Level 1: Fire and Ice
Crash Bandicoot was in a place the likes of which he’d never seen before, and he looked around the room in awe.
The walls were high and made of crystal that seemed to glitter and dazzled him with the slightest change in light. But the walls themselves were packed from one end of the circular room to the other with bookshelves and many books, more than he could count – though he couldn’t count, and he couldn’t read all that well, either, and so he wouldn’t have understood what the books said whether or not he could read the language.
Twilight Sparkle, for that was the purple pony’s name he’d realized, was something called a “princess”. And after some questioning by Aku Aku, he was able to relate that position to someone similar in status to Papu Papu back on the islands but of a larger area and not quite as fond of eating bandicoots, which reassured Crash greatly. The horn on her head and her wings made her capable of flight and magic and called her an “alicorn”, and they were currently inside a room of her castle.
Aku Aku was explaining the finer details of Crash’s existence, from his life as a normal bandicoot to his forced evolution in the Evolv-O-Ray by Dr. Neo Cortex to the attempt at subjecting him to the Cortex Vortex to Cortex’s multiple attempts to take over the world and how Crash foiled them every time. While Twilight was interested, Crash had honestly forgotten most of those things except for a few details. To him, Aku Aku was explaining much more than was necessary, and he just hoped they’d figure out how to find his sister Coco and help them get back home.
He thus paid little attention to what they were doing and wandered about the room, both positively bored and yet curious about his surroundings. He’d played with his yoyo for a while but wasn’t in the mood to anymore and he was far too awake and curious for a nap. He couldn’t read, but figured there ought to be a picture book around there somewhere; he knew he couldn’t read, but at least he could look at something.
A large book on a shelf at the far edge of the room appealed to him. It was at least twice as large and three times as thick as any of the other books – and they were no slouches, either. It also had a very appealing cover, with a large illustration on the cover and strange golden lettering on a purple background.
Climbing wouldn’t do, he knew that much; even for one as lazy and without a sense of decorum as he it wouldn’t be gracious to their current host. He looked around. There seemed nothing to stand on, either, so he couldn’t get a boost. The only thing left for it was to jump.
He jumped once, then again, then a third time. Crash was a high jumper but his hand barely reached the midpoint of the shelf and nowhere near the large book on the top. Crash knelt then jumped again; this time it was higher but it still didn’t put him within grasp. He tried again, and again, and still he couldn’t get high enough.
There was the sound of giggling behind him. He looked around to see that Twilight had noticed what he was doing and seemed amused by it.
“Did you need help?” she asked. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”
Her horn glowed with magic and she began to lift the book off the shelf, but she didn’t need to do that, and soon sat in her chair with her mouth agape in surprise.
As quick as a flash, Crash suddenly jumped up as high as he possibly could. Before the magic could fully grasp the book, Crash had almost stood in the air for a moment before propelling himself higher again. His hand grabbed the book just as Twilight had grasped it with her magic, and suddenly he was flying a little bit higher than that in the air, holding onto the book with one hand on the cover. He suddenly realized he was a bit higher than he’d expected to be, his feet now level with the shelf the book had been on, and began flailing in mid-air.
“That’s what I was referring to when I said the Evolv-O-Ray gave him some unusual abilities,” Aku Aku said as though this was usual. “It increased his strength, dexterity, agility, speed, and endurance. He can run as along as he needs without getting tired, jump higher than any normal being without wings, maneuver through any obstacle, and even break wood and reinforced steel by belly flopping on it.”
Twilight regained some sense and levitated the book down until Crash was on solid ground once more. “I... I can see that...” she said, somewhat astonished.
“And, while his brain is bigger,” Aku Aku said, “I’m afraid he’s not exactly bright. He’s almost mute if not for a few vocalizations, and he doesn’t have what you might consider a basic education. So he can’t speak or read, for example.”
“Oh,” Twilight said. She looked at the cover of the book. “Well, he picked the right one if he wanted to look at this one. It’s An Illustrated History of Equestria.”
“Go ahead and let him look,” Aku Aku laughed. “He may not be bright, but he is curious, and it has gotten him far.”
“I can see that,” Twilight said with a smile. She handed the book to Crash and waited until he’d taken it in his hands.
