> Crash Bandicoot: Equestria
>  by Revenant Wings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville was rather quiet.

It was June, shortly after the Summer Sun Celebration, and the weather was sunny, clear, and pleasantly warm.  Ponies dozed in the sun, convened under the shade of trees, or walked around enjoying the afternoon.  Twilight’s castle glittered brightly in the sunshine and the town had a relatively sleepy air around it; the weather ponies were off with the clear skies and the normally attentive Twilight Sparkle herself was buried in books under the shade of a large oak tree.

And so they hardly noticed when a strange distortion decided to appear in the hills outside of town.  

The distortion grew until, if one looked out over the hills, it appeared that some of them were growing larger, or that the trees and mountains bended towards it.  They all seemed to be converging on a point not far above the hills, causing a slight wind to cycle around the hill and caused the grass to shiver.

The air suddenly crackled with electricity and a ball suddenly appeared from within the growing distortion above the hills.  It almost looked like a ball of mercury with the fluid texture, but suddenly there appeared within the metallic distortion a picture of a beach in an almost tropical environment.  The picture grew and suddenly a wooden crate full of a strange red and yellow fruit could be seen at the edge of the beach where it met the dense jungle.

There was another crackle of electricity, followed by a muted explosion.  The metallic surface rippled slightly as an orange and blue blur shot out and was launched along the ground until it’d created a small divot in the otherwise pristine green hills.

Quicker than it arrived, the picture vanished, the mercury ball disappeared, and the distortion vanished until little remained that suggested a portal to another world had been temporarily opened.  None of the ponies had looked over in that time and, other than pricking their ears towards a faint noise, didn’t look to see what caused the muted explosion.

There was, however, a slight change in the landscape.  The blue and orange blur had since come to a halt in a pile of dirt and lay there for a moment quite dazed.  It was a small furry creature, orange with a long pointed muzzle and a black nose, for some reason wearing blue pants and red shoes.

It had the appearance of a mammal, but in truth it was a marsupial – back in the world where it came from, it was called an eastern-barred bandicoot.  Though in this particular bandicoot’s case evolution had been forced to take something of a jump, and it now stood on two legs and had front paws that were more similar to hands, wrapped in brownish gloves.

The bandicoot fumbled around on the grass for a bit before managing to place its hands flat on the ground.  It tried getting up, but its nose appeared to be stuck in the ground.  It arranged its feet and heaved as hard as it could.  It tried again and again, before finally it managed to release its nose with a pop.  The bandicoot tumbled over backwards and opened its green eyes for the first time, shaking its head to clear its vision.

Sitting on the ground where it had been was a dark wooden mask with four feathers of red, yellow, orange, and purple.  The bandicoot righted itself and went to pull up the mask.  He turned it around and looked at the strange face carved on the other side: two large pieces of wood almost like eyebrows, two yellow eyes with green highlights, a large orange nose, and what looked like a mouth carved out of wood complete with teeth.

For a long time, the mask didn’t move.  The bandicoot became distressed that it didn’t seem to be moving and began to shake it, gently at first then violently.  After a while the mask began to spit out some dirt – some into the poor bandicoot’s face – and the bandicoot released it.  This didn’t hinder it at all as the mask was floating a few feet above the ground level with the bandicoot’s face.

“It is as I feared,” the mask said as soon as it had taken a look around.  “Doctor Cortex has sent us to another world.”  It turned to the bandicoot.  “It’s a good thing you grabbed on while you could, Crash, though I wonder where the others went off to.”

The bandicoot shrugged.

“Well, I suppose we’d better find if there’s someone around here who can tell us where we are.”

The bandicoot nodded and stood up.  They walked up to the top of the next hill and saw the town of Ponyville sitting in the sunshine, still oblivious to the figures on the hill.

“Well, this place is civilized, at least, but they don’t look like any sort of creature I’m familiar with,” the mask said.  “We’d better be careful in case they startle.”

The bandicoot walked off down the hill, the mask floating beside him.  They crossed over two more hills before one of the ponies finally looked towards them and immediately fainted.

“Oh, dear,” the mask said.  “This is strange.  It seems we’re in a town filled with small sapient horses, but that reception doesn’t exactly bode well.  We ought to find the one they call their leader.”

The bandicoot scratched his head and jerked a thumb at the fainted pony.

“Well, yes, that might prove to be a problem.  Of course, the other idea would be that one of them would eventually notice us and alert whoever their leader is.  We should get a little closer at least.”

The bandicoot walked around, the mask still floating at his side.  They came to a group sitting under an oak tree, who all looked very surprised and began talking to each other excitedly though didn’t exactly look friendly.  After a while, they all looked at the bandicoot and the mask floating next to him.  The bandicoot smiled at them and waved a single gloved hand, hoping they would be friendly despite that.

He was most disappointed when they decided the proper response to this was to shriek and run in the opposite direction, leaving him and the mask alone by the oak tree.

“Well, our presence has been made known to someone who won’t faint immediately,” the mask said.  “We’ll wait here for a moment and see if someone important comes.”

The bandicoot walked over to the tree and sat down, leaning up against it.  His stomach rumbled faintly and he scratched it as he picked up a blade of grass and twirled it around in his fingers.  He preferred the beach at his home, the smell of the cool sea air and the fresh fruit that was easy to find along the shoreline, though this place didn’t seem too bad.  If it weren’t for the fact he didn’t know where he was, he was inclined to lay back right where he was and sleep for a little while.

A rumbling along the ground suddenly jerked him to his senses.  He looked up and towards the town and his eyes went wide.

Where three had been going into the town, the number seemed to have quadrupled.  Six of them were all different colors, while six of them were white and seemed to be wearing some sort of elaborate gold armor.  All seemed to be charging him, and none of them looked friendly.  Well, none except for the pink one bouncing up and down.

But the bandicoot didn’t like the odds and jumped to his feet with a shriek.  He wasted no time in grabbing the mask and running full-tilt in the opposite direction, towards a dark jungle-like wood that seemed to be nearby.

There was a sort of shouting behind him, but the bandicoot paid them no attention.  He ran on, but the ponies appeared to be gaining on him with every moment.  One suddenly shot forward in a rainbow blur and the bandicoot almost stopped in his tracks when he realized it was flying alongside him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the brash voice called to him, flying a little more ahead then stopping somewhere in his path ahead.

Taking the pony by surprise, the bandicoot suddenly dropped and slid along the ground feet first.  He seemed to slide right under her, only to jump up and continue running in the same direction he’d been going.

“Whoa!” the rainbow-pony said.  “Whatever it is, it certainly is agile!”

“Nothin’ a little rodeo can’t take care of.  I got him, Dash!”

The bandicoot turned around to see that a different one was now ahead of the pack, this one a sort of orange color with a blonde mane, and it appeared to be holding a rope in its mouth.  But there was a loop on one end of the rope and the bandicoot realized almost immediately it was a lasso.  His only hope for now was to outrun it if possible.

But the pony had almost as much endurance as the bandicoot did and, while it didn’t overtake him like the rainbow-colored one did, came up to within fair distance.  It wasn’t long before the lasso was in distance and thrown around the bandicoot before he had time to react.

But then came something none of the ponies were expecting.  His hands tightened into fists, he tilted to one side, then heaved full-force in the other, lifting one shoe off the ground and pivoting on his other.  The effect created a strange tornado and suddenly the orange pony holding him was lifted up off the ground and spun rapidly in a few circles.  The rope snapped and the pony launched backwards, crashing into the other ponies like a bowling ball knocking over pins and leaving the bandicoot free to continue running.

Only four were left in pursuit from the crash.  One was purple and had what looked like wings on its sides and a horn on its head, and three of the white ones with golden armor.  The horn suddenly lit up and the bandicoot realized this one was getting a lot closer a lot faster than the others.

It took him a minute before he realized he wasn’t moving anymore and was covered in a purple aura of sorts.  The purple pony was standing at him and looking at him awkwardly as though scrutinizing him.

“Well, I’ve certainly never seen anything like it,” the purple pony said, more curious than the others were.  “And besides being scared, it doesn’t look all that harmless, though whatever that tornado it made was certainly startling.  What are you?”

