Chapter 87: Doctor of Magic Part 2: Sanctum Sanctorum Under Siege
A few days went by after arriving at Kamar-Taj and Spyro's recovery was coming along quicker than anyone had ever anticipated, practicing the magic in Kamar-Taj had unlocked a new set of abilities that Spyro didn't even know he had before, including astral projection, weapons conjuring, even learning some martial arts that he could use with his Jedi training. As Spyro and his friends stayed in Kamar-Taj, Twilight was spending some time in the library, obviously, and reading some of the books, but they were written in languages that were difficult for her to translate so she could read them, so she asked for help from Spyro from time to time to teach her the different languages so she could read them without having to ask him all the time, which Spyro loaned her some books on different languages from Mandarin, Indian, and several other languages that were present in the books. As she was studying the books, fascinated by some of the magic in them while also helping Spyro to learn all about the magic in the sacred temple, Rarity was busying herself looking through her books as well, but more for finding inspiration from them for new lines of dresses and outfits that she could bring back home and busy herself with making, finding a lot of inspiration from some of the old books, which Wong had gotten her so she could find what she needed for her inspiration.
During their stay, the Ancient one and Mordo would from time to time test him on his new found abilities, pinning him against some of the other masters and zealots to see what he has learned, each getting a weapon to fight him, but every time they did, he overpowered and defeated them while also trying to reawaken his Draconic magic, trying to see if he could use his elements again to change into a dragon, but no luck as the crystals seemed to be affecting that aspect of him the most. As the Ancient One was making her rounds and checking on her students to see how they were doing and saw Spyro practicing as usual, watching him surpass the students as he followed every lesson and every word the teacher was saying, following each step to the letter and continuing to practice, even after they were dismissed for the day. As for his ability to call the Keyblade, he was still having trouble calling it, even after he surrendered control, but nothing seemed to work for him, causing him some frustrations, but he let it go as it would only cause him to become angry and loose hope in reacquiring his remaining powers.
While Spyro was in the library studying some of the magic books, Stephen Strange came down and joined him in studying some of the magic books that they wanted to have a look at, sitting opposite of Spyro and Twilight as they both read the books as Rarity looked through her tome, making sketches of some dresses she has ideas on. As they read the books, Spyro noticed the book Stephen was reading, noticing that it was the Book of Time, which had some pages missing from it from when Kaecilius betrayed his fellow sorcerers and tore them out of the book.
"Stephen Strange..." Spyro said, getting his attention.
"Just call me Stephen." He replied. "Or Dr. Strange if you want."
"Oh, sure thing Stephen." Spyro said. "But, may I ask why you're reading the Book of Time? Isn't that from the Sorcerer Supreme's private collection?"
"Well, Wong told me that knowledge here at Kamar-Taj isn't forbidden." Stephen replied, going through the pages. "So, it seems your training is going well."
"Yes it is." Spyro replied, going through the book he was reading. "I'm actually feeling stronger as I continue to practice. I feel like my powers are already returning."
"Well, at least one person is happy about his recovery." Stephen said.
The two of them got back to reading their books, but Spyro couldn't help but look at the pages in the book the doctor was reading, seeing some spells and warnings about manipulating time for the users benefit, about how it messes with the natural order of the world and some of the repercussions of messing with time. However, as Stephen turned the next page, it showed an image of an eye, which to Spyro looked very familiar as it seemed to be something important enough for someone to warn against using it and how it was one of the most powerful items in the world, turning to look behind himself as Stephen looked behind Spyro as well to see the very item the book was warning against using. Stephen looked behind to get Wongs attention and ask about it, but was no where to be seen, so Stephen got up and went over to the amulet, taking it from the pedestal and returning to the table with it, the three friends watching, all of them wondering what he was doing.
"Um, Stephen, you sure that's a good idea?" Spyro asked. "When I was at full strength, I would slow down time for a few moments, but according to the book, the Eye of Agamotto shouldn't be used."
"Well, Kaecilius took pages about a ritual from this book and I want to know what he stole." Steve replied, going over the instructions how to use the eye. "First, open the Eye of Agamotto."