He gently grabbed it, took it off to a nearby table, then lay down on the table (ignoring a further look of surprise from Twilight) and began flipping slowly through the pages. The writing was indecipherable to him as always but the pictures were immensely detailed and he lost himself in ancient Equestrian history, apparently having undergone a war between a white and a black alicorn much like Twilight was.
“So, what brought you here, exactly?” Twilight asked.
“I’m afraid this is the work not just of Dr. Neo Cortex but of his second-in-command, Doctor Nefarious Tropy, or N. Tropy,” Aku Aku said. “He created the portal that took us here – a sort of time distortion – and threw us here. My thinking is he plans to throw us to different dimensions and use Crash’s disappearance to take over the islands.”
“But how do you expect to get back home?”
“Back home, there are these things called ‘power crystals’.” Aku Aku described their shape and color. “They are used both to enhance Crash’s strength if he is holding them, and can power great and complex machinery. Crash is holding one of them, which allows him to perform the jumping skill you saw earlier, but without it he cannot do such things. We might be able to use their power to take us back home, but only if we have enough of them.”
“Well, the best place to go would be the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said. “They have all sorts of crystals, and there’s a magician there who may know something about a ‘power crystal’. Otherwise, there’s also my friend Pinkie Pie’s sister Maud who is an expert in rocks. She may also have heard if something like that came up.”
“I’m afraid if Cortex is trying to take over the Islands and potentially the world afterwards, we don’t have much time,” Aku Aku said. “We ought to be moving quickly. Do you think we can visit this magician in the Crystal Empire?”
“I’ll have my assistant send off a letter right now,” Twilight said. “With our magic, it will arrive there in a few minutes, and we can head off by train today. But it will take a while to get there; at least two days by train.”
“Then we’d better get going as soon as possible,” Aku Aku said. He wagged his feathers towards Crash. “And take the book. It’ll keep him occupied.”
* * *
They hardly needed the book.
While Aku Aku described his and Crash’s home, the bandicoot had immediately taken the nearest bunk and had fallen asleep. The excitement of his first few hours in a strange world had been more than he needed, and there was little else he could do while they were on the train to this new place.
He hoped he wasn’t in trouble for anything.
But they woke him and served him food; it was good and his fears and hunger abated. Crash had as little experience in table manners as he did in reading, and once more took Twilight quite by surprise when he ate a whole salad with his hands. He also took in quite a few apples that looked like Wumpa fruits but were harder and didn’t taste so sweet. But the food was good and fresh, and after half a loaf of bread and a large glass of milk and water he went back to his bunk and slept the entire rest of the day and through the night.
When he awoke the next morning they fed him more of the apples, along with a few unshelled hardboiled eggs (he ate one shelled before Aku could stop him, and he didn’t like the crunch of the shell) and another half loaf. When he’d eaten again he felt full and refreshed, only to get distracted by the scenery outside.
It had changed a lot since Ponyville and he stood with his nose pressed as far up against the glass as he could manage, his green eyes taking in as much of it as he could. The wider oak and willow had since given way to tall pines and firs, the likes of which he’d rarely seen on the tropical islands. The grass became darker and bits of snow appeared on the ground.
He watched until darkness settled around him, then went back to his bunk to sleep.
By morning they had entered the train station of the Crystal Empire and Crash had to be shaken violently to be woken up again.
They were now in a place that was once more filled with crystal like Twilight’s castle had been. They walked through avenues made of crystal towards a large crystal spire and even the ponies looked like shifting crystal.
It took a lot of willpower for Crash to not reach out and grab a crystalline necklace, and even then Aku Aku saw his hand reaching out for one of them.
“They’re not crystals like the ones back home, Crash,” Aku Aku scolded gently. “We need to remain on our best behavior here.”
Crash nodded apologetically and gently rubbed his wrist.
“So, who are we meeting first?” Aku Aku asked, turning his attention to Twilight.
“Well,” Twilight said, “I need to introduce you to Princess Cadence. We’ll tell her to keep an eye out for any of these ‘power crystals’ – as well as your sister,” she added to Crash. “From there, we’ll go to the royal magician, Sunburst, and see what he knows.”
“Is he a powerful magician?” Aku Aku asked.
“Not necessarily powerful,” Twilight said, “but he has a wider range of magical knowledge than anyone, including myself in some areas since he seeks out the rarer areas. This power crystal may fall under the types of magic I don’t know about, so we’ll see if he knows anything about them.”