“I can answer that,” the mask said.  The bandicoot let it go, though it didn’t fly much farther than the bandicoot in the same aura.  “My name is Aku Aku and I am an ancient magical mask.  This here is Crash Bandicoot.  I’m afraid we’ve been thrust through a portal into this world and have no idea where we are.  Crash here is a little jumpy but otherwise not bad; we’re both a little shaken, is all.”

“Huh,” the purple one said.  “I’ve never seen a talking mask before.  And this one is a bandicoot, you said?  I’ve read about them, but he doesn’t look like the ones I’ve seen in my books.”

“Our story is a long one and a somewhat strange one,” the mask continued.  “This appears to be another plot by a mad scientist back in our world, who created a strange machine and sent us here.  We need to find a way back to our home, but first we need to find the leader of this place and see where we are.”

The purple pony then smiled.  “Well, I wouldn’t mind hearing a little more about both of you, and you seem reasonable enough.  My name is Twilight Sparkle and, while not the main ruler of this place, I am an alicorn princess of sorts and may be able to help you out at least a little bit.”

“Twilight Sparkle, you say?  Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss.  And any help, small or large, would be certainly welcome.”

Crash, realizing that things were actually going to be okay now, smiled and waved politely at the ponies.  At least they looked cute, even if not all of them were entirely sure about him.


*		*		*


> 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.


*		*		*



> Level 2: The Power Crystals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash Bandicoot, Shining Armor, and the Guard dragged Dingodile through the snow back to the Crystal Empire.  Once they came back to the city limits and the warmer grass, they were met by Twilight, Princess Cadence, and Sunburst, now free from his bindings.  All were quite relieved by the appearance of Crash and Shining Armor.

“Take the creature to the dungeons,” Princess Cadence said.  “Keep an eye on it.  When it wakes up, question it and see where it came from.”

The guards saluted and quickly, yet unceremoniously, tossed Dingodile into a cart and took him off to the Crystal Palace before anyone took notice.

“Well, we’re certainly glad you came along,” Shining Armor said to Crash.  “You put up quite a fight back there, and are strong for your size.”

It’s nothing, Crash thought, somewhat humbly.  I’ve been fighting him and other of Cortex’s minions for a while now.

“Then, if there’s more where that came from, we’ll be lucky to have you here.”

“I’m of the opinion we’ll be here so long as they are here,” Aku Aku said.  “Which brings us to our need of Sunburst as Twilight said.”

“Yes,” Sunburst said.  “The Princesses have informed me of your predicament. But I have been out for a few days; it will be good for me to get back to my studies, but first I need something to eat and a short rest.”

“Of course!” Aku Aku said quickly.  “How thoughtless of me!  Please, take some time to rest and recover, we shall come when you are ready.”

“Perhaps tomorrow morning,” the unicorn said.  “I do not need long, and it is best if I get back to work soon.”

“I believe we should have a room for you two,” Shining Armor said to Twilight and Crash.  “I’m afraid it will be simple accommodations, but it should service you well if you’re not staying long.”

“Anything will be nice,” Aku Aku said.  “And so long as Crash has food and a place to rest, I don’t think he needs such elaborate places anyways.”

And a beach with warm sun, Crash added.  But that’s out.

Another guard came and escorted them to a modest one-story house with a small kitchen and a bedroom with two beds.  The guard stayed outside, preventing anyone from getting in without express permission from the Prince or Princess, and attended to whatever Twilight said they needed.  Aku Aku was allowed to use magic to go back and forth between the house and talking with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence as much as he wanted, and he spent much of his time at the Crystal Palace, only coming back every once in a while to see how Crash was doing.

A basket of apples, a loaf of bread, and a bit of cooked potato were brought for Crash and a soup and salad for Twilight.  Crash ate with abandon with his hands, making something of a mess on the kitchen table where the food was laid out.  Twilight considered it enough that he was at least eating at the table.

“Um... if you don’t mind me asking, what was your home like?” Twilight asked.  While experiences from another world were no stranger to her, it was still a new experience with someone so different from what she was used to like Crash.

Uh...  Crash actually stopped in the middle of a bite to think for a minute before responding.  Well, it’s always warm but never hot and it can get cool but never cold.  We live by a beach, me and Aku Aku and my sister.

Crash stopped after he said this, and Twilight realized he probably needed more prodding in order to keep explaining.  “What about the environment?”

Crash gave Twilight an awkward, almost apologetic look.  ...what does that mean?

“What’s the area like where you live?”

Jungle.  Palm trees, thick trees Aku Aku calls mangroves, Wumpa trees, banana trees, thick bushes and ferns.  But there’s old ruins not far away, and sometimes there’s neat stones or hidden rooms that are fun to find and look around in, and we’re near a beach.

“So, is Cortex your only problem?”

No.  The jungles have large turtles that sometimes bite, meat-eating plants, and other things that are larger and worse.  There are rivers with piranhas, fast-moving currents, and deep water that I can’t swim in.  And there are humans that live on the island, and if I get too close, even if I’m minding my own business, they try to kill me.

Twilight wished she could talk without stopping between bites.  The only delays in the conversation now was when Crash finished and she was in the middle of a bite.  Crash’s thoughts being portrayed as a voice via magic meant his mouth didn’t need to wait.  “So what about your free-time?”

I sleep.  Or play with my yo-yo.  Or dig in the sand on the beach looking for stuff.

“Like what?”

I dunno.  Whatever I find interesting, I guess.

“Cortex seems to be a pretty common problem for you if you talk about him so easily.  How many times has he tried taking over the islands where you live?”

It’s not easy.  It’s just happened enough times it’s pretty easy to determine the problem.

“Yeah, but how many times has he tried?”

Uh...  I think the last time was ten.  Ten times.

Twilight looked at him in astonishment, and not from the fact that Crash had finished his food and gave out a large and very contented burp without covering his mouth.  “Ten?  How old are you that you’ve fought him that many times already?”

I dunno.  I don’t really keep track.  Crash sat in the chair and gently swung his legs.  I know my forced change via the Evolv-O-Ray lengthened my life and I would have only reached three.  I think Cortex found me just before I hit one.

“So you were fighting him at one year old?”

...how long do you ponies live?

“Our older ones usually hit their eighties, and some can hit ninety or a hundred.”

...about the same as humans, then.  So, the closest to your age Aku Aku guesses me to be is about twenty years old now.  But I don’t keep track.  I just know that because Aku Aku told me.

“How’d you meet Aku Aku?”

The islanders like to scatter boxes around.  He was inside one of them; I guess they didn’t know he was magic or his own magic was weak.  I broke it open.  I sometimes do that; they collect a lot of Wumpa fruits in them and they probably don’t notice if I take a few.  He took an interest in me because I’m not like normal bandicoots, and I guess just sort of stuck around as my guardian.

It was at this point that Crash got up.  I’m tired.  I think I’m going to bed.

It took a moment for Twilight to realize it was not directed at her and that Crash was merely thinking that.  It took her a moment longer for her to realize that apparently Crash, with an amulet on that revealed his every thought, did not do that much thinking and apparently most of what he did was on impulse.

Aku Aku came back from the Crystal Palace in a golden whirl of magic.  The first time it shocked Twilight to see how effortlessly he did so, but now she was rather used to it and didn’t mind it at all and merely looked over to him when he came back.

“How is he?” Aku Aku asked.

“He went to sleep not long ago,” Twilight said.  “He... doesn’t do that much thinking, doesn’t he?”

“Ah, so you noticed that, too, despite the power of that ‘horn ring’.  If you are hesitant or off-put by that, don’t worry.  Crash is happiest if left peacefully to his own devices – if a little too curious for his own good sometimes – and most of what he does think is usually well-meaning.”

“Admittedly it’s strange,” Twilight replied.  “You put that on any unicorn and the only ones it doesn’t do that with are the coldest and darkest of ponies.”

Aku Aku gave as much of a knowing smile as a floating wooden mask could manage.  “The Evolv-O-Ray may have increased his brain capacity, but you have to remind yourself every once in a while he’s still an animal.”

“...so was his just small to begin with?”

“Probably.  But his sister’s a computer and technological genius with access to a store of knowledge and an intellect that could match your own.”

