Skylands. The very center of the universe. Floating islands resting on an endless sea of clouds. It is so vast and massive, none of the inhabitants knows where it begins or ends. So, the quickest way of transportation is by portals, magical doorways that connect with one another. Skylands is an amazing place of wonder…adventure…and danger.

Which is why, like most worlds, Skylands has heroes. They are called Skylanders. Powerful warriors who would do anything from keeping Skylands out of the grip of the Darkness, an evil force capable on only fear and destruction. Skylanders consist of ten elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life, Undead, Tech, Magic, Light and Dark. Skylanders are led by wise being called Portal Masters, supreme lords and rulers of Skylands. There were once many, but now there are so few. Almost none left. Long ago, the Portal Master Eon died when the Core of Light, a device used to hold back the Darkness, was destroyed by Kaos, a Dark Portal Master who dreamed of becoming ruler of Skylands. Eon ascended to a spirit for all eternity. His Skylanders were defeated and banished. When flung throughout space, the Skylanders were shrunken and frozen until they resembled nothing but toys. They landed on a small blue and green planet located in the Milky Way galaxy. The planet was called Earth. Eon found new Portal Master apprentices on that planet. They were young, but eager to accept their destiny. They found the Skylanders and sent them back to Skylands. Their Portal Master training began shortly after.

There are enough Skylanders to make an army. The Giants are the first Skylanders, banished for 10,000 years, so long that everyone assumed they were just a myth. The Swap Force was an elite team that gained the power to swap bodies after they were blasted apart by an explosion. The Trap Team carry weapons made from a material called Traptanium, which is almost unbreakable. The Superchargers are a strike team with powerful vehicles to fight on both the ground, sea and sky. Lastly are the Sensei, a group training a new generation of Skylanders: the Imaginators! Skylanders that are born from a Portal Master's own mind, dreams and imaginations. Their numbers are almost infinite. Why is defending Skylands so important? Because in Skylands, you can travel to almost anywhere in the universe. Even Earth. If the forces of Kaos take control of Skylands, Earth will be next in his journey for universal conquest. That is why he must be stopped here! Now, let's begin our story…

Skylanders Academy

Training Arena

I swing my sword through wooden, mechanical dummies as I blast fireballs on those who dare try to ambush me. As the last one falls, I spot a Greeble. These things are nasty, mischievous and pesky little creatures. Slung over his shoulder is a battle hammer, ready to pound any Skylander it finds into dust. I charge at it, summoning all my fiery rage upon it. Before I can strike, however, spikes shoot up from the arena's floor! They completely block my path. The Greeble yells and attacks. I don't have time to react, for I know exactly what's going to happen. The Greeble's hammer whams into my side… but I don't feel a thing. That's because it's a squeaky hammer, which it keeps battering me with, but to no avail. I grab the Greeble's neck and fling it into a wall.

I stand and look around. There's a bunch of Skylanders in the ring. I see Bash, a wingless Earth dragon with a mace-like tail, swing at Snap Shot, a crocodilian Water Trap Master with a Traptanium bow. He ducks and Bash misses, falling flat on his face with his legs sprawled out. Anyone who's watching bursts out in laughter. Trigger Happy, a Tech Skylander with golden pistols, is living up to his name by blasting away at dummies. In the skies above, Whirlwind, a unicorn-dragon hybrid of the Air element, is practicing her aerial maneuvers while Blast Zone, a Fire Furnace Knight with bombs, is chucking explosives at target drones. As for me, my name is Sizzle, an Imaginator. First, I was nothing, resting dormant in a young Portal Master's mind back on the planet Earth. That Portal Master, named Alex, suddenly had an idea to create a new Skylander and send it to Skylands to join the fight against Kaos. Using the power of Mind Magic, he created a Fire Knight with dragon armor, named it Sizzle, and sent him on his way. And now, here I am, waiting for some action. "Having fun out there, rookie?" I turn to see Buzz, the arena's headmaster and the guy in charge of the training program. He has an eye patch, a walking stick and a peg leg. He won't say how he got them and something tells me he probably lost his eye and leg in battle. "Time of my life." I reply sarcastically. "Nice. Keep up the good work." He says before walking away.