He then did the hand gesture, following the instructions of how to use the eye and moved his arms, the eye opening to reveal a green gem stone inside of the amulet, but as soon as it opened, Spyro felt something pulling him backwards, feeling like something was calling to him as he watched the doctor move his hand as a green circle appeared and caused the apple to move forward in time, eating itself before reversing it to see it fully restore itself, Twilight immediately entranced by the amulets power as Rarity stared at the amulet, mostly staring at the gem inside of it while Spyro reached out to the amulet to grab it, but caught himself, feeling the temptation of power coming from it. Strange then looked from the apple to the book, removing the apple out of the way and pushing the book up, flipping the pages to the section that was torn out and reversed the flow of time to see what was written on it that Kaecilius would kill to have, the pages seemingly reappearing out of thin air and falling down to reveal what was stolen.
"Dormammu." Stephen said. "The Dark Dimension. Eternal life?"
"By the ancestors." Spyro said. "He means to-"
"Stop!" Mordo shouted, breaking Stephen's concentration as it seemed time was about to break. "Tampering with continuum probabilities is forbidden."
"I was just doing what the book said." Stephen replied, trying to defend himself.
"Did the book tell you the dangers of performing that ritual?" Wong asked.
"I don't know." Stephen replied. "I haven't read that far yet."
"Temporal manipulations can create branches in time." Mordo said. "Unstable dimensional openings. Spatial paradoxes! Time Loops! You want to get stuck living the same event over and over again? Or having never existed!?"
"Yeah, tell me about it." Spyro said. "Did that once, ended up going on the worst roller coaster ride you could ask for."
"All the more reason not to manipulate it." Wong said, closing the book and taking it away. "You weren't manipulating time, you were breaking it. you could have gotten yourself and your friends killed."
"But how did you do that?" Mordo asked. "How did you acquire the skill needed to use such a complex spell?"
"I got a photographic memory." Stephen replied. "It's how I got Ph. D and MD."
"Yeah, I'm with you there." Spyro said. "It's how I got my Bachelors of Science from college."
"You went to college?" Twilight asked. "When?"
"In another life before I became the prince." Spyro answered. "Was finishing a seasonal job before moving onto my full-time position, but got yanked itno this new life and reality. But honestly, I'm glad it happened as I got to meet you two and the rest of my friends."
"It takes more than a good memory to use such complexity." Mordo said. "You, Dr. Strange, were born for the mystic arts."
"You know, when am I going to get answers about what we really are?" Stephen asked.
The two master sorcerers looked at each other, considering if they should tell him and then motioned for everyone to follow them as they went into the chamber that Stephen took the Eye of Agamotto from, seeing the room was a world map above them and three doors, each with a different symbol to indicate something.
"While heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers... we sorcerers safeguard it from more mystical threats." Wong said, activating the map. "The Ancient One comes from a long line of Sorcerer Supreme... going back thousands of years to the father of the mystic arts... the mighty Agamotto. The same sorcerer who created the eye you so recklessly borrowed."
"Like the Prince of Light and Darkness." Spyro said, looking to the map. "Our power is handed down to a worthy heir after some time, choosing the most worthy candidate once they reach seventeen."
"Agamotto built three sanctums in places of power... where great cities now stand." Wong said.
"And where are the sanctums?" Twilight asked, now curious about these sanctums.
"They are in Hong Kong, New York, and London." Wong answered. "Each door leads to the sanctums. The one on the left leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum, one in the middle to the New York Sanctum, and the last door leads to the London Sanctum. Together, they create a protective shield around our world."
"The sanctums protect the world." Mordo said. "And we Sorcerers, protect the sanctums."
"From what?" Stephen asked.
"Other dimensional beings who threaten our universe." Wong replied.
"Like Dormammu." Stephen said, the room going silent as he said it.
"How do you know that name?" Mordo asked.
"We read it in the Book of Calgiostro." Stephen replied.
"He's right, we did." Spyro answered. "Stephen used the power of the eye to reverse time long enough to see the pages ripped out of the book, revealing a ritual that grants you the power of the Dark Dimension and immortality."
"Wait, who is this Dormammu?" Twilight asked. "Why are you so afraid of him?"
Wong and Mordo looked to her and then to one another, the librarian then turned some of the disks that were on the pedestal, the lights on the globe going out as something new appeared on the globe, revealing the Dark Dimension.
"Dormammu dwells in the Dark Dimension." Wong replied. "Beyond time. He is the cosmic conqueror, the destroyer of worlds. A being of infinite power and endless hunger... on a quest to invade every universe... and bring all worlds into the Dark Dimension. And he hungers for Earth most of all."