Twilight found herself left with more questions than answers.  Not that that bothered her; what was worse was the potential that she’d never figure out what the answers to those questions were, and the questions that would come up after that, and the questions that would come up after that...

She decided not to worry herself with it.  There were more pressing issues, and if she could get at least some answers, the better.


*		*		*


The next day, sometime after breakfast, a note came up via a guard from Sunburst to the place where Twilight was staying with Crash and Aku Aku.

Princess Twilight Sparkle:

I am ready to begin my examination of potential magic with the power crystals that Crash has.  Send one down with the guard to my study.  It may take a few hours of examining and research, so I don’t want to make you wait for me to finish.  I’ll send round another note when I am finished.

Along with the guard was a large leather satchel, larger than a saddlebag and quite big enough for a full-sized crystal.

“Give him the one you salvaged from Dingodile yesterday,” Aku Aku said to Crash.  “Keep the other one.  I’m sure we’ll get it back, though.”

Crash pulled out the crystals from his pockets.  ...I don’t remember which one that was.  They all look the same to me.

Aku Aku collected one with his own magic and handed it to the guard.  “It’s this one,” he said.  “I’m sure of it.  It’s not much, but I can sense the aura around it and it’s different.”

“You should go with the guard and help Sunburst,” Twilight said.  “If you could explain about the power crystals from your own home world, that might help him find what he’s looking for easier.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Aku Aku said.  “I’ll come around soon to check on Crash.  That is, if the guard doesn’t mind me going with him to Sunburst.”

“That’s not mine to choose,” said the guard.  “You can come with me and ask Sunburst if he wants the help, though.”

“Then I shall, and if he does not want me, I shall return immediately.”

Aku Aku followed the guard away from the house, leaving Twilight and Crash alone.

I’m bored.

Twilight looked over to Crash, sitting on the small couch picking his nose.  “I’m afraid there’s not much we can do while we wait for Sunburst,” she said, grabbing a tissue and levitating it over to him.  “We have no idea if anyone else from your world came through, or where.”

Crash looked over to Twilight; it must have been a stray thought sent out by the horn ring.  ...he’ll have answers?

Twilight was thankful Crash at least knew how to use the tissue.  “Well, that’s the hope,” Twilight said, not entirely sure.  “We don’t usually get any portals in time and space coming through here.”

What about that mirror?  I heard you talking about that not long ago with the pink one.

“I’m sorry, Crash, but there’s no guarantee on that one,” Twilight said, truly apologetic.  “If it were that easy, I’d take you there immediately.  But we have no idea where it would lead to.”

...would the pink one know?

Twilight’s eyes suddenly brightened.  “No, but I know someone who would.  There’s someone with even more power and more magic than me or Princess Cadence: my old mentor Princess Celestia in Canterlot.”

...what’s a mentor?

“She taught me all I know about magic,” Twilight said.  “And she’s probably the single most powerful pony in Equestria.”

And she might know something about the worlds in the mirror?  Brilliant!  Crash let off a big smile for a moment, but then it lessened and he scratched his head.  But I’m afraid if the power crystals are here and Dingodile is here, that could mean more of Cortex’s minions are here, too.

“I’m sure we could catch them easily.”

Eh...  I’d prefer to stick around and get the job done before heading back.  At least, so much as I can.

Twilight, realizing they could be waiting a long time, requested for a pad of paper and a few inkwells and quills.  She decided to try interviewing Crash about his home and where he came from.  She already knew something about a human world, but the prospect of their being another world with humans in it – when all other worlds had ponies in them – intrigued her.

But interviewing Crash about humans proved difficult.  Crash was able to give her a decent description about the islanders that shared his home, but gave her little other details.  Despite his home in the islands, he’d gone to many places through similar portals like the one that brought him to Equestria.  Unfortunately, most of the places he’d gone had almost been arranged like death courses, and many of the “humans” he’d met on his travels were mechanical monstrosities created by Cortex to kill him and retrieve power crystals for himself.

And Cortex himself wasn’t exactly “human” either.  Crash was pretty sure he was one, but there were certain things about him that were rather un-human but not animal-like either.  Crash recalled he had a rather blocky head, he was almost too thin for Crash to be reasonably sure he had internal organs, and – strangest of all – had what looked like a large tattoo of a capital N on his forehead.

He’s got a big ego, Crash thought, more as  a comment to himself rather than expanding on the answer.

Trying to explain to Crash about ponies was more difficult.  Twilight eventually gave up because he kept asking questions and thinking about more questions that Twilight frankly would have applauded him.  But instead the questions just kept layering over the answers she tried to give and it was a cacophony of noises before a second full answer could be given.

Twilight was exasperated.

“Better if you read the book,” she said irritably.  “Well, you can’t exactly ‘read’, but the pictures ought to give you a general idea of things.”

Sorry... Crash said, and he looked so dejected that Twilight immediately relented.

“It’s going to be hard if you keep asking questions, even inadvertently,” she said.  “I’ll try to explain as much as I can, though.”

I’ll try, Crash replied.  It’s still a lot of information at once for me.

The second time went better but still irritated Twilight.  She had to go slower for Crash so he wouldn’t ask a question before she finished her answer.  And Crash kept having to ask about the larger words that she was used to most ponies knowing.

At least he was curious, she thought to herself, thankful he could not hear her thoughts.

She got through the stories of Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, and her ascension to being Princess before another guard arrived with a note from Sunburst.

Princess Twilight Sparkle:

Aku Aku has been with me and has been a great help in my research.  I’m afraid I cannot answer everything, but I will tell you what I know about the power crystals and their magic after dinner.  A guard will be sent around, and bring Crash with you.

The return of this note with your signature will tell me you agree with this request.

Twilight took one of her quills, signed ‘Princess T.S.’ at the bottom under Sunburst’s name, and rolled up the note again.  She gave it back to the guard.  “Return this to Sunburst.”

The guard saluted and went off.

I’d wondered what was taking Aku Aku so long, Crash said.  Must have made some progress.

“I’d certainly hope so,” Twilight said as another guard came around with dinner.


*		*		*


Sunburst’s study was a rather small room connected to the main library of the Crystal Palace.  There were at least four different desks with various experiments going on – one for biology, physics, chemistry, and a spare for whatever else struck his mind – and a bookshelf where whatever books he’d borrowed from the library were sitting haphazardly around.  A fifth writing desk was covered in sheaves of paper, a slot filled with quills, and many bottles of ink, two of them seemingly half empty.

On the fourth spare desk stood the purple power crystal, floating of its own accord over a small makeshift stand Sunburst had constructed for it.  Aku Aku was floating nearby when Twilight and Crash entered, and Sunburst was busy going through one of his books.

Sunburst himself looked rather better than he did in the ice cavern.  His mane was still in a mess but he was otherwise cleaned up and he had on a robe and a pair of glasses over bright eyes.  He looked well-rested and now dove back into his work with eagerness.

Sunburst looked up when he heard the door close behind Crash.  “Ah, good, you came,” he said.  “I’ve done a bit of research and tests on the crystal, and Aku Aku has been a huge help in my studies.”

“Good to hear!” Twilight said happily.  “Is there anything you can tell us?”

“Well, according to Aku Aku, there are multiple of these crystals around.  What Aku Aku didn’t know and I found out is that there are multiple slave crystals but only one master crystal.”

“What’s the difference?” Twilight asked.

“Well, the master crystal is slightly larger and it has huge magical power,” Sunburst said.  “More than enough for your magic to easily surpass Princess Luna and possibly equal Princess Celestia if you held it.”

So I could get home easier if I had this master crystal? Crash asked.

“Not entirely.  This ‘master crystal’ would be an excellent catalyst and would provide a locus for the magic to be enabled, but you’d need the ‘slave crystals’ along with it.  The magic itself is simple: you’d need three powerful unicorns – Twilight, Shining Armor, and Starlight Glimmer when she comes back from Canterlot would do – focusing their magic power on the master crystal with Aku Aku.  With the slave crystals present, it should send you home and take all the crystals with you.”

“Great work, Sunburst!” Twilight said.  “So... where are the slave crystals and this master crystal?”

“Well, Crash now has two,” Aku Aku replied.  “The one he brought here on his own, and the one you retrieved from Dingodile.  The other four slave crystals are a little strange; we can’t tell where they are but there is a general location of where they are: every destination they could potentially be can be accessed via Ponyville where Crash entered.”