“So long as he’s able to help us in any capacity, even if it’s just letting us know we need to try elsewhere, then that will be helpful enough.”
“Something you’re going to learn about us ponies very quick: we’re friendly, easy and quick to make friends, and willing to help out as much as possible. Once Sunburst hears your position, I’m sure he’ll help us out in no time and with as much information as possible.”
They travelled through the crystalline city and over to the large blue spire in the center. It was supported by four very large legs each with a small door; Twilight led them to one of the doors and they found themselves going up a spiral staircase until they came to a large open hall.
Two guards met them and began escorting them through a maze of twisting passages until they reached two doors that were made of a shining gold with stained blue glass instead of crystal. The doors opened and there were two thrones with two ponies on them, one a standard white unicorn with a blue mane and eyes, and a pink alicorn with a crown of gold on her head. Twilight ran up to them and they stood up off their throne and each wrapped a hoof around her in a hug.
“Princess Cadence!” Twilight cried. “Shining Armor! It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Twilight Sparkle,” the pink alicorn replied. “I hope present circumstances have been treating you well.”
“It’s been a while, Twily,” the white unicorn replied. “You should come up here and visit us more often if you can ever get away.”
“I really should, though I’m afraid I’m not here on a pleasure trip.” Twilight motioned to Crash and Aku Aku standing behind her. “These two have fallen through a portal from another world and need help getting back to their own.”
Cadence smiled politely at them. “And who might you be?” she asked. “You certainly don’t look like you’re from around here.”
“My name is Aku Aku,” the floating mask replied. “I am what you might call a ‘witch doctor’s’ mask, similar to your zebras from what Twilight has been telling me. My companion is Crash Bandicoot, a strange creature who was forced to evolve by means outside his control.”
“Well, that’s certainly not the strangest thing I’ve heard of,” Shining Armor commented. “But there’s little we know of such creatures or portals from other worlds besides the mirror.”
“I’m afraid they didn’t come from one of the worlds beyond the mirror,” Twilight said, “though that would make it a lot easier if they did. They need powerful magic to get them back, and that can only be gained through something called ‘power crystals’. We were wondering, if Sunburst wasn’t busy, that we could see if he knew about anything of the sort.”
“Well, at least you know where to go,” Shining Armor said. “I’m sure Sunburst would know about something like that. But, I’m afraid he’s gone missing not long ago.”
“What?” Twilight stood almost agape. “What do you mean?”
“He discovered a strange distortion in time and magic not far north yesterday and went to investigate,” Shining Armor explained. “But no one’s seen him return. If he is around here, he’s keeping himself well-hidden.”
“We’re trying to stay optimistic for the time being,” Princess Cadence explained. “But Sunburst is Flurry Heart’s teacher and part-time caretaker, and if he isn’t around things tend to be a bit... complicated.”
During this conversation, Crash had been looking around the throne room. But he’d eventually made his way over to a window that looked out over the Crystal Empire. He stood staring in fascination at the city, but it wasn’t long before something caught his eye.
Out in the wastes, covered in snow, was a burst of orange light that swiftly faded away. But then the burst came again, then again, then again. It wasn’t long before Crash realized the color meant only one thing: fire. And there was only one thing he remembered he could associate with fire. He suddenly growled and glared off in the direction of the fire.
The growl took all three ponies and even Aku Aku by surprise.
“What is it, Crash?” Aku Aku asked.
But the bursts had since disappeared. Crash tried his hardest to explain he’d seen a burst of light that looked like it belonged to a fire but it was hard to get the words out when he didn’t know how to speak. He inwardly cursed his inability to explain things.
“Well, he’s definitely trying to tell us something,” Shining Armor said. “But I can’t make out what it is.”
“I’m afraid that’s all we’re going to get out of him,” Aku Aku said. “He’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and doesn’t know how to speak properly.”
Shining Armor quickly looked like a lightbulb had gone off over his head. “We have something in the Guard storeroom if he doesn’t mind wearing it.”
“What is it?” Aku Aku asked. Crash had stopped and was listening attentively.
“It’s a special variant of a horn ring, but he probably could wear it as a bracelet,” Shining Armor said. “We in the Guard used it when dealing with foreign races where we couldn’t understand the language. We put it on the horn and could understand whatever was spoken to us and could speak the language itself. It uses magic and is based on thought, so all Crash here would need to do is think and we could hear him.”