As Wong said that, the room fell silent as the realization of the real danger they were in settled into their minds, Stephen laughing as he finally learned what they were really doing and immediately made up his mind.
"Okay, okay... I'm out." Stephen said. "I came here to heal my hands, not fight in some mystical war."
They then heard what sounded like a bell ringing above them, the circle above London turning red as the bells rung.
"London." Wong said as the doors opened and someone tried to run away, but was then killed as Kaecilius threw some kind of spear at him. "Kaecilius!"
Out from behind him, a few Heartless appeared, some riding books, others on magic balls as they tore the place apart.
"Heartless!" Spyro shouted.
Rarity and twilight conjured their Keyblades to prepare themselves for a fight while Spyro tried to call his, but still couldn't call it as the crystals in his blood still interfered with his magic. Kaecilius then smiled to himself and then used his dark power, slamming the orb into the ground and releasing an explosion, pushing everyone back and sending Strange, Spyro, and the two unicorns flying into the closest door, sending them through a portal into the closest Sanctum and cutting them off.
"Wong?" Stephen asked, getting up. "Mordo!?"
"Forget it doc." Spyro said, he and the girls getting up. "We're cut off."
"Where are me?" Rarity asked.
"Well, judging by the smell of the air, and the honking of the horns outside, my guess is New York." Spyro said, surprising them. "And I'm guessing we're in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum."
"Spyro, how do you know that?" Twilight asked. "We can't smell a thing and we don't hear the honking horns."
He turned to the girls, all three of them surprised to have been told that as they smiled.
"Your powers are returning!" Twilight shouted excitedly. "Your Draconic powers are returning!"
"Yes, my dragon senses are coming back to me." Spyro said. "But I still can't use the elements."
"Well, it's progress." Twilight said. "So how do we get back to Kamar-Taj?"
"I don't know." Spyro replied. "But what I do know is that we're probably as safe as we would be in Kamar-Taj. But just to be safe, we should look for the caretaker here and ask if there's a way to get back."
The group them got out of the hall with the mystical portal and went up the stairs to see if they could find someone, but as they walked up the stairs, they went into a hall with what appeared to be passages to other places and small dials which they can turn to choose someplace else to travel to, which fascinated Twilight as she wanted to learn how to do that as Dr. Strange opened one of the doors to allow some salty ocean air to enter, which was actually refreshing. They then left that hall and went to another one, walking down it until they came to a room full of items behind glass cases, which Spyro took to be relics with some kind of unknown power, which most of the stuff looked like it belong in a museum, but they didn't get to look around much as they heard something that sounded like movement, but not from foot steps approaching them. They went down and followed the noise until they reached the front door, which there was someone standing there, ready to protect it as the door and half of the room started to shift and opened the way for Kaecilius to enter.
"Daniel, I see they've made you master of this sanctum." Kaecilius said.
"You know what that means?" Daniel asked.
"That you'll die protecting it." Kaecilius said.
As he said it, he and the two zealots escorting him conjured clear blades made of magical glass and engaged the master, fighting him two against one as he knocked one of the zealots down, but was then hit in the leg, knocking him down as Kaecilius dear the killing blow, killing him instantly and without hesitation.
"No!" Stephen said, leaping over the railing and getting their attention.
"How long have you been at Kamar-Taj, Mr...?" Kaecilius asked.
"Doctor." Stephen asked, confusing them.
"Mr. Doctor?" Kaecilius asked, clearly confused.
"It's Strange." Stephan replied.
"Maybe." Kaecilius replied. "But who am I to judge."
"Run!" Spyro shouted.
Immediately the two zealots leapt onto the walls and ran at them, Spyro getting in front of the mares and conjuring a double-bladed sword and blocked an attack from one of the zealots as the other attacked from behind, but Rarity and Twilight both blocked his attack, giving Stephen a chance to retreat as they broke the block and ran after him, followed closely by Kaecilius as a few heartless appeared from the void and chased them right as Maleficent approached.
"Odd." She said. "The prince seems weaker than last I faced him. It appears something has weakened him."
"It matters not." Kaecilius said. "He'll die like the rest of them."
"Remember our deal sorcerer." Maleficent said. "I want the Eye of Agamotto when this is over."
"And you'll get it, don't worry." Kaecilius responded.