So Ponyville functions as a sort of hub, then.

“Exactly,” Aku Aku said.

"But the slave crystals need to be powered up first," Sunburst added.  "The one Crash is holding that allows him to - as Aku Aku told me - 'double jump', is already powered, and the one gained from Dingodile also seems to have been powered up.  If you find any more, you're going to need to either bring it to the master crystal or use some of your own magic to power it, Twilight."

"What would that entail?"

"Just a simple power-enhancing or magic bolt spell," Sunburst replied.  "The crystals are strong enough they won't sustain any damage, then the magic will be absorbed and Crash can use whatever ability it lets him, and that's in addition to helping you get home."

“But what about the master crystal?” Twilight asked.  “If we can find the slave crystals but can’t find the master crystal, the magic’s useless.”

“Find all six slave crystals that came through here and you’ll find the location of the master crystal,” Sunburst said.  “You could probably even pinpoint if you combine your magic with Aku Aku’s.”

“My magic is strong,” Aku Aku said, “but it’s not enough.   Usually we need to find more crystals, but the smaller amount of slave crystals we need to search for means my own power isn’t enough.”

“Well, I’ll be happy to help!” Twilight said.  “So I suppose our next task is to go back to Ponyville and see if we can find the location of the third crystal!”

“We’d better go quickly, then,” Aku Aku said.  “Once Cortex realizes the slave crystals are here, he’s likely to come searching for them soon.”

“Then we’ll take the first train out tomorrow.”  Twilight turned to Sunburst.  “Thanks for everything.”

“No problem.  It was a challenge.  I needed that after a while of taking care of Flurry Heart.”


*		*		*


Princess Celestia sat peacefully in her throne room.  The day was bright, the air was clear, and the crowds coming to see her were rather light.  She thought about taking the day off and strolling through the gardens a bit before lunch.

She turned to one of the guards sitting next to her.  “Close off court for today,” she said.  “I’m going to take an early lunch.  And you can, too.”

The guard bowed.  “Thank you, Princess,” he said.  He marched quickly but dutifully towards the entrance of the chambers, opening and closing the door behind him.

For a moment, Princess Celestia merely relaxed in the warm sun streaming into the court.  It was a lovely day and a good walk in the gardens would refresh her.  She was always stuck for too long in the stuffy halls of the castle and longed for a good flight or walk to stretch her legs and wings.

And then the distortion appeared, like a ball of mercury oozing through time and space.  The two guards remaining by the princess’ side prepared their lances as they saw the distortion slowly grow larger and larger and it blocked off the door leading into the halls.

Sparks of electricity shot off as an image began to form on the mercury, one of a dark, towering castle.  It wasn’t long before a ripple appeared in the distortion and suddenly no less than six figures came bursting out of it.

Princess Celestia and the guards were flabbergasted at the difference in all of them.  One was a blue bipedal thing with clocks all over its body, one was a dinky little man with half a rocket stuck inside his head, one was a giant orange creature that looked like a malformed tiger, holding something orange and limp in its hand, one was a floating mask of dark red and yellow wood that seemed to ooze smoke and flame, and at the head was a something that looked like a man but was too skinny for his own good and had a massive N tattooed into his massive forehead.

For a moment, Princess Celestia couldn’t speak.  Which was fine, as they were doing plenty of talking for their own as the portal closed behind them.

“You sure this is where Dingodile went off to?” the man with the N said irritably.

“I’m positive that this is the same world,” the blue bipedal thing said rather gentlemanly.  “Portals in time and space are rather difficult.”

“Enough bickering!” the mask shouted.  “We’ve spent far too long gawking at this place, but we’ve clearly landed inside a building!  With witnesses!”

The man with the N pulled up a small red thing with a dish and antenna on one end.  Princess Celestia had never seen the likes of it before, but knew they were up to no good and that thing was certainly not friendly, potentially even dangerous.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said, taking the group by surprise.  “But I am the ruler of this land, and I demand that you—”

A powerful electric shock shot out of the blaster and overcame Princess Celestia with a force so strong it actually hurt.  Normally mild electric shocks were nothing, even a staple of some types of magic.  But it hurt and it burned and it stung, like she’d been bucked hard like an Earth pony.  She lay on the ground for a moment, eyes wide and trying to catch her breath.

“Well, that solves one issue,” the man with the N said.  “I assume the other two are guards?  Tiny.  N. Gin.  Take them out.  This place is ours now.”

“Crash is here somewhere,” the blue bipedal figure said.  “This will be a nice two-for: finally defeating Crash and taking over yet another world.”

“You should have thought of this in the first place!” the mask screamed.  “Had we known there were other worlds, we could have used them to amass our forces and take out Crash with ease!”

“All of this seems excessive for a mere bandicoot,” the man with the rocket said.  “If he didn’t have the crystals or that other stupid mask, I’d blow him up with one rocket and he’d be gone!  Boom!”

“That’s the goal,” the man with the N said.  “Dingodile said he found one, but we lost contact with him not long ago.   But we know they’re here; the slave crystals and the master crystal.”

“Fine,” the mask growled, pleased.  “We’ll use this as a base of operations.  First, shackle that thing and take care of the guards.  This place will be ours soon enough.”


*		*		*


> Level 3: Nighttime Conventions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train left the Crystal Empire station at precisely nine in the morning, bound for Ponyville.  Twilight and Princess Cadence had discussed things the previous evening and a decision was made to go to Princess Celestia, explain the situation at hoof with Crash Bandicoot, and use Celestia’s magic to find the remaining slave Crystals quicker.

I hope we’re not too late, Crash thought as the train sped out of the Crystal Empire.  Cortex isn’t one to sit back.  The longer we wait, the more he’ll destroy the islands.

“How would he do that?”

It’s not always obvious, Crash said.  He runs a power plant that spews toxic waste into the surrounding oceans.  He’s got a castle where he performs experiments on the local wildlife.  His minions like Dingodile threaten the natives and, using Dr. N. Tropy’s portals he can send his other minons anywhere.

“I’m afraid Crash is right,” Aku Aku said.  “Even when it seems like Cortex is idle, at the first moment he’s ready he will send his armies out to capture and conquer wherever he wants.”

“Then pursuing Princess Celestia is our best course of action,” Twilight said.  “With her power we should easily be able to pinpoint the locations of the crystals.”

“Is your own magic not strong enough?” Aku Aku asked.  “You are a princess like she is, after all.”

“I’m afraid my skill is more in variety of magic than raw power,” Twilight said.  “I can probably locate a general area but not an exact location.  But charging the crystals I should have no problem with, and performing a spell to take you home shouldn’t be a problem either once we have all of them.”

Aku Aku smiled warmly.  “Of course.  And I shouldn’t be too hard on you, either; you’ve already done much more for us than I would have expected.”

“It’s like I said,” Twilight said encouragingly, “we ponies will help you out to the best of our ability.  If more creatures like Dingodile are out there, then we’ll band together to help you get them out of here and back home.”

They’re not that hard to get rid of, honestly, Crash commented.  My main concern is those crystals.  If they start charging them up with their own power, we may have difficulties in finding them and getting them for ourselves.

“Shining Armor told me about what happened in the ice caverns,” Twilight said.  “If that is the case and the charged crystals can give them powers, too, then it’s best you have all the help you can.  In any case, I want to see this through.”

“And we are very grateful for your help,” Aku Aku said.  “Your knowledge and connections have already helped us out.  Any power you are also able to lend us would be helpful indeed.”

Twilight talked with Aku Aku and Crash a little while longer, informing them of the finer details of her plan.  At nightfall dinner was brought by and they ate and drank before going to their bunks to sleep, hoping that morning would find them back in Ponyville and preparing to go to Canterlot.


*		*		*


Twilight was alone.

She was standing in a large circular room that she immediately recognized as the Canterlot Castle Observatory, with vaulted arches and large windows open to the night sky and three differently-powered telescopes that observed the night sky.

It was night outside, the sky a deep purple and glittered with stars and a large moon.  Twilight went over and looked at the stars and noted that Luna had definitely outdone herself this time, the stars glittering like jewels and in a vast array of impressive patterns.