“Get it quick, then,” Aku Aku said. “Crash is attentive, but he can be slow to remember and quick to forget.”
Crash growled at Aku Aku slightly. The mask had known Crash for a long time and he knew Aku Aku was right, but he still didn’t like hearing it.
Shining Armor returned quickly with the bracelet as Aku Aku had recommended. He brought it over and held it out for Crash to take.
Crash took it gently from Shining Armor’s magic aura and examined it for a while. It was a gold thing with three purple crystals inserted into it and looked like an oversized ring. After deciding it wasn’t going to hurt him, he slowly slipped it onto his hand. It barely passed over his knuckles and hung somewhat loosely on his wrist but seemed in no danger of falling off easily.
For a long time, he sat there without saying a thing, just staring at the horn ring that now functioned like a make-shift bracelet. He stood there for long enough that the others thought it either wouldn’t work or that he had forgotten the entire reason for the horn ring entirely.
It’s strange to actually hear oneself think. Crash’s mouth didn’t move, but the voice that now appeared in the room was unmistakably his thoughts being voiced. It’s mentioned all the time, but it’s not something you actually expect to happen.
“We’ll have time to contemplate that later, Crash,” Aku Aku said. “You were looking out the window not long ago. We need to figure out what you were trying to tell us.”
Window? Crash’s eyebrows raised. Oh, right. I was looking out the window and— Crash suddenly broke into a huge grin. Hey! You can hear me! You can actually hear me! He reached out and grabbed Aku Aku and hugged him.
“Yes, yes,” Aku Aku said, muffled through Crash’s fur and arms. “But we need to figure out what you saw out the window. You started growling at something.”
Oh, right, sorry. Crash let Aku Aku go. Right, window... window... oh yeah, I saw a burst of light somewhere out north. The burst looked like fire. I only know of one thing that fire could mean, especially out here.
“What is it?” Aku Aku asked, now listening intently.
Crash opened his mouth like he was about to make a huge revelation. ...I forgot. Wait! No, I remember! There was this... uh... fire-spitter thingy...
Aku Aku raised a wooden eyebrow. “A ‘fire-spitter thingy’? You mean a flamethrower?”
Is that what it’s called?
“Yes, that’s a flamethrower. And I think I know who you’re talking about. He’s called Dingodile. Unfortunately, that only means one thing: Doctor Cortex means to finish the job.”
Wait... you said this Sunburst pony went out into the wastes, didn’t you? Crash asked.
Shining Armor nodded. “Yeah. He went north into the wastes to investigate a time and magic distortion.”
...it could be this flame-spitter thing has Sunburst.
The other four gasped. Twilight and Aku Aku smiled, but Cadence and Shining Armor did not.
“It’s an excellent idea, Crash,” Aku Aku said. “We need to go there at once!”
“Whatever this is,” Princess Cadence said, “it clearly does not mean well if it captured our royal magician! We’ll prepare the guard and go face this thing. Dingodile or whatever you called it.”
Wait a minute! Haven’t you heard me? This thing spits fire! Like... like, this far! Crash extended his arms as far as possible – an act that caused the ponies to gape upon realizing his shoulders were nearly level with his mouth.
“Whatever the risks,” Shining Armor said. “This thing must be stopped. We have our magic and weapons. We’ll attack him and get back Sunburst.”
Let me go with you! There was a desperate tone in Crash’s thoughts. My sister was caught by Doctor Cortex and thrown through a portal, too! If the flame-spitter is here, she may be here, too, along with one of the crystals.
Shining Armor smiled. “Then we have no time to lose. Let me get a few guards and we’ll be ready to go!”
* * *
Within minutes, Shining Armor had a sword and shield by his side, a set of regal purple and yellow armor, and four knights by his side. Twilight Sparkle was staying behind with Princess Cadence while Shining Armor went off to fight Dingodile and potentially recover Sunburst.
Crash Bandicoot and Aku Aku ran alongside him. Despite the freezing weather and the snow once outside the city limits, Crash felt nothing. The winter wastes were not as familiar to him as the tropical beaches but they were not strange to him either. Shining Armor found himself impressed at the bandicoot’s ability to seemingly hop right on top of the snow.