Later that day, I check out the rest of the Academy. It's pretty much our home base. And by that, I mean both base and home. If the forces of Kaos demolished it like they did for the Core of Light, we would be helpless and broken. I overhear Slam Bam, a four-armed yeti, talk to Sprocket, a Goldling mechanic, about how the Fire Sensei Ember fended off attacking trolls from a Mabu village with the help of her newest student. They had used a water tower to flood them away. Flynn, a Mabu pilot (and probably the best one in Skylands) and one of our best assistants, is munching away on an enchilada while Magna Charge, a Tech robot with magnetic powers, is challenging Tread Head, a Skylander with a custom-made vehicle, to a race. Just then, I see Cynder, an Undead dragon, fly in breathless. "Enemy forces!" she shouts, so loud that Flynn yelps and falls out of his chair. "Approaching the Mabu Royal Palace in Shattered Island!" Buzz hears this and orders squads of Imaginators to be transported there at once. "How long have we got?" someone tells Cynder. "About an hour. We could intercept them just miles away from the palace." "Roger." Stormblade, a sharp-feathered bird, hops into her vehicle, the streamlined Sky Slicer. "Air support will be standing by." Spyro, a purple Magic dragon with horns, nods. "Alright guys, let's do this! We move out in ten minutes!" he shouts as he flies off.

As we wait for a dropship to pick us up and take us to Shattered Island via portal, I look at the squad. Knights like myself sharpen their swords and test them on apples. Smashers, bulky guys with maces, clubs, axes and hammers, are waiting to pound Kaos' troops into the ground. Quickshots, masters with dual pistols, load up their guns. Bowslingers (the name says it all) get some arrows ready. Brawlers swing a few practice punches and crack their knuckles. Sentinels test out their double-bladed weapons. Ninjas twirl their throwing stars. Bazookers load up their cannons. They'll be our artillery support. Sorcerers whisper incantations to their wands, harnessing the pure energy of Skylands. Swashbucklers check their blades as their tails swish from side to side.

Before long, we hear the roar of engines right in front of the barracks' doors. A dropship appears with Flynn in the pilot's seat. "Welcome aboard, amigos!" He says as we clamber in. "Okeydokey, let's see if any else is ready for takeoff." He flips a switch on the main console and radio chatter picks up. "This is Dropship 1, all systems go. All other ships, please respond when ready." "Dropship 2, responding. All passengers accounted for." "Dropship 3, ready for liftoff." Flynn speaks up. "Dropship 4, ready to kick some troll butt! BOOM!" "Alright Hugo, open the portal to Shattered Island!" Dropship 1's pilot said to a command tower. Hugo, Master Eon's assistant and historian, responds. "Roger that! Coordinates set for Shattered Island! Let's hope there aren't any tornadoes this time." Directly in front of us, a portal opens and our dropship team fly through. "Looks like these guys are at a party they haven't been invited to. So, let's go give them a proper hello!"

Later, when we're approaching the combat zone, I hear the dropship shudder and rock. Then there's a loud explosion outside. The enemy has anti-aircraft guns! "Dropship 2, we're hit! We're hit! Going down! All passengers brace for-*ksssssh*" Flynn knows he has to let us off fast, otherwise we'll be next in the scrap pile. The doors swing open and we leap out yelling. "For Skylands!" a Quickshot yells, drawing his guns. I dash for cover and examine the battlefield. The Royal Palace is just in the horizon behind us. Dropship 2 is a smoking wreck with Smashers heaving the Skylanders on board out. The enemy forces mostly consist of trolls, Elemental Geargolems and Arkeyans, robotic warriors from an ancient, forgotten empire. Quickshots are returning fire while Knights, Smashers and Brawlers charge with no fear. Sentinels take defensive positions, Bazookers fall back to set up their cannons.