The only thing that was really glaring against the sky was a singular star that looked bluer than the others and was blinking brighter.  Normally bluer stars would be lost against the purple or dark blue background amidst other stars, but this one was very large and very bright.  Twilight decided to look into one of the telescopes to see what was going on.

It wasn’t a “star” at all; for some reason, instead of the star appearing when she focused, she could see Princess Luna herself flying around.  Twilight took her eye off the telescope to find that Princess Luna had come closer and was actually flying towards the Observatory.  Twilight ran over to a glass door leading onto a balcony overlooking the gardens and waited there for Luna to arrive.

The dark blue alicorn looked rather stressed; her mane didn’t glow so brightly as it did before and seemed to have less stars than ever.  She panted as though exhausted after a long flight and her wings drooped at her side.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight called.  “Princess Luna!  Are you okay?”

Luna panted a while longer before speaking.  “Dark times have fallen, young Twilight.  I perceive that you are safe for the time being, but I have important news for you.”

“Tell me, tell me!” Twilight said.  “And, if possible, I have news for you.”

“I believe I have heard the news you wish to tell me, but I shall see if they correspond correctly.  But first, listen closely: Canterlot has come under siege by beings from another world.”

Twilight gasped.  “What about Princess Celestia?  Is she alright?”

“Princess Celestia is harried, but unharmed.  There were six of them, five strange creatures carrying a sixth that appeared to be unconscious.  They disabled the guard and threw them in the dungeons, while confining Celestia to her room.  They carry strange things they call ‘guns’, and used them to disable Celestia, on whom they also put an inhibitor horn ring on her.”

Twilight gulped.  “I’m afraid I know who they are.  I have found someone who was thrown into this world, one called Crash who is a bandicoot under forced rapid evolution.  He was sent here by someone named Doctor Cortex, who wished for him to get out of the way so he could take over his home world.  But they mean to potentially finish the job and kill Crash.”

“Then our information is almost the same,” Princess Luna said.  “They have captured what seems to be his sister , I believe, and are using her to help them build technology to conquer our world as well as their own.”

“We have a plan,” Twilight said.  “If we find these things called ‘power crystals’, we may be able to use them to create a warp to send Crash and these others home.”

“I will try to assist you as much as I can, but I am on the run,” Princess Luna said.  “Princess Celestia managed to set off the warning signals before she was fully captured and I have escaped, but they know I exist.”

“Where are you hiding now?”

“I am staying at a guard outpost in Baltimare.  Ponyville is too dangerous for me right now, otherwise I would immediately come to your aid.”

“Can you sense the power crystals?   You may still be able to help us find their location.”

“I will have to risk a trip to Ponyville in the dead of night.  Wait for me, and I will be there in two days.  Los Pegasus may still be safe, or even perhaps Cloudsdale if they cannot fly.  But do what you can without me, as we have no time to lose and my own time with you will be short if they are pursuing me.”

“All we need is to give you even the essence of the power crystal and you may be able to help us locate them if you understand their magical properties.  Then even in dreams you can contact us and inform us of their locations.”

Luna’s initially severe expression changed to a warm and determined one.  “A brilliant mind as always, Twilight Sparkle.  I shall arrive in two days to Ponyville.  Wait for me at midnight on the night of the new moon; I will be there.  And have at least one of these power crystals ready.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded.  “I won’t let you down, Princess.  We’ll get Cortex and his partners, and hopefully with Crash’s help we will defeat them.”

“I know you won’t, dear Twilight,” Luna said kindly.  “I will send word to Celestia, that she may not give up hope and know her student is already at work.”

There was then a blinding flash and Twilight was awake in the bunks of the train moving steadily along.  Twilight glanced outside the window and noticed the sun was just coming up over the horizon; they would be at Ponyville in a few hours.  In two days, at midnight on the new moon, Luna would be coming under cover of darkness.

But there was no time to lose.   Twilight woke up Crash and Aku Aku and explained to them immediately her dream and the words of Princess Luna, as well as the change in plans.

Crash balled his paw into a fist and growled.  So, Doctor Cortex has finally arrived, he thought.  He doesn’t exactly know when to quit, does he?

“Furthermore,” Twilight said, “it appears they have your sister.  Cortex had apparently not thrown her through her own portal yet.  We need to get her back, as well.”

Crash’s eyes narrowed, and for once Twilight saw a strange fire come over the bandicoot.  No one messes with my sister, he thought levelly yet with a malice that even came through in his thoughts.  Your princess and mentor, and my sister.  I won’t rest until both of them are safe and Cortex is where he belongs: imprisoned on his own island in my world.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until this Princess Luna arrives,” Aku Aku said.  “As a matter of fact, I would advise you rest while you can.  We’ll have many long days ahead of us, and now that we know the rest will be centered around Ponyville we’ll certainly be moving faster than before.”

Then I will rest, Crash said.  But I will also be impatient.


*		*		*


Two days was a long time to wait.

Crash was once more kept inside a building and not allowed to go outside; Twilight wanted no signs of him to be immediately apparent if Cortex had found his way to Equestria.  But he was allowed free reign of the castle and a much better bedroom than before, and felt better than the small house in the Crystal Empire.

Crash spent most of his time in the library.  He didn’t know how to read, and between discussions and fielding off questions neither Twilight nor Aku Aku had the time to teach him.  But he found all sorts of books and looked at the pictures.  He particularly spent time looking at the Illustrated History of Equestria trying to make more sense of the place.

Twilight, meanwhile, spent a lot of time fielding questions about the strange creature that now inhabited the castle with her.  It certainly was a strange circumstance, she agreed; meeting Crash, less than a day later bolting off to the Crystal Empire, coming back in a week and now having it living with her.  But she quickly assured them Crash was harmless and they were trying to figure out a way to get him home.

She mentioned nothing of Cortex.   Someone taking over Canterlot Castle would easily stir them into a panic, and so would Celestia captured and Luna on the run.  Luna came to her in a dream for a second time, and told Twilight she had managed to direct most of the free castle staff to either Baltimare or Manehattan so the questions for Twilight would be less.  In the meantime, Twilight would have to work as hard as she could on her new plan.

Finally, Twilight closed the castle down for court on the second day.  She told Crash to go to sleep for a while before Princess Luna arrived, and prepared a pot of coffee and a timer.  She set the timer to go off for eleven forty-five and brought the pot of coffee and a cup into the library.

She poured her first cup and set to work resorting the shelves; Crash’s inability to read but voracious appetite for books – primarily those with pictures – left books scattered all around the library or put back in the wrong places.

A few hours and a second cup later and she was done resorting the shelves.  She checked the time; it was nine forty, not long after her usual bedtime of nine-thirty.  She poured a third cup of coffee, pulled out an assortment of her books on natural history, and started looking through them for any information possible on bandicoots.

Information on them was rare.  Even the most comprehensive of her books had barely more than a page on the bandicoot that existed within Equestria.  None of them had the exact same information, either; there were a few things all in common – size (much smaller than Crash), marsupials, diet (did not include Wumpa fruits) – but on others they were rather ambiguous or never exactly clear.

After a fifth cup and finishing off the pot, the timer went off.  Twilight closed the books, put them all away, and set the coffee pot in the kitchen.  The night was dark and Luna was not there yet, but that didn’t disturb Twilight.  She found the bedroom where Crash was sleeping and woke him and Aku Aku up for the arrival of Princess Luna, giving him an apple to tide him over until a proper meal could be made.

“Quite a bit changed when you went through the Evolv-O-Ray, Crash,” Twilight said as they went to wait in the main entry hall of the castle.

...what do you mean?

“Bandicoots are... well, they certainly look different from you.”

Huh... I really wouldn’t know.  Every bandicoot I know went through the Evolv-O-Ray, and that’s a small number as is.

“How small?”

Smaller than the number of ponies here in Ponyville.

“I believe we’ve only seen four,” Aku Aku expanded.  “There’s Crash himself, his sister Coco, a friend of ours named Crunch, and another female named Tawna.”

“Do you think Crunch and Tawna are around here, too?” Twilight asked.

“Crunch may be.  But even back at the Wumpa Archepelago, we haven’t seen Tawna for many years.”