“How did you become so agile?” Shining Armor asked, panting as he did so.
I was forced to, Crash thought. He seemed barely even checked in his thoughts and the constant running didn’t do anything to slow him down. Doctor Cortex put me into a machine that made me this way.
“Have you ever wanted to go back to normal?”
Crash did not respond for a long time. Not really, he finally replied. At least, so long as Cortex is here. I’d rather stay like this. The odds are evened somewhat that way.
Shining Armor smiled. “If you were a pony, you’d make a good candidate for the Guard.”
I’m guessing that’s a compliment, but I’d rather just nap or eat. I don’t like fighting.
They came to a ridge and saw another burst of light, this time much closer and from a nearby rocky outcropping.
“That must be Dingodile and his flamethrower,” Aku Aku said. “I hope he hasn’t harmed your magician.”
“Probably he’ll be used as a bargaining tool,” Shining Armor mused. “But we have strength and numbers, even if he does spit fire.”
The ponies and Crash hopped down the ledge at the outcropping and discovered a cave. Shining Armor took the lead, followed by Crash with Aku Aku, then the guards.
“Do you need a weapon?” Shining Armor asked.
I don’t want to shed blood.
“It’s just for defence.”
I can manage.
There was a certain finality in Crash’s thought that told Shining Armor no further convincing would sway him. But he thought the bandicoot looked a little scrawny and, despite the talk of his feats from Twilight about what happened when he entered, there was little to suggest that from the bandicoot’s figure.
At length, while traversing the cave, they came to a large hall.
“Great. A dead end.” Crash recognized the accent – what was referred to back in his world as Australian – and knew immediately they’d found Dingodile. “Well, at least we’ll have a little time uninterrupted before they get here.”
Crash and Shining Armor hid behind a large rock pile and motioned for the guards to wait. They looked over the rock outcropping and tried to get a view of the situation.
The floor of the hall was clear of obstacles though many icicles hung from the ceiling. In the corner was a pony, an orange unicorn with a red mane and a pair of eyeglasses, strung up so that neither his front nor back hooves could move. In front of him was a creature that had the bottom half and large tail of a crocodile and the top of a dingo, wearing a strange backpack with a sinister-looking metal gun, the tip of which seemed to hiss steadily.
“That’s Sunburst alright,” Shining Armor said quietly, careful not to make an echo. “He doesn’t seem hurt, but this doesn’t seem good, either.”
“And that’s Dingodile,” Aku Aku said. “And no, it’s not good.”
“Alright, mate,” the half-dingo, half-crocodile said, pointing the gun at Sunburst’s head. “It’s about time you gave me some answers. First off, where am I? What is this place?”
“You...” The pony’s voice shook and his body trembled more from fear than cold. “You’re in Equestria, in the Crystal Empire.”
“So I am in another world...” Dingodile pondered this for a moment. “Right. Who’s your leader?”
“Well, there’s the princesses. I directly serve Princess Cadence, who rules over the Crystal Empire.”
“Alright. Now, who’s the ruler of this whole world?”
“I... none specific, but the rulers of Equestria are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”
“Now hold on a minute. Which of these princesses has more power?” Dingodile’s voice became progressively lower and more threatening as he went on, keeping the end of the flamethrower pointed right at Sunburst’s head.
“They rule equally... they share power.”
“And where do they live?”
“In Canterlot. The royal city.”
Dingodile looked at Sunburst for a while and pointed the gun down. He sat there a long time. “Alright. I think you gave me enough answers.” He pointed the gun back up and trailed it at Sunburst’s neck. “You’ll die quickly.”
Sunburst gave a whimper of fright and closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable.
But there was suddenly a burst of orange and Crash had rocketed forwards, jumping at Dingodile and spinning round like a top. Dingodile was suddenly thrown across the hall and landed on his back.
“Get Sunburst!” Shining Armor shouted, the guard immediately springing to action. “Get him away from the creature!”
“I’ll have you know I’m not a creature!” Dingodile shouted. He righted himself and looked at Crash. “Well, well, well, the rat has chased after the cat. Cortex said I’d find you here, and he told me to finish you off.”
Where’s my sister!? Crash demanded. Where’s Coco!?
“It can speak!” Dingodile laughed. “Well, if that ain’t the most impressive thing I’ve seen out of you yet. Well, no worries, your little pain of a sister is safe. Cortex has her.”
