S13-11
The red eyes of rage
Another day in Avalar was shining through, and it was a decidedly great time for a picnic.
Finding a good spot in Autumn Plains, Spyro laid out the blanket and took a seat. "A nice spot with lots of shade. Perfect."
"Huh. We were just on our way to ask if you wanted to go for a picnic." Spyro turned to see Hunter.
"Then it looks like we were thinking ahead of time." Elora chuckled as she plopped the basket on the corner of the blanket.
It was then that Bianca showed up, followed by her son: a cross between a bunny and a cheetah. "We were thinking of inviting you to our own picnic. But this works."
"Hi, guys!" The hybrid waved excitedly.
"Keith! Good to see you again!" Spyro ruffled the hair on the little one's head.
Hunter let out a chuckle as he picked up his son. "Bianca and I couldn't get anything to happen, so she had to figure out a magic spell to... make it work."
"We didn't need a spell. Just our own innate magics." Elora then looked in the picnic basket. "Uh... Spyro? Did you forget to put the drinks in here?"
Spyro groaned and slapped himself in the face. "Ugh... I knew I was forgetting something. But it just didn't occur to me that it was our beverages. I'll go get them." Grabbing the basket, Spyro departed.
Flying back home, it didn't take long for Spyro to find the unpacked drinks on the counter.
"There we are." Spyro put the last of the fruit juice boxes in the basket. "OK. Let's head back."
Locking the door behind him, Spyro took off into the air again. But Sparx recalled something. "(Elora's tea!)"
Spyro did a complete 180, returning to the house. "We sure are the forgetful duo." He chuckled.
After putting a thermos filled with Elora's tea in the basket, Spyro and Sparx left.
Flying over Autumn Plains, Spyro knew something was wrong. The picnic area was wrecked. Hunter and Bianca were unconscious and severely injured. Keith was hiding behind a tree and shaking in terror. And Elora, Gaia, and Woodrow were nowhere to be seen.
Touching down, Spyro dropped the basket and rushed over to his friends. "Hunter! Bianca! What happened?"
Hunter groaned as he regained consciousness. "...ambush..." He coughed harshly, wincing in pain. "They... took them..."
Spyro's instincts began to act up aggressively. "Who took them?"
Bianca, who had just regained consciousness, gave him an answer. "...Ripto... He's back... And he's not alone..."
"Gnasty Gnorc..." Hunter coughed before falling back to the ground.
The two then heard something coming from their friend. A low growl emanated from the dragon's throat and began to intensify as he bared his claws and fangs. "Where are they?" His face one of rage, Spyro roared. "Which way did they go!?"
"They..." Keith was still shaken up, even as he spoke. "They went up there." He pointed to the castle.
Meanwhile, Elora woke up to two voices. And she recognized one of them. "You just don't get it, do you? Without his loved ones, that purple beast won't have the willpower to stand against us! We'll finally have our revenge and vanquish Spyro once and for all! And after that, Avalar will be ours!"
Another voice reached the faun's ears as she found Gaia, Woodrow, and herself all trapped in a cage. "Look, Ripto, I know we agreed to go for that pest's biggest weaknesses so we would, as you put it, 'break' him. But even I know that there are lines drawn in the sand that should never be crossed."
"Oh please. His time in Avalar has undoubtedly made him soft." Ripto cackled. "Compared to our battles with him years ago, this should be easy. But I had to carry them all because YOU decided to have a change of heart!"
"Any competent villain knows not to overstep their boundaries! Don't say I didn't warn you, Ripto!"
"When he finds out that we're missing, you two are going down!" Elora yelled out.
Ripto rounded a corner to face the faun. "Already awake, huh?
"You don't look so good." The faun chuckled. Ripto had some painful burns all over his body.
"Just a constant reminder of that ill-fated scuffle all those years ago. And your daughter put up a good fight." The smile on Ripto's face grew. "But your bond with that dragon will be my... greatest... weapon."
Just then, a loud bang was heard. "What... was that?" Gnasty Gnorc wondered.
"Was that dad?" Gaia asked hopefully.
"Go check it out." Ripto demanded impatiently.
Gnasty Gnorc scoffed as he departed.
Ripto chuckled evilly as he turned his gaze back to his captives. "Now... where were we?"
Before another word could be spoken, Gnasty Gnorc came running back, looking as if something spooked him. "You know those 'lines in the sand' I mentioned earlier?"
"Who cares?" Ripto groaned in annoyance.
"Well, it turns out we crossed one of that dragon's proverbial lines."
A chuckle of delight escaped the caged faun. "Your plans for revenge are already going down the drain."
As a terrifying roar echoed from down the hall, Gnasty Gnorc hastily closed a steel door. "I don't know how long that would hold back an enraged dragon, so we should probably get out of here."
"I don't think so! We-" Ripto was interrupted by a loud thud.
The seemingly partnered villains looked at the metal barricade, watching as plumes of fire slipped through the edges. The surface started to glow orange. "See what I mean!? We've just incurred his wrath!"