The group ran as far as they could, the girls taking out the Bookmasters that flew after them as they reached the hall with the three teleporting doors, but then they felt like they were running in place, looking down to see the floor was acting like a treadmill, so they stopped running and faced them, Stephen conjuring what seemed to be magical circles over his fists, but one of them faded as he lost focus, only having one.
"Leave Kaecilius to me guys." Spyro said. "You take the henchmen."
"With pleasure." Rarity replied.
As the three dark sorcerers charged towards them, Spyro threw his double-bladed sword, making it spin around like a twister as it passed them, running past them with his speed as Kaecilius knocked the blade out of the way and destroyed it, but Spyro managed to punch him in the nose, breaking it and knocking him back as he conjured another double-bladed sword. Both he and Kaecilius got into a sword fight, both using swords, his nearly impossible to see, but Spyro didn't need to see it to know where it was at, sensing through the Force his next move before he made it as they swung, blocked and deflected until the dark sorcerer, spun the room again. As he did, Stephen held onto the item on the wall as did Rarity and Twilight to avoid falling as the room moved to where if they fell, they'd fall through the portals, but Spyro kept his footing, using his own magic to remain on the ground, surprising Kaecilius.
"Curious." He said.
The two of them got into the fight again, both equally matched in sword combat as Spyro heard something shatter below him, locking Kaecilius's blade with his to look back and saw Stephen had knocked one of the dark sorcerers through the portal, the room correcting itself, so Spyro let go of his hold and fell, smiling as he did before sliding on the ground, leaping to the second zealot as he wrestled with Strange. he managed to kick him off of the doctor and he managed to change the scene again, kicking both of them out, but turning to see Kaecilius approaching them with many Heartless behind him, outnumbering them. Without thinking, the group then dodged them all and ran away, this time getting into the relic room and continuing the fight, which the doctor got knocked back, but Spyro used his blades to put the focus on him, getting in front of the doctor as the ponies surrounded him, Stephen grabbing a nearby relic that started to glow and thought he had a game changer, but the dark sorcerer looked to him, expecting a something to happen, but nothing did, prompting everyone to look at him.
"You don't know how to use that, do you?" Kaecilius asked.
Not knowing how to answer that, Strange threw the relic at him, which he deflected and nailed Spyro in the head, knocking him down as he chased the fearful doctor, who was using a whip to block the attacks, but was overpowered as he got kicked through a display case a couple of times before being knocked into the one with a floating cape, ready to finish him off.
"Hands off pal!" Twilight shouted, leaping forward and slashing down.
However, the dark sorcerer dodged the hit and then kicked Twilight in the head, nailing her horn as she was sent sailing backwards, the aura in her horn disappearing, dropping the Keyblade as she fell down, groaning in pain. Spyro felt something snap inside of him at that moment, feeling his anger rise inside of him as he heard a dragon roaring in the distance, feeling a familiar power inside flowing through his veins again, glaring at the sorcerer who harm ed his friend as he prepared to deal a killing blow to the doctor, but the cape blocked the attack, making him try again, but the cape blocked the attack again, forcing him to kick Strange in the gut and throw him over the railing, smiling to himself. He turned to fight Spyro, but felt a sudden shift in his powers, seeing a purple aura surround him as the orange sparking blade suddenly turned purple, backing away as he saw the prince get up, flames shooting off his body as they turned into wings as he yelled in rage, the flames erupting from his body as did lightning, ice, and earth, all circling him right as Shadows shot out, grazing his shoulder and hissing in pain, but then saw poison, fear, and wind come from below the stair way, dark veins appearing on his body as he breathed heavily from trying to use the power.
"Now to unleash the true dragon within." Spyro said.
He brought his arms together and quickly separated them, the flames entering his body as the dark veins bulged out, threatening to burst, but suddenly, the veins turned purple, alleviating the pain he was feeling as flames surrounded the blade, charging towards Kaecilius, who managed to block, but was then hit with bolts of electricity, electrocuting him and making him yell in pain before seeing an ax made from ice appear. Spyro then swung and slashed at him to get a hit, but Kaecilius was barely able to dodge his attacks, but could feel the raw power coming off the prince, backing away in panic as the Heartless appeared. However, they then turned and saw Stephen Strange flying in the air, the cape that saved him on his back allowing him to fly as he used his whip to catch the glass like blade, but he pulled him back, making the doctor crash into him and before he could run, the cape pulled strange away from Kaecilius and to the wall opposite of them, putting distance between them. Before the dark sorcerer could follow, Spyro leapt forward again, this time attacking with the ax first, making him roll out of the way as Spyro shifted his body to attack with the ax and with the double-bladed sword, forcing him to back away as Stephen reached for a battle ax, but the cape stopped him, from going for it, annoying the doctor as he kept going for the ax, but the cape pulled him away and pointed to what appeared to be some kind of medieval device used to restrain someone.