Crash growled.
“It’s too bad you’re about to be extinguished, though,” Dingodile said. “I’d love to scorch your body piece by piece, but Cortex says it’d better be full immolation just so you don’t interfere. So now, I think it’s time for a little wildfire.”
Dingodile pressed the trigger on his gun and a spout of flame quite larger than what Crash had indicated burst from the end of the flamethrower. The guard, Shining Armor, and Crash all had to step back to avoid the flames. Dingodile laughed, then fired again, jabbing forward the tongue of fire so they had to all jump back against the walls.
“We’ve got to get Sunburst out of here!” Shining Armor called. “Put up your shields! Don’t let him burn you!”
“You think your puny shield’ll stop me?” Dingodile charged forwards and shot the tongue of flame at Shining Armor.
But Shining knew what was coming. He quickly charged up a spell and soon a large shield wall was around him, Crash, and the guard. The fire was harmlessly pushed aside.
“Best in my class in defensive magic!” Shining Armor said. “This barrier’s immune to your wall of fire!”
“Doesn’t mean it can’t be shattered, though.”
To Crash’s surprise, Dingodile jumped high up in the air. Dingodile tightened his body, then rocketed down full force.
The ground shook, all the ponies and Crash were suddenly caught off guard and trying to remain upright, and Shining Armor’s shield suddenly cracked and shattered, leaving Shining Armor mildly dazed.
“What in the world...?” Shining Armor exclaimed.
“He’s got a power crystal!” Aku Aku said. “I can see it in his backpack.”
“I ought to have thrown you in the furnace when I had the chance, ‘doctor’!” Dingodile said. “Uka Uka sends his regards.”
A giant tongue of flame shot out and completely engulfed Crash and Aku Aku. Shining Armor screamed as he saw Crash disappear into the fire, seemingly being burned alive in front of him. He himself had to jump back to avoid the flames and the heat made him sweat despite the snow and ice.
But when the flames subsided Crash looked no worse for wear and Aku Aku only looked slightly less vibrant.
It’ll take more than that, Crash thought. You should know that by now.
Dingodile growled and shot out another tongue of flame, but Crash crouched and jumped over it with ease. Dingodile kept firing out at Crash as he ran around the edge of the hall.
White pony! Crash thought forcefully. Get the orange one out of here! And hit the backpack! See if you can’t knock the crystal loose!
Shining Armor nodded and re-steadied his sword and shield in his aura. “Ponies, get Sunburst back to the Crystal Empire. I’ve got this.” The guards wasted no time; they grabbed Sunburst and left.
Shining Armor went towards Dingodile, who had noticed the unicorn approaching him from Crash’s call. Shining Armor’s sword raised and came swiftly down, but Dingodile blocked it with the heavy flamethrower. He aimed the gun at Shining Armor, but the unicorn coolly raised his shield and added an extra spell and blocked the incoming flame with ease.
Crash came up behind Dingodile while he was fighting Shining Armor and spun around at him, knocking his head with a gloved fist. Dingodile suddenly weaved around while Shining Armor turned around and bucked the backpack hard. Dingodile was sent flying across the hall but the crystal stayed firmly in place.
“Back to square one,” Shining Armor said. “No worries. I can fight fire with fire.”
The unicorn’s horn charged up and suddenly three bursts of magic flew out from his horn. Dingodile had to swerve and sway to avoid the blasts, but quickly retaliated with a blast of his own fire. Shining Armor once more raised his shield before the flames hit, but Dingodile jumped up and slammed down right afterwards, shattering Shining Armor’s shield again from the shockwave.
Crash was prepared for the slam this time and jumped before Dingodile hit the ground. As soon as he touched down, he launched forward in a slide that hit Dingodile’s backpack square in the center and launched him forward into a sword strike from Shining Armor. Dingodile whirled around backwards and lay down on the ground, seemingly unwilling to move.
“You... whoever you are...” Shining Armor said, “are under arrest for kidnapping and an attack on royalty!”
“Royalty, eh?” Dingodile said. “Well, I did my job. I suppose you’re only doing yours. But I’ll have the last laugh.”
There was suddenly the sound of a klaxon and a warning red light on the backpack. Dingodile smiled.