Stupid potoroo... Crash muttered.

Finally, after a while longer, there came a soft knock at the door.  Twilight hurried over to open the door, revealing a dark blue alicorn that nearly blended in with the darkness of the night at new moon.  She hurried into the lit hallway and finally came into a more pony-like form.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight called.  She closed the door and went to hug the alicorn.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said.  “I am relieved you are still safe.  My sister is also very much relieved I’ve been able to stay in-contact with you.  Now, where is the bandicoot?  And the power crystals you told me about?”

Twilight led over and motioned to Crash Bandicoot and Aku Aku.  “This is Crash and the witch doctor’s mask, Aku Aku.  These are the two who were warped into Ponyville.”

Crash waved and smiled slightly.  Hello! he said.  You’re the one who’s going to help us find the crystals?

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess,” Aku Aku said.  “Thank you very much for helping us.”

“I’m afraid I can’t stay here for long,” Princess Luna said.  “But I have power over dreams, and will communicate that way with Twilight for as long as I can.  Now, where are the power crystals?”

Crash pulled one out of his pocket.  Aku Aku mumbled something and the crystal expanded, and Crash held out the full-sized crystal to Princess Luna.

“How many do you have, and how many are there?” Princess Luna asked as she took it in a dark blue aura.

“We have two,” Twilight responded.  “And, according to Sunburst, there are possibly four more.”

The magic around the crystal strengthened and Princess Luna’s eyes closed.  She stayed that way for a long time silently.

“The art of scrying is long lost and little used lately,” Luna said.  “I’m afraid I myself am not as precise as my sister, though I have found the location of the other four, though some are mistier than others.”

“You can see all four?” Twilight asked eagerly.

“One I merely know exists.  One I know exists somewhere nearby but it’s not exact.  One exists within a few miles of Appleoosa, and one is in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters in Everfree.  Furthermore, someone has it.”

“Someone?” Aku Aku asked.  “Can you look further?  Can you see what they look like?”

“No,” Princess Luna replied.  “Only that it is in something’s possession.  It apparently has been, but they haven’t moved from that position for a while.  About two days.”

“I wonder if Cortex has already sent one of his minions there like he did with Dingodile to the Crystal Empire,” Twilight mused.

“I will probably go to the Crystal Empire, then,” Princess Luna said.  “If one of this Cortex’s minions is up there, I will want to interview him myself about their plans.  I shall also make sure Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor are ready in case of attack.”

“Has Celestia given you more information?” Twilight said.

“I’m afraid not,” Princess Luna replied sadly.  “She has been trapped inside her room and is unable to use magic due to the inhibitor ring.  I have been keeping her informed, and she is able to respond, but cannot do much otherwise.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go get a map,” Twilight said.  “I’ll be right back.  We’ll mark the locations of the crystals you can find on that map.”  And she ran off.

Princess Luna opened her eyes and gave the crystal back to Crash, who had been looking on at the whole thing awestruck.  He gently took the crystal back, watched as Aku Aku shrunk the crystal again, and put it back in his pocket.  Crash looked at Luna with awe.

“Your sister is unharmed,” Luna said.  “I have been able to contact her.”

You talked with Coco!? Crash said eagerly.

“Yes.  They will not harm her until her job is complete.  She is working on assembling a robot for one of Cortex’s minions called N. Gin, as well as something called a ‘duplicator’ for making copies of his lesser henchmen.”

At least she’s alright, Crash said.  But I need to get her back.

“She is in Canterlot,” Luna said.  “Getting her back will not be easy.  But if you can keep up this pace and continue collecting the crystals, I am sure you’ll see her again soon.”

Any news of Crunch?

“I’m afraid not,” Luna replied.  “I have been told to keep a look out by Coco, but I have not seen nor heard any sign of him.”

Crash lowered his head and wiped his nose with a single finger.  I... I just want my family back...  I just want to go home.

Luna smiled at him.  “We’ll get them back.  And we’ll get you home.  With all of us working together, we’ll make it.”

Crash smiled at her.  I like her... he thought, not directed at anyone in particular.

Twilight returned with a map of Equestria and they began plotting out the crystals.  Twilight put one marker on Ponyville for Crash’s entrance with one, one in the Crystal Empire for Dingodile, and one in the Everfree Forest at the Castle of the Two Sisters.  She also put numbers next to each of them so they could easily tell which one they were searching for now.

“Well, a plan has been made,” Princess Luna said.  “Go now and rest, but tomorrow go into the Everfree and search for that third crystal.  I will inform Princess Cadence and the others of the plan, as well as search for Crunch.”

“Thank you so much, Princess Luna,” Twilight said.  “Keep in contact with your dreams, and keep us updated of things elsewhere in Equestria.  Who knows how far this thing will go.”

“With any luck,” Luna replied, “it is merely contained to Canterlot with an isolated incident in the Crystal Empire.  Hopefully we will be speedy enough that Equestria will never know, but we must be prepared in case of anything.”

Princess Luna opened the door.  “I have felt what a crystal’s magic feels like,” she said.  “When you have retrieved one, I will be able to use my magic from afar and tell you where the next one is.  And if I hear any news from Celestia, I will let you know as soon as possible.”

And she spread her wings and took off into the dark night.  Twilight watched her until there was no more sign of her, then shut the doors of the castle and made sure they were locked.

“We’ll make for the Castle of the Two Sisters tomorrow,” Twilight said.  “We’ll have to pass through Everfree Forest.  It’s dangerous and particularly wild, but I trust you’ll do fine.”

“With your magic and Crash’s own abilities,” Aku Aku said, “I think we’ll do fine.  Crash, rest up.  We’ll set off tomorrow.”


*		*		*


Twilight came and woke Crash up a few hours later, shortly before daybreak.  She brought more apples, toast, and some other fruits for him, and they ate quickly.  Twilight prepared a few maps and a scroll of easy enchantments and special ones needed to unlock various doors, and they left.  Twilight galloped as fast as she could, but it seemed like Crash could keep up with her no problem, and Aku Aku seemed to almost float lazily alongside.

They passed through Ponyville, crossed over a stream, and went by a farmstead where a large red pony was working in the orchards.  They left Ponyville behind and by the time the sun was up they had reached the entryway of the Everfree Forest, a well-worn path leading into the dark, almost jungle-like atmosphere.  Twilight looked up and wondered how something like this could ever have grown in the place where Princess Celestia and Luna once ruled.

“Right,” Twilight said.  “It’ll be a ways in, but this path will lead us directly to the Castle of the Two Sisters.  We’ll go there, and I’ll start using my magic to lead us to the crystal.”

“We can help look,” Aku Aku said.  “There are many ruins on our own islands.  Crash is nimble and we should be able to get to some of the harder-to-reach areas.”

Twilight smiled.  “Alright.  Let’s head out.  Stay close; the Forest is wild and no pony really likes what’s in here, and its plenty dangerous and confusing if we stray off the path.”

It feels like home... Crash mused to no one in particular.

Twilight shot him a look that suggested he was at least somewhat insane.  Crash ignored her.

“You call it a ‘forest’,” Aku Aku said, “but it looks like a jungle.  That’s the primary biome of the Wumpa Islands.”

Twilight still kept an eyebrow raised.

Cautiously and not quickly as before, Twilight led Crash into the darkness of the Everfree Forest.  They kept their footsteps as quiet as possible so as not to disturb any nearby creatures, and thankfully they were left in peace as they went through.

Once Crash spotted a large snake – brownish-green with large brown spots – but aside from a glance at them it merely slithered on by and across their path, forcing them to stop.  But it just kept slithering and slithering and slithering until Crash thought it was starting to loop around them.

Yeah, doesn’t feel like home anymore, he said when the tapered tail finally came into view and crossed their path away from them.  How big was that thing!?

“It looked like it was nearly forty-five feet,” Twilight said, somewhat horrified and momentarily rooted to the spot.  “They don’t normally grow that size.  Eunectes murinus doesn’t usually grow above twenty feet.”

“It must have eaten recently,” Aku Aku said.  “It noticed us but ignored us.  It certainly wouldn’t have done that if it was hungry, I’m sure.  Come on, we’d better go before it crosses our path again.”