The doctor rushed to it and took it, waiting for Spyro to get the enemy closer before kicking him in the head, staggering him and making him turn around as the doctor threw the device, immediately forcing him to walk to the window and turn around, the device moving n its own to make him kneel and pull his arms behind his back, forcing him in a vulnerable position as the fight ended. Breathing heavily, the power of the Aether was dismissed as Spyro rushed over to Twilight, who looked to be ok as Rarity helped her to get up, kneeling down to check on her.
"Twiley, you ok?" Spyro asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Twilight replied. "Though he kicked me hard enough to make me unable to use my magic for a while."
"Well, it'll come back to you." Spyro said.
"Spyro darling, what you did just now, was that the Aether?" Rarity asked, surprising Twilight.
Spyro looked down to his hands, wanting to check something and conjured a small fire in his hand, twirling the magical flame around as ice, earth, and lightning also appeared in his hand, the three of them laughing with joy.
"You got your magic back!" Twilight shouted, hugging him. "You have your magic back!"
"And your Keyblade?" Rarity asked. "Please tell me you got that back as well."
Wanting to try it out, he stood up and reached his hand out, concentrating for a moment as a purple light and a second later, he was holding his Keyblade again, smiling the biggest smile he could.
"I'm back." Spyro said, looking to the girls and dismissing the blade, lunging down and picking them up, giving them a bear hug as he laughed. "I'M BACK MOTHER BUCKERS! WOOH!"
"Well, glad to see you're happy. Strange said, walking over with the mouth guard from the prison relic. "Because our friend there isn't done yet. Said something about being unable to stop or prevent what's coming or going to happen. Saying this is the end and the beginning."
"And you took that of him?" Spyro asked. "Well if it didn't shut him up, maybe we should get something that can do so properly."
"You cannot stop this little prince." Kaecilius said, getting their attention. As your friend there, Dr. Strange said, this is the beginning and the end. He understands the laws of nature, everything ages, and everything dies. Except for you. You will never age, and you'll never die of old age."
"What's he talking about Spyro?" Twilight asked
"You don't know?" Kaecilius asked. "The Prince of Light and Darkness is immortal, meaning age has no hold on him. He will be young and healthy forever, watching as you age out and die. Don't you see, little prince, in the end, our sun will burn out, your friends will die, you'll be all alone, cold and alone. But the Dark Dimension, it is beyond time."
"That's it, Stephen, give me the gag." Spyro said, taking it from him.
"This world doesn't need to die, and neither do your friends." Kaecilius said. "This world, and your world can take their rightful places along side so many others, as one, we can all live forever."
"And what do you gain from this new age utopia traitor?" Spyro asked.
"The same as you, and as everyone else." He replied. "Life, eternal life. You can live with those you love forever, never alone, never needing to bury a new love every time they die or pass away. People think of only good and evil, but time is the real enemy, time kills everything."
"And those you murdered?" Spyro asked.
"Tiny, momentary specks in an otherwise indifferent universe." Kaecilius replied. "Your friend sees, the world is not what it was meant to be. Humanity longs for the eternal, for a world beyond time because time is what enslaves us, time is an insult. Death is an insult. Doctor, your highness, we don't seek to rule this world, we seeks to save it, to give it to Dormammu who is the intent of all evolution. The why of all existence."
"The Sorcerer Supreme defends all existence." Stephen said.
"What was it that brought you to Kamar-Taj Doctor?" Kaecilius asked. "And how about you, young prince? Enlightenment? Power? No, you came to be healed as did we all. We all come to Kamar-Taj to be healed, but the Ancient one gives us parlor tricks. The real magic she keeps for herself. Ever wonder how she has managed to live for this long?"
"The ritual." Spyro replied. "For the missing pages."
"Exactly." Kaecilius replied. "The power of the Dark Diemnsion gives me the strength to tear her sentence as what she wants' Dormammu gave to her willingly, life everlasting. He is not the destroyer of world, he is the savior."