“Sure, I might go up in smoke,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t take you with me!”
“Get behind the rock pile!” Aku Aku shouted.
Crash and Shining Armor turned and ran as the klaxon got louder and faster, and dived behind the rock. They were just in time to avoid the blast as Dingodile’s backpack suddenly exploded in a giant ball of flame. The icicles melted off from the ceiling of the hall and dropped all around him and the ground shook again, more violently than before.
Crash and Shining Armor looked up from the rock pile once the tremor had settled. Dingodile was singed and knocked out, his backpack was in a hundred pieces around the cavern, and the purple power crystal lay completely unharmed in the snow.
Crash went over to the power crystal and picked it up. Aku Aku mumbled something and the power crystal shrank to a size that fit in the pocket of Crash’s shorts.
More guard had arrived as reinforcements, bringing with them long lengths of strong cord. They immediately set to work tying up Dingodile and began dragging him out of the cave and took him with them back to the Crystal Empire.
* * *
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Good... yes, very good, hrmrmm... but could use some more spoons.
I can imagine Tiny got an army of manticores on his side.
Ooh! Interesting!!
*puts on the read it later list because clock is 2:42 AM*
Thank the Lord for me now being into Crash.
Though overall good, especially the writing, I do have some concerns.
For one, Dingodile's personality is off here. He only threatens(with intent to carry out) those that get in his way. Sunburst freely gave the info. Though a villain, Dingodile is an honorable sort. Case in point when he tried to give Crash an out, saying he'd leave him alone if Crash gave him the crystals. Though, those that DO ignore his offers and continue to stand in his way, he's more than willing to roast and eat.
Next... this one isn't a complaint, but a concern. There's 25 crystals. So, having one shouldn't grant a power, since it took OVER five crystals to gain a power, since he only gained powers after he beat a target.
HOWEVER, the idea of the crystals being capable of causing such is a good idea. But, not in their normal state. Perhaps if they got charged up or something, they could, though. So, the concept is not entirely without merit.
Also, you have it so that Crash is stupid and mute... that is not true. He can talk, but it's rare that he does. Also, he's been shown more than once to be clever... but in an eccentric way. He doesn't think in the normal ways people would consider sane, but in a good way. Simply put, despite lacking logical smarts, he's quite ingenious in terms of creativity.
Also, though easily distracted... it doesn't seem like that's an innate quality about him. When focused on a goal, he stays focused on it. However, from what we've seen, when not saving the world, he does get distracted often then. This makes it seem like that he CAN focus... but doesn't like to. He enjoys the wonders of life, and can easily find enjoyment in their many wonders, ALLOWING himself to be distracted when he doesn't have stuff to worry about.
Beyond those complaints though, I do enjoy the rest of what you've written here. Overall, not a bad start. Certainly good enough to continue watching.:D
7824412
Thank you very much for your comment! :D I'll try to address some of them as best as you can, and you can give me more feedback if possible.
On Dingodile: I did kind of want him to really show the villains here mean business (especially after the Radical titles; part of the reason the original trilogy is my favorite but Wrath of Cortex was also really good is because they meant business when encountered), but I suppose that was a poor way of doing so. Perhaps I should have threatened Sunburst with bringing him back to Cortex instead to draw out more information?
On the 25 crystals: To be honest, I've cut it down a lot (explained in detail in the next chapter) just because I had no idea what to do with 25 of them. I've gotten it down to 7 - six for each of Crash's main abilities and the 'master' crystal discussed in Cortex Strikes Back that would give plot importance. I could make them charged with either Aku Aku's magic, a unicorn's magic, or some technology of Cortex (whoever gets their hands on it). Would that work?
On Crash's speaking: Outside of the Japanese manga, Crash has said all of two words barring the Radical titles: "Uh-oh!" and "Whoa!". Besides those, Crash is hardly ever shown speaking and aside from a few references I really don't use the Radical titles (Tiny will be featured, for example, and he's got his original design and personality). The horn ring-turned-amulet made it easier for me to include Crash speaking and much more often than the original titles, but if you can remember any more please show me where.
On Crash's intelligence: I'll have to remember that for later on, though I do have him as spacey later on when in downtime or at a place where he can't do much of anything; if given a chance he'll move the plot forward and do something, but otherwise he may not be the brightest.