“Shouldn’t be too far now,” Twilight said.  “I hope,” she added in a small voice.

They soon left the main part of the forest and emerged in a misty clearing with the sound of running water close by.  A large chasm separated them from a large, crumbling stone structure with many spires and vaulted archways.  Twilight led Crash around the chasm to a rope bridge that led them straight to the front entrance.  But something seemed off to Twilight.

“The bridge is cleaner,” she said as they approached the bridge.

“How so?”Aku Aku asked.

“The last time I came through this way, the rope broke,” Twilight said.  “The planks were rotting and the ropes themselves were frayed at multiple points.  But this looks like new wood and new rope.”

“Then I advise we tread carefully, and do not split up,” Aku Aku said.  “Do you have some sort of scanning magic?”

“I have a simple one,” Twilight said.  “Fifteen meter radius.  I’ll set it off every once in a while and see if we find anything.  Hopefully no renegade groups have come through here.”

Twilight sent out a pulse of magic, but the path across the bridge was clear.  They carefully crossed and watched out for any traps, but their trek across the bridge was unhindered.  Twilight pulsed again at the door and found nothing still, so they went towards the crumbling front entrance.

The large hall was untouched from the last time Twilight came; the banners were still down from when Rarity had taken them down to restore them (and now were generously donated to the Canterlot Museum of History) and everything else seemed to be in its proper place.  A faint mist crept silently into the hall but other than that the path was clear.

Where to first? Crash asked.

“This place has many secret pathways and rooms,” Twilight said.  “It could be anywhere.  But my first thought, as with many other problems, is to try the library.”

“Then lead the way,” Aku Aku said.  “But carefully, carefully!”

They crossed the entrance hall to a double door and Twilight tried the pulse again.  Nothing happened, so they made their way into a large hallway ending in a T-shape intersection.  Twilight pulsed at the entry of the hallway but found nothing, so they crept forwards.

At the T-intersection, Twilight pulsed and found something.

“Whatever’s here,” she said.  “It’s in the library.”

Twilight looked down the hallway towards where the library was located.   Nothing seemed to be there at first, but as they crept forwards they saw a sliver of light underneath the door.

“We aren’t many,” Aku Aku said quietly, “but we have the advantage if we surprise them.”

“Even so, if we can enter the room without being noticed, that would be optimal,” Twilight said.  “Then we can examine our odds.”

“Well, then, let’s go.”

The three ran down the hall as quietly as they could then shimmied up against the wall on either side of the door.  Twilight carefully grabbed the handle with her magic aura and tested the door.  It moved smoothly and without problem.  Twilight carefully opened it until there was enough room for her to squeeze through.

“I’ll go first,” Twilight said.  “I have barrier magic; it’s not as strong as Shining Armor’s, but it’ll have to do.”

“We’ll follow your lead,” Aku Aku said.  “Go!”

Twilight activated a shield spell and slipped through the door.  Crash slipped in behind her, and they ran over to a nearby column of books and ducked down behind it.

I assume all these books used to be in the bookshelves along the wall? Crash asked.

“That’s correct.”  Carefully, Twilight lifted a book off the top of the stack and searched through it.  “But the pages are clean and intact.  Whoever has been using these books is taking good care of them.”  She sighed.  “Makes me feel a little better about it.”

They both peeked over the pile of books.  Surprisingly, not too far away was a figure staring straight at them.  He looked like something of a stunted kangaroo in a rather off-putting shade of blue, wearing a top hat and a monocle over his attentive dark brown eyes, and a fake black mustache over his mouth.  In one of his hands, he held a long cane.

“Ah, Crash, there you are!” the figure said in a friendly tone.  “I’ve been looking for you for a while, but you disappeared on me.  But I’ve found you at last!”


*		*		*



> Level 4: Restrained Madness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Crash Bandicoot and Twilight Sparkle stared at the figure in surprise.

Ripper Roo!? Crash exclaimed.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally decided to give those vocal chords a whirl!” the blue, stunted kangaroo said in approval.  “Or rather, magic has decided to lend a helping hand, eh?  I see that horn ring.  I’ve been here a few days myself and had plenty of time to go through this all!”

“Wait a minute!” Twilight said.  “This is already getting confusing.  It sounds like you two know each other, but you can read Equestrian.  What is going on!?”

“Ah, my dear lady, that is reasonably simple.”   The stunted kangaroo bowed slightly and tipped his top hat towards Twilight with his cane.  “My name is Ripper Roo, and yes, I am from the Wumpa Islands much as Crash is.  I went insane for a brief period – not my best moments, I assure you – but Crash here knocked some sense into me whilst on a rush to save his dear girlfriend Tawna.  I went to university and undertook a Psy.D. programme and turned my life around after that.  I owe something to this fellow.”  He pointed the cane at Crash.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain how you can read Equestrian,” Twilight said.

Or why you’re being so nice to me when the last time I saw you, you were still a bit insane, Crash added.

“And you tried to attack us,” Aku Aku put in.

Ripper Roo nodded.  “Ah, yes, I’ve had a few setbacks.  See, I was sent by the good Doctor Nitrous Brio to keep you from giving the crystals to Cortex.  But, I assure you I am no longer allied with dear Neo; after all, he’s the one that made me go insane in the first place.  As for your question, my lady, it was a matter of finding a relatively reliable translation guide; Saddle Arabian is very similar to my own world’s Arabic, so I translated things from Equestrian to Saddle Arabian to Arabic to English, what we call this common tongue of ours.”

Twilight nodded and managed to smile.  “I must admit, I’m impressed.  That must have taken you a while.”

“Oh, I’ve had plenty of time to myself,” Ripper Roo said.  “I’ve been here about a week since Brio sent me here to find you, Crash, right after you left our world.  But I found myself stranded in the middle of these ruins.  So I fortified myself, made it easy to go out and search for food and water, and began studying in earnest.  I’ve made my way through at least six volumes of history books, three in geography, four in biology and fauna, two in magic and magical history, and have a basic understanding of pony anatomy.”

Twilight was deciding more and more that she liked this fellow, even if he was a little strange.  “Well, that is very admirable, Mister Roo; seems you have quite the appreciation for books.  And, it also seems like you’re on our side.”

“I believe that was the point,” Ripper Roo said.  “Brio prefers tending bar to mad science these days, but he still has a bit in him.  Got me here, for example, but there’s no way back without the crystals – which, if they’re all assembled, will take all of us back where we belong regardless of where we are.  Of which I managed to snag one off of Cortex not too long ago.”

Ripper Roo hopped onto his cane then took a flying leap across the room to a wooden box.  He grabbed the box and bounced back over, which merely stunned Twilight rather than completely floored her, and handed the box over to Crash.

The box was small and simple in shape but was adorned with an elaborate carving of each of the three pony races surrounding various symbols – a butterfly, a gemstone, an apple, a balloon, a lightning bolt, and a star.  It had a gold clasp on it that once held a lock of some sort but time had apparently rusted away.  Crash opened it to see a faded purple cushion, on which held the glowing power crystal.

Crash took it out of the box and handed the box back.  Is it real? he asked, looking to Aku Aku in confusion.

Aku Aku took it and looked it over.  “Yes, but it’s not charged.  I’m afraid it won’t give you any powers quite yet.  But I would not trust to activate it here.”

“The spell is simple enough,” Twilight said.  “I can do it easily.”

“If you think you can,” Aku Aku said.  “Though I would prefer it if we were back at the castle.”

“As would I,” Ripper Roo said.  “Now, understand that doesn’t mean I’m going with you, as I can tell by the looks on your faces you don’t want me doing,” he added with an almost manic grin.  “But I agree this place is not safe, and I’m not talking about the Equestrian wildlife.  Cortex has at least three more crystals, Crash, and he’s given them to those other mutants of his.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew this one existed and launches an attack on the place to find it.”

“Then let me charge it now,” Twilight said.  “We’ll need Crash as powerful as he can be before we leave.”

Aku Aku nodded.  “Take the crystal and charge it, Twilight.  But I fear more than Cortex in these woods.”

“You should,” Ripper Roo said gravely as Twilight took the crystal in her magic and began mumbling quickly, walking off to another corner of the room, “considering there is a very real possibility of both you and Crash dying here.”