"The wrath of that weakling!? HAH! Like I'd be scare of a-" The steel door began to melt, startled Ripto. "Whoa." This was followed shortly by the sight of a grown purple dragon, staring at him with red eyes filled with unbridled rage.
Elora saw his face. His teeth were all on full display. Two burning fires were visible at the corners of his mouth. Smoke was pluming from his nostrils with each exhale. His eyes, once their majestic purple, were now a deep red. The sight terrified her. "Spyro..."
"Ahh. Spyro! Long time no see! Welcome... to your doom!"
Gnasty Gnorc looked on in fear. Never had he seen a dragon so... angry. "That is not the purple beast we know and hate!"
"What are you talking about? Of course it's..." Ripto trailed off, recognizing the unbridled RAGE burning like an inferno in the dragon's eyes. "...oh."
Spyro reeled his head back, took a deep breath... and ROARED in Ripto's face. It was a sound none have heard in centuries.
Turning to run, Ripto was snatched up in one of Spyro's claws as the dragon became airborne. Spyro harshly breathed fire in Ripto's face before slamming him down on the hard ground and chucking him into a crate.
Gnasty Gnorc tried to sneak out, only for Spyro to clutch him by the chest plate, lift him into the air, and drag him across the wall. He then threw the gnorc down, spat out a fireball at him, and landed on him with enough downward momentum to break his gold armor, the cranial impact with the floor knocking him unconscious.
Elora watched as Spyro grabbed Gnasty by the neck and raised one of his claws, ready to strike. "SPYRO!"
Hearing her voice call out, Spyro snapped out of his rage. "Elora? Gaia? Woodrow?" He saw the cage that held his family. "Hang on! I'll get you out of there!"
Dropping Gnasty Gnorc, Spyro looked over him for a key... which he found on the gnorc's waist. He tried it on the lock, his mouth quickly curving into a smile as he heard the tumblers unlock.
With the cage now open, Elora ran into Spyro's arms. He lovingly embraced her and their kids. "I'm so glad you're all OK."
"Dad, th-that was scary." Woodrow shuddered.
It broke Spyro's heart that they had to see him like that. "I know. But I was even more scared of losing my family."
It was then that Ripto climbed out of the broken crate and sneered. "Pathetic. Avalar's made you soft."
Hearing this, Spyro turned back to the severely injured villain. "I should have finished you off the first time." The dragon growled, his claws nearing Ripto's face.
"What..." Ripto suddenly felt the full force of Spyro's fist impacting his torso, painfully knocking the wind out of him while sending him hurtling into a wall. Crashing back down on the floor, Ripto felt something it his mouth. He spat out... red.
Ripto looked back up to see the faun and the younglings making a beeline for the exit, while Spyro approached him, and Gnasty Gnorc was still out cold. Gnasty was right: he had crossed the line. He warned him.
As Spyro clutched him by the neck, Ripto realized something. Avalar hadn't made Spyro soft; it emboldened him. As Spyro reeled back his claws, Ripto closed his eyes and braced himself for the end. Perhaps his revenge... just wasn't meant to be.
Meanwhile, Elora and the kids found themselves back in Autumn Plains. "That was hectic." Elora shuddered.
"What about the others? We need to make sure they're OK!" Gaia rushed ahead to check on Hunter and Bianca.
Once the trio had reached the wrecked picnic site, Gaia began letting out her green cinders. "Oh jeez...!" Hunter exclaimed before relaxing. "Feels weird, but... oddly warm and pleasant..."
"Are you OK?" Elora asked.
Bianca coughed as she propped herself up against the outside of the castle. "Still battered and bruised. What about you?"
"I'm fine. Spyro just went absolutely berserk on Ripto and Gnasty Gnorc." The faun replied nervously.
Now back in good condition, Hunter stood up. "Considering that defensive growl from that party in Fracture Hills a while back, I shouldn't be too surprised."
"I remember that." Gaia said as she went over to Bianca. "We're family. And we all know how important dad's family is to him."
Feeling the green flames melt away her injuries, Bianca let out a sigh of relief. "That feels so much better..." The wisps of the dragoness's fire harmlessly burned the wounds, leaving her body healthy and undamaged. "Thank you, Gaia."
Gaia smiled at Bianca, happy to have helped a friend.
It was then that Spyro walked by, breathing heavily. He didn't say a word as he sat over the pond and splashed water on his right hand.
"Spyro? You OK, buddy?" Hunter wondered.
The purple dragon let out a sigh before speaking. "I lost control... My kids looked at me... and saw a monster..."
"You're not a monster, dad." Gaia said as she leaned against him. "You saved us."
Woodrow hugged his father. "You were scary. But you were trying to protect us. I shouldn't have been afraid of you."
"The fact that you went berserk when we were captured shows how much you care." Elora kneeled down in front of her dragon... and gave him a comforting hug.
While this happened, Hunter and Bianca cradled their son in an attempt to comfort him and calm him down from what had happened. "Think I'd do the same for my family." Hunter remarked, leaning against Bianca.
A father's rage... Never take a dragon's family if you value your life. And Ripto paid the price. He really should have listened to Gnasty Gnorc.
I actually scared myself a little with this one.
See you next time, guys.