowflake swore as she picked up the little orange lizard and slung him on her back. "Great. I get buried in my feelings and he gets buried in snow. Some hero I turn out to be, even if I am taking care of an evil wizard." Forgetting her original job, the white dragon jumped into the portal that led to Autumn Plains. The temperature was a big difference, even in the cold night air. The feeling of solid dry ground on her feet was heaven to her, but she couldn't relax now. Without another thought, she started towards Fracture Hills, where Elora would most likely be sleeping or finishing up her work for the night. She breathed a smoky sigh in the night air.
"Boy, am I going to get a lecture tonight! I sure hope Elora can understand..."
As Snowflake ran to Fracture Hills with her 'patient' in tow, Changeling had her own problems to deal with. She was already home; the teleportation spell was an instant success. She was sitting at her favorite resting spot; a dusty old library with an ancient wooden desk piled with hundreds of spell books sitting in the middle of the room. Changeling had one in particular open. She thumbed through the yellowed pages, reading each paragraph with great interest.
"Changeling, we've found another one!" A mottled green dragon came stumbling in, but it was so twisted and abused that it looked more like a winged toad then anything. Changeling didn't even look up.
"Where, Wart? Tell me where you found it." The dragon waddled closer to her, his step hesitant and careful, and dropped a large diamond-shaped jewel the size of a fist in Changeling's lap. It gleamed bright yellow with a hidden power. The cat creature examined it with one of her hands, and when she found out that it was indeed real, she placed it carefully near her magic book.
"I found it in the Forgotten Realms. We had to beat it out of a monster that called itself Scorch. When he told us the location we found it, but first we had to-" Changeling cut him off with an irritated movement of her hand.
"Spare me the details, Wart. Where did you find it?" Changeling's voice was laced with venom. Wart swallowed nervously before he coughed out the answer.
"It was in the Sorceress's bedroom. The rhynocs are deathly afraid of going in there, for they think the dreadful little monster's ghost is haunting the room. We charged in without an extra thought, and it was in her makeup drawer. It was covered in nasty veil of face powder." Wart explained. Changeling nodded as she heard the dragon's story. She thumbed through the magic book once more.
"Do you know what this book says, Wart?" Changeling asked. The twisted little dragon shrugged, even though he knew where this conversation was going. The sorceress smiled as she explained.
"It says that there are a total of six Gigas Crystals. One is born in the eye of the great forgotten desert, the Yellow Gigas Crystal. Another lies in the deepest cave, the Purple one. Even another is hidden in the heart of the hottest volcano, the Red one. Yet another is found in the claws of the strongest jungle monster, the Green one. The Silver one is hidden in the highest mountain. And the last is found under the deepest ocean, the Blue Jewel. We've already found two jewels, the Yellow and the Silver crystals. They're enough to command great power not even conceived by those ignorant fools we've run into, but I want them all!"
"But, Mistress." Wart hissed, his voice box damaged from the alterations done to his body. "Why do you need all of them if you have enough to destroy even Ripto with just one spell?" Changeling turned to the greenish dragon, and whacked him on the head with her spell book for such a question. The poor creature shrank back and didn't say another word.
"Do I have to keep reminding you? If you have all six jewels, you have the command of all life itself! I could make anyone dead with just a mere command. Imagine the worlds I can conquer, the worlds I can destroy with that power alone. Not to mention all the other powers the jewels will give me. All I need is one more and I can warp between the world planes without even using any orbs!" The cat creature rose from her seat and turned to her assistant. Her purple eyes pierced into Wart's soul.
"Tell anyone capable enough to get ready to march before noon tomorrow. We're going to take a trip!" Without another word, Changeling booted Wart out of the library. After all, she needed some time to think...
Well, this is different, to say the least. What will happen to Snowflake and her new 'friend'? What is this Changeling planning? You will find out in the next chapter!
I dunno why I'm writing this, probably because I'm broadening my vision to different lands, I guess. If I get flames on this from ungrateful personal, like say, Da Dark One, then I'm going to hunt you down and demand an answer!