Aku Aku whirled around and seemed for a moment like he might catch on fire.  “Was that a threat?” he asked, voice low and menacing.

“Not a threat, but a warning,” Ripper Roo said.  “Have you noticed the conspicuous absence of a particular object?  Because, as far as I’m concerned, our style of making crates is... shall we say, ‘native’ to the Wumpa Islands.”

“If you say one more word, I’ll make sure to use my magic to—”

But Aku Aku was cut off by Crash putting a gloved hand in front of him.  Hold on a minute, he contemplated seriously.  Let’s see what he means by this.  And frankly, I have to agree.  There’s something off about this place, and I’ve felt it since the fight against Dingodile.

“Not as dumb as Brio thinks you are if you’re allowed time to think, I see,” Ripper Roo said admirably.  “But perhaps it is because you’ve become aware of the dire situation you’ve found yourself in.  Aku Aku has lost some of his glow, hasn’t he?  And there’s not a thing around here you can do to get him back.”

Aku Aku’s mouth suddenly dropped as far down as his wooden mask form would allow.  “You mean, I could disappear and not be able to protect Crash anymore?”

“Not permanently,” Ripper Roo said.  “But yes.”

...and without Aku Aku’s protection... I’ll die if I’m attacked.

“You aren’t a total one-hit wonder here,” Ripper Roo said.  “But I’m afraid it would be a permanent death if it happened.”

Crash’s eyes suddenly went wide in surprise and his two eyebrows jumped nearly off his head.

“There is a way we can remedy this,” Ripper Roo said.  “Thankfully, so long as a crate has been constructed properly and the correct design painted on it, a bit of magic and mad science is all it takes to create something to bring Aku Aku back.  The only problem is I haven’t the means to carry that out.  But I found an enchantment spell to take care of that, and that alicorn seems to have enough energy to sufficiently create the crate.”

So we can bring Aku Aku back if necessary.

“Which it might be,” Ripper Roo said.  “Especially if Cortex is charging and using the crystals’ power himself.”

Twilight returned as Ripper Roo had bounced back to his desk and was writing something with a pen in his mouth on a spare piece of parchment.  He scribbled something onto the paper then bounced back over to them – Twilight giving a slight scream as he did so – only to hand the paper specifically to Twilight.

“Use this spell with care, but as often as need applies,” Ripper Roo told her.  “The rules of our world do not apply here, and Crash can very easily die if he loses the mask protecting him.  And take these” – he handed over what looked like a set of blueprints – “and use them to construct a crate.  Use the spell on the crate and let Crash break it and Aku Aku shall be restored.”

Twilight took them and the two scrolls blipped out of existence.  “They are in a safe place in the library,” she said.  “And here, Crash.  So now you can jump twice, body slam, and what?”

Aku Aku took the crystal and examined it.  “A longer slide,” he said.  “Twice as long as before.  Though I know not what use that would have.”

Getting under logs or rocks, Crash thought matter-of-factly as he took it back almost possessively.

“Well, I’ll leave you three to go for now,” Ripper Roo said.  “Though if I hear any more word from Brio, I’ll find a way to keep in touch.”

“Well, thank you for everything, both the crystal and the crate spell.  And if we need any more information, we’ll—”

It was now the whole group became more aware of the sound of wind whistling and then roaring through the castle ruins, and none of them could ignore it any longer.  Outside, up and away from the castle, also came a mechanical hum like the grinding of gears and the vicious pump of steam.

“That’s not good...” Ripper Roo said.

All three looked over towards the stunted kangaroo in confusion.

“That sounds like one of Cortex’s inventions.”


*	*	*


Twilight, Crash, and Ripper Roo ran outside the library and to the open courtyard in front of the old Castle of the Two Sisters.  The sky outside was now late afternoon but a shadow had been cast and a large figure blocked out the sun.

It looked to Twilight like a blimp but was much larger than a blimp and not powered by simple wind.  It was the same general shape but four rockets were attached to the bottom and three more to the smaller end of the blimp.  In contrast to the wood and sturdy cloth blimps, this airship was also made almost entirely of metal except for a small glass cockpit towards the front.  A large N in a circle dominated the sides of the ship, and a small slit could be seen in the bottom.

“N. Gin,” Ripper Roo said quietly.  “I’d almost forgotten about him.”

There was a crackle of a loudspeaker turning on and a voice that was half-normal half-machine began to speak out.

“We found you, Crash Bandicoot!  We know you’re holding some of the slave crystals.  Well, we propose a trade: the slave crystals for your sister!”

I won’t do it! Crash shouted with his mind.  I’ll take Coco back and use the crystals to banish you from here!

“I can’t hear any of you from up here,” the metallic voice returned, “but I’ll send down a little incentive and come back later for your reply.”

The slit in the bottom opened up to reveal a hatch, and suddenly a large amount of oddly-humanoid figures all dressed in white coats and shiny glasses through which their eyes were hidden were lowered onto the forest floor across the bridge from where the three stood.  The platform they were on was held on by ropes connected to the platform by latches, which released as soon as the platform rested on solid ground and retreated back into the ship.  With the ropes back in the ship, the hatch closed and the ship took off with a pounding roar.

“What are they!?” Twilight cried out.

“Cruel imitations of humans from our world,” Ripper Roo said.  “All have the outward appearance, but inside is only machinery, designed for one purpose: obtain the Power Crystals.”

“And we have three right now,” Aku Aku said.  “Three of the slave crystals, but not the master.”

But they could find their way to the master crystal if they have the slave crystals, Crash said.  We can’t let them have them.

“I’m afraid we have no choice.”  Ripper Roo turned to Twilight.  “You know any offensive spells?”

Twilight nodded, face focused in concentration.

“We’ll need all the help we can get.  First of all, I need you to destroy the bridge.  Crash, come with me, I’ve got a few things to help us out.”

Twilight went over and carefully focused the remaining sunlight heat and energy onto the ropes holding the bridge to the castle.  Slowly the rope turned red and the fibers began to split apart as the first wave of automatons came forwards and broke as the second wave started to move forward.  Time was of the essence and Twilight quickly moved to the second, destroying the fibers and focusing it more to speed it up.  Soon the second rope burned apart and the bridge went falling down into the abyss below.

Twilight noticed Aku Aku was floating nearby.  “Come, Twilight,” he said.  “Your magic will be invaluable.”

Twilight nodded and followed Aku Aku to a small wooden trap door as though to a cellar nearby.  Ripper Roo was fiddling with a key and soon had unlocked the hatch and opened the cellar door.

“The rope is burnt,” Twilight said.  “That will give us some time.”

“Good.  Now, I’ve got something for offense, but we’ll have to be careful.  They’re volatile.”

A faint blorp sounded from inside.

“Whoa!”

Twilight jumped, startled at the sudden but unmistakable vocalization.  “…what is it Crash?”

…what in the world is he doing with a store of Nitro!? Crash thought, clearly panicked.  He’d jumped a foot backwards and his eyebrows nearly popped off his head.

“Nitro?”

“A very volatile substance,” Aku Aku said.  “The slightest wrong touch and it violently explodes.”

“I can see why it might be of use but how are we to use it?”

“Your magic,” Ripper Roo said matter-of-factly.  “Crash can handle TNT so long as he doesn’t stay by it for very long.  You can probably hold the Nitro without provoking it.  I’ve got a good store of both.”

“…I’m supposed to throw it at them, aren’t I?”

“You’re not exactly fond of hurting people if you can’t stand it, are you?  Well, suffice it as an explanation to say those things across the chasm are soulless and won’t understand friendship.  No talking, no reprogramming, nothing will change their course.”   Ripper Roo sighed.  “Trust me, no damage will be done except as an assault against Cortex.”

Twilight bit her lip, but followed Ripper Roo into the hatch and began to help levitate the red-and-yellow TNT boxes into a small wall just outside of the hatch and stood over the hatch with her magic ready to grab the Nitro.  She tested one and threw it at the wall of the chasm; the box exploded with a loud bang! and a puff of green smoke that quickly faded away.  Volatile indeed… she thought, awed at the sight.

“You ready to use those?”

Twilight picked another one up and nodded.

“Very well.  Time to give Cortex a taste of his own medicine!”


*	*	*