"If he's a savior, then why do you look like that?" Rarity asked, walking out of him. "He turned you into a monster, an abomination."
"And a murderer." Twilight added. "How good could his kingdom be?"
Kaecilius then started to laugh as if he was told a joke, confusing them.
"What's so funny pal?" Spyro asked. "You find this funny?"
"No." He replied. "What I find funny is that the good doctor there lost his Sling Ring."
Spyro felt a sudden disturbance in the Force and turned around right as everyone else did, Stephen then got hit with a blade to the chest as a dark zealot rushed up the stairs and threw him down the stairs, but Spyro called his Keyblade and struck him in the chest, sending him flying down the stairs as well as the dying doctor pulled himself away. The Dark Zealot got back up and called another glass blade, attacking Spyro as the two attacked and blocked one another's hits, forcing the zealot to Stephen until he pulled out his Lightsaber and ignited it, slicing his fingers off of his left hand and making him yell in agony, forcing the Sling Ring to slide to the down doctor as Spyro grabbed the zealot by the back of his neck and smashing his head into the wall a few times, letting his injured friend create a portal to who knows where as the cape flew over and helped Spyro, wrapping around the guys head to keep him busy as Spyro picked Strange up after he went through the portal.
"Girls, get back to Kamar-Taj and let them know Kaecilius is there!" Spyro said. "Stay with them until we get back."
"What about you?" Rarity asked.
"We're in a hospital." Spyro said. "I'll get him to a doctor and make sure he's fully healed before joining you. Go!"
Spyro then took the dying doctor through the closet they were in, hoping to find a doctor who can help him as he was weakened from using the Aether to cleanse himself, letting the two unicorns run out of the hall and to the place where the portal was to get the Ancient One. Back in the relic room, Kaecilius was still trapped by the relic, unable to move or do anything to free himself, but then heard someone coming up the stairs, believing it to be his zealot, but he then saw a new face to him, May.
"Never seen you before." Kaecilius said. "Another of the Ancient Ones followers."
"Of course not." She replied, calling her Keyblade. "I'm here to help you."
She then walked over and tapped the machine he was trapped in, the mechanical locks clicking as it released him from his prison, letting his stand as he looked to her.
"Why help me?" Kaecilius asked.
"Because we have a common enemy." She replied, getting his attention. "The Prince of Light and Darkness."
In the hospital, Spyro was holding the doctor up, helping him to move through the hall as they made their way to the help desk, where a woman looked to them and saw the two of them, instantly recognizing Stephen.
"Stephen?" The Woman asked, running up to them.
"Christine." Stephen said, trying to run to her, but collapsing, almost falling to the ground if Spyro hadn't held him.
"Oh god, what happened?" She asked.
"Get me to an operating theater, now." Stephen said. "Just you and Spyro, no one else."
"Who?" Christine asked.
"He means me." Spyro replied. "I'm Spyro by the way. Spyro VanVickle."
"Dr. Christine Palmer." The doctor replied. The two of them worked together and got him to an operating room where a table was ready for them. "What happened?"
"He got stabbed in the chest.." Spyro replied. "Possible Cardian tamponade."
"You a doctor?" Christine asked.
"No, a prince." Spyro replied, surprising her. "We'll get into detail about it later, right now we need to save him from dying."
"What is he wearing?" She asked, removing the training cloak enough to at least see what she was doing. "Chest cavity looks clear."
"No, blood is in the pericardial sac." Stephen said.
A moment later, he passed out, his hand going limp as he started to fade, shocking them.
"No, no , no, no, Stephen!" Christine said, hooking him up to the heart rate monitor.
As she did that, she removed the Eye of Agamotto and put it on the tray, which Spyro picked up to keep safe, but as soon as he touched it, he felt himself being dragged away from his body, falling what seemed like a corridor of green energy, being shown different futures and different paths, billions of them, but they all seemed to lead to one thing in his future, one in which he didn't like as he fell to his knees, feeling his blood go cold and his heart chatter as he watched everything unfold, feeling like his entire life was over. However, there was one that glowed a bright green, looking to it as he got up, looking at what he could only hope was something better and felt his heart soar, finding hope in what he saw and what he needed to do to make it so, knowing the girls were going to hate it, but it was the only way to make sure the other futures he saw would never come to pass. As he returned to his body, he saw that that the doctor was getting a needle ready and was about to stab Strange with it when a rift opened and his astral projection came out.