Thank you for commenting again and I hope you have more feedback from this! :D
7823879
I was reeeeeally tempted to put in "Break out the butter; we're gonna make toast!" line from Cortex Strikes Back, but I didn't want to do too many lines from the games themselves.
7824155
Part of the reason I'm doing this is because of the 20th anniversary last year and the upcoming N. Sane Trilogy games; this is a series I've loved since childhood and finally felt enough inspiration to do something. Can't wait for it; already did the pre-order on PS4 digital! :D
7824670
Whoops, my bad. xD I'm doing a Let's Play of Warped on my Youtube channel so I do remember the line, but CSB is my favorite of the series.
Before I read: Which game is this set after?
7824814
Admittedly, I make references to everything from the original trilogy of games to the GBA titles to the Radical titles, but most things are going to be taken from the original trilogy + Wrath of Cortex and hardly anything from the Radical ones is going to be used.
I see, well then, yes, of course, all I can say is; OH MY GOSH! THIS IS AWESOME! Thumbs up, favourite and tracking! As one Crash fan to another I eagerly await your next chapter. Now, do the Crash Dance!
This was awesome. I can't wait to see who's the next technical boss. Now I'm imagining the Mane-iac teaming up with Ripper Roo
7824828 First: I'm just glad you don't have the Activision Mutant games.
Second: Will there be Twinsanity references?
Third: I meant after which game does this start?
7824656 Well, I had some theories that could be interestin' for ya for the games set after Wrath of Cortex that could actually prove useful for you, if you'd like.
And technically, Crash in Skylanders Academy talked a lot, BUT, I think of that more like his remastered variant more than anything, like two separate timelines.
However, it does seem he CAN talk, as you said with the Whoa and the like. But, he just doesn't talk much. Perhaps having it so that it's hard for him to form words that aren't simple to pronounce? Not sure.
7825085
Technically this would be after Mind over Mutant as the references include them. As for Twinsanity, maybe one or two but it's been a while since I played that one so little would be included.
7825377 ... At least tell me you agree Activision fucked the franchise when they the Mutant games.
7825381
You know, the Radical titles are good games if you don't count them as part of the Crash series. They're funny, decently written, and play well, but if you take them as the spirit of Crash, it's as someone from Naughty Dog said: "It's a bit like watching your daughter do porn."
7825393 Considering Crash was the first video game I ever played, I have to admit a touch of bias.
7825381
Yes, though I have hope that the N Sane Trilogy will be good with Vicarious Visions at the helm developing it.
7825581 I hear ya there. But, I'm waiting for my dream game to come; CTR Remastered. (With online features) I will die happily with that experience in mind if it does happen. All the fingers and toes are crossed.
7825839
Absolutely a thousand times yes.
7825970 Feautres would include;
- Free Battle: No need for multiplayer to go on the Battle Maps! Set your opponents difficulty and the game will pick random opponents, including unlockables.
- Extreme Difficulty: Thought Hard Mode was piece of cake? Well, test your skill as all the CPU's aim for first place with extreme prejudice!
- Unlockable Characters as opponents outside of Story Mode
- New Characters: Koala Kong, Nitrus Brio, Komodo Moe, Nitrus Oxide and Spyro are all added to the roster
- Online Mode: Its you against the world as you aim to become the best CTR player ever!
7825581 ...I'm upset Crash Bash never got put on PSN...
7825970 What is your opinion on the titans series of Crash? Personally, while I find the characters to be varying levels of OOC at times, I still like the concept
Well whaddya know! This is great! Know we can hear what insanity goes on in Crash's head
Awesomeness in full tilt extreme!
Hahaha, nicely done man, nicely done, I am looking forward to more of this!
Hehehe, ahhh Power Crystals... nice.
7823841
ADDICTED TO THIS
THANK YOU SIR
*head bangs*
7827679
They are fun, even amusing games. However, they definitely do not feel like Crash games.
7827804 yeah...
That's wrong.
Wumpa fruits are officially not very sweet at all, with Crash, Coco and Crunch being the only beings that can actually eat them for their bitter taste, and even then, Coco and Crunch are nowhere near as fond of them as Crash.
7871788
Long time to respond, but I'm finally back to working on it.
Didn't really remember where the flavor was or how it was described, so I just took the fact that it looked like a braeburn apple (red to yellow color with occasional green) as a base.