A troll wielding a blaster notices a Knight coming towards him, so he shoots him in the chest. As the Knight collapses, he starts to disintegrate into Mind Magic. When an Imaginator dies, he or she turns back into Mind Magic and waits to be reused by another Portal Master. I grab an ornate shield and deflect the troll's shots right back at him. I hack and slash through trolls with maces and claws until I see bullets smack the ground, followed by mechanical stomping. A Gun Snout marches on the scene, its nose-mounted minigun cutting down any Imaginator in sight. Before it can target me, a fireball slams into its head. It turns and fires at Spyro, who flies away. While it's distracted, Magna Charge leaps onto it and blasts its head while an Earth Smasher takes out the legs. The Gun Snout soon crashes to the ground.

As a Magic Sorcerer summons a shield for protection, I run inside. An Arkeyan Warrior is just outside, its lasers smacking the shield. Bash charges at it and rolls, slamming into its left leg. As it starts to lose its balance, the dragon-phoenix Sunburn blasts a stream of fire at its face. Cynder flies overhead, zapping the Arkeyan with spectral lightning. "Take that, you bucket of bolts!" she yells between blasts. Apparently, robots don't like insults, which makes the Arkeyan knock Cynder out of the sky with its massive fist. When she recovers, she calls for Trigger Happy, who she drops on the Arkeyan so he can shoot wildly at its face. Trolling Thunder tanks roll along the battlefield and open fire on the shield, crushing dropped weapons below their treads. The Magic Sorcerer unleashes an energy shockwave, sending the tanks flying and stripping off their armor in the process. I run towards a Trollverine, an elite troll warrior with claws and a shield, and we clash. A Tech Geargolem aims with its wrists and fires razor-sharp gears at us. I leap out of the way to let the Trollverine take the punishment.

Suddenly, explosions from lasers rain down, indicated Stormblade has arrived with air support. I notice she has two Kaos Cruisers on her tail. So does Spyro and Whirlwind, who nod to each other before shooting skyward to assist her. As a Fire Smasher fights a Loose Cannon, an armored troll with explosive weaponry, I run up and stab it in the back. The Smasher thanks me for the assist. The Thump Truck and Hot Streak, piloted by the warsupial Smash Hit and fire demon Spitfire, drive around the battlefield. Spitfire lays down a perimeter of blazing blue fire while Smash Hit looks for anything he can wreck.

The battle intensifies by the second. An explosive shell from a Trolling Thunder detonates nearby. 4 Imaginators are sent flying and disintegrate into Mind Magic in midair. The tank is then rammed in the side by the Thump Truck. Bazookers rain down heavy fire on the enemy's AA, which are blasting away at the Sky Slicer without any luck due to her evasive maneuvers. The Kaos Cruisers spiral down to the ground ablaze just as Spyro and Whirlwind land. Some Imaginators drag their injured allies to Spitfire's perimeter while Trigger Happy lays down cover fire with his Golden Gatling. Others, including me, go on the offensive. Our attack is so great, the enemy is forced to retreat. Bash rips out an Arkeyan Ultron's arm and spits it out. Sentinels give the order to push forward. We all cheer as panicking trolls run for their lives, away from the palace. Some manage to board ships, but Stormblade shows no mercy as she blows 2 of them to smithereens before they can even take off.

"Ha! I wish I could see Kaos' face right now!" Bash roars, stomping on a deactivated Arkeyan. "He's probably screaming in agony about this loss." Spitfire laughs, bringing the Hot Streak to a halt. A Water Sentinel pats my shoulder, knocking on the dragonscale armor. "Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all. You've earned your battle scars today." I smile and nod at him. I wish Alex could know of my first victory. Maybe Master Eon would inform him and the other Portal Masters on Earth. "Wowsers, that was awesome!" Flynn says as he pulls his dropship around. "Sorry I missed the action. I had to get out of there since the anti-aircraft fire was too much. Great job, you guys!" "Yes," says a wise voice. "Well done, indeed." We all look up to see a floating spirit head smiling at us. "Master Eon!" we gasp. Some of us have never even seen him with our own eyes. "Do not let your guard down for long, my Skylanders." He tells us. "This battle has been won… but the war still rages on. And we are going to need the help of my apprentices if we are going to win it."

THE WAR FOR SKYLANDS CONTINUES… AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DEFEAT KAOS ONCE AND FOR ALL!