"Just a little higher." Stephen said, freaking both of them out and nearly giving the doctor a heart attack. "Please be careful with the needle."
"Be careful with doing that." Spyro said, taking a breather. "Dude, you're so teaching me how to do that."
"Stephen?" Christine asked, still freaking out about what she was seeing. "W-what am I seeing?"
"My astral body." He replied.
"Are you dead?" Christine asked.
"No, it's basically his soul detached from his body, but he is dying." Spyro replied. "We need to move quickly if we're going to save him."
"Right, right ok." She said, moving to the table.
As she got back to the table, Spyro moved with her to make sure everything was going well, using his Force abilities to calm her down as Stephen used his powers to phase his finger into his chest, lighting it up to reveal where she needs to plunge the needle in, pushing it through the skin and into the sac where the blood was gathering, starting the machine up.
"I've never seen a wound like this before." Christine said. "What were you stabbed with?"
"I don't know." Stephen said.
As they worked to save the doctors life, Spyro felt a sudden disturbance in the Force, sensing something heading their way and it was malicious, so he conjured the magic double-bladed sword, surprise her as she stared at the blade in shock while Stephen was watching the door with him.
"Spyro, what's wrong?" Stephen asked.
"We got company." Spyro replied. "And it isn't the friendly kind of company either."
He looked around and felt through the Force where he was, not seeing him, but sensing him, so he took a deep breath and released a golden smoke into the air, sending it in the direction of where the assailant was and saw an outline of their attacker, knowing what it was.
"Christine, I'm going to vanish now." Stephen said, shocking the doctor. "Please, keep me alive, will ya?"
"Don't end the party without me Strange." Spyro said.
He released the blade and it disappeared, walking to a corner of the room and sitting down, crossing his legs as he meditated, letting his own Astral body appear in the astral dimension, seeing the Zealot and Strange fighting, each punching one another and tossing each other around like a rag doll, which Spyro got in on as he tackled the zealot through the wall, both phasing through it as they flew around, exchanging blows and punches as they fought, Stephen and Spyro tag teaming the dark zealot as they started to overwhelm him, tackling him into the room and breaking stuff around the doctor, freaking her out like they were poltergeists trying to scare a family out of a haunted house. However, the zealot knocked Spyro out of the way and kicked Stephen hard enough to make it sound like his neck broke, floating in the air as he grabbed the dying doctor by the collar of robes and was bout to finish the job, but was then hit with the defibrillator, which seemed to send a powerful shock through the both of them, severely injuring the zealot while in his Astral body.
"Hey, did you see that?" Spyro asked.
"I did." Stephen said. "Another one at a higher setting should finish him off."
"You tell her, I'll keep bright eyes busy." Spyro said.
As he said it, the zealot came back for round two, heading straight for Strange, but was intercepted by Spyro, who tackled him and pinned him to the wall, knocking him in the head before kneeing him in the stomach right as Stephen came over and grabbed the zealot. After grabbing him, Spyro moved away right as he heard the defibrillator charge up again, letting the doctor be a conductor as the energy flowed from him into the zealot, both yelling in pain as the zealots astral body was destroyed, killing him instantly. After that, Spyro quickly got back into his body ad opened his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as he got up and walked over to Stephen, waiting for him to come back, the doctor worried for him as did Spyro as nothing happened, fearing the worst until he suddenly shot up, gasping for air and scaring the both of them, Spyro annoyed by the sudden jump scare.
"Now I know how the girls feel when I scare them." Spyro said.
"Stephen, you ok?" Christine asked.
"He'll be alright." Spyro said. "After fighting a murderous cultist in his astral body, he'll be ok. Now if you excuse me, I need to change my pants."
Spyro then left the room to go and find a fresh pair of pants, leaving Stephen alone with Christine to get stitched up. Elsewhere, May and Kaecilius were on the roof top of a nearby building right as Maleficent appeared, walking to them as she suddenly saw May, freezing as she saw her.
"What are you doing here Keyblade bearer!?" Maleficent demanded, instantly angered. "Betraying me are we Kaecilius?"
"On the contrary, I have acquired us a new ally." Kaecilius answered, catching her off guard. "She is an enemy of the Prince of Light and Darkness."
"Oh, is she now?" Maleficent asked, walking to her. "And what made you turn against your friends?"
"When they betrayed me." She replied. "Malefor saved me, I owe my life to him."
"In that case, we have a common foe." Maleficent said. "And a common goal, the destruction of the Prince of Light and Darkness."
"And we're both after the same thing it seems." May replied. "We're both after the Infinity Stones and are wasting our armies fighting one another. I think we can both benefit from the stones."
"What do you have in mind?" Maleficent asked.
"My master wants the stones so he can be free from his prison." May replied. "Allow me to take the stones to him first, free him from his prison, then we can help you conquer all of the worlds, destroying the Keyblade warriors."
"Now isn't that a tempting offer." Maleficent said. "But how do I know you won't betray me the first chance you get?"
"We both want to destroy the prince and we both want the stones." May answered. "But if we work together, we can both use the stones and get what we want together."
Maleficent thought it over for a moment, scratching her chin before smiling to herself as she thought it over.
"Very well." Maleficent said. "So, how shall we handle the prince in his weakened state?"
"That's the problem." Kaecilius said. "He is no longer weakened. There was this purple flame, granting him great power. Power I've never seen before."
"The Aether." May said. "The only thing that could cure him of the powders effects. We don't have much time before he get's his Keyblade back, if he doesn't already have it." At that moment, the three dark figures that were with May earlier appeared out of the ground, revealing themselves to be Grublin Orcs, stronger Grublins with more powerful weapons. One of them is an Axe Orc that has strong armor and a large battle axe with dark crystals on the blade, emitting a dark aura. The second was a Crossbow Orc that attacks it's enemies from a distance, it's arrows with the same dark crystals while the last orc was the biggest and strongest of them all, a Hero Orc, double the size and height of the Axe Orcs carrying a mace and a shield, the mace covered in the same dark crystals growling at them. "These Orcs will help us with destroying the Prince. After using the Aether's power, he'll be weakened, giving us the opportunity to destroy him. Their weapons are special as they contain Dark Aether crystals and in his weakened state, he won't be able to recover in time as his elemental powers will be gone for some time."
"Then we have him right where we want him." Maleficent said. She waved her hand and several Fortunetellers appeared from the void. "My Heartless with support them in the fight."
"And my zealots will destroy the Sanatorums and those who oppose us." Kaecilius added. "Together, this world will be a better place."
"First we need to find the Prince, then we can destroy him." May said.
"I last saw him in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum." Kaecilius said. "And his friend, Dr. Stephen Strange had the Eye of Agamotto."
"Then we can accomplish two tasks at once." Maleficent said. "We will assault the New York Sanctum Sanctorum and destroy the prince. But be weary, if he get's his hands on the eye, he'll be more powerful than he was before."
"Then let us not waste any time." Kaecilius said. "We attack as soon as we're ready."
Back at the hospital, Spyro was in the bathroom, using a bit of magic to clean himself up and his clothing, contacting his master as he finished cleaning everything to give him the good news.
"I am pleased to hear that you have recovered all of your powers young prince." Yen Sid said. "You are truly a marvel to behold."
"Yeah, but we have a problem." Spyro said. "The World of Marvels is under siege again. This time it's a fallen sorcerer siding with the Heartless. you know Maleficent is behind this when the Heartless are involved."
"Then your task there has changed." Yen Sid said. "You will need to stop this threat to that world and ensure darkness does not overtake it."
"Yes master." Spyro said.
He ended the call and walked out of the bathroom right as Stephen came out of the operating room while Christine supported him, carrying him out as they saw him.
"You look no worse for wears Dr. Strange." Spyro said. "Guess you're ready to go."
"Go?" Christine asked. "No, he needs time to recover."
"He's right Christine." Stephen said, surprising her. "A powerful sorcerer gave himself to an ancient entity, who can bend the laws of physics. We need to head back to make sure he's still chained up in Greenwich Village." The two of them then walked to the closet where the portal was, opening the doors to reveal the portal to a very confused and very intrigued doctor. Spyro was the first to walk through it followed by the good doctor, turning to his colleague and smiling. "I really need to go now."
The portal then closed behind them, leaving the doctor behind in the closet alone, looking around as she tried to process what had happened, but as she turned to leave, the mop fell onto the ground and made a loud bang, scaring her to death and screaming from the sudden sound of the falling mop.
