Spyro, Cynder, Drobot, Bash, Whirlwind, Camo, Sunburn, Zap, Flashwing, High Five, Echo, Blades, Fire Kraken, Blackout, Spotlight, and the ten Imaginators were amazed at the breathtaking sight of the Dragon Temple.
"So, this is the home to all dragons in Skylands?"
"Pretty much, Hoody." Spyro landed. "Seems oddly quiet, though. Where are all the sheep and dragons living together in dubious harmony?"
Suddenly, strange sheep enemies appeared!
"GO BAAAAAACK!" They warned.
"Oh man, just like Sheep Wreck Islands!" Fire Kraken gulped. "I still remember when I was told about that!"
"Well," Sir Hoodington sighed. "Either this is the brainwashing's doing, or Hugo was right this whole time." He turned to the dragons. "Spyro, take the dragons and search for the dragons!"
With that, the teams went off on their separate ways. While the 15 dragons searched for the others of their kind, the Imaginators fought their way through Wooly Bullies, Wooly Wizards, and Baa-barians. There were even a few trails. Spyro said that all dragons had to choose before they moved onto adulthood.
Sir Hoodington chose Fire, Aquaria chose Ice, Quickshot Bot chose Brains, and Rocky chose Brawn.
The teams continued forward, ringing dragon gongs to open doors, eventually reuniting at the main temple.
"Did you find the dragons yet?"
"No. But I'm sure they're here some-."
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, MY NEW SHEEP MINIONS?!" A familiar voice yelled. A holographic head floated in, not seeing the Skylanders. "Why are you so beaten up?! Don't you know I've already-WHAT?!"
"Well, hello again, Kaos."
"But...but you're...this is IMPOSSIBLE!" Kaos wailed. "You're supposed to be under my total control!"
"Well, it turns out us dragons and the Imaginators here are completely immune to your brainwashing technique. Two things: Dragon Magic and Mind Magic. And guess what? What you and your brain friend caused, Dragon Magic can undo."
"NO! THAT WON'T HAPPEN! YOU'LL BE SHOT THROUGH THE HEART BEFORE YOU EVEN DREAM OF DOING SUCH A THING!"
Desperately, Kaos summoned the greatest Doomlander he could quickly think of.
"All hail my ultimate awesomeness, for I am the Bowslinger Doomlander! I like sharp arrowheads, fancy bows, and long walks on the beach!"
"And I like peace, undisturbed nature, and an unbrainwashed Skylands." Bark Bow said. "Come. Let us see who is the better marksman."
The two archers began firing arrows at each other, some splitting others in half. Using Life energy to heal himself, Bark Bow fired a poisonous arrow that struck the Doomlander hard enough to knock off his leg guards.
Thinking quickly, Kaos powered up the Doomlander, making him able to fire a volley of 7 arrows, Bark Bow leaped over and shot the Doomlander from above before landing. Shooting down arrows that homed in on him, Bark Bow scored a bullseye right on the chest.
Suddenly, Wooly Wizards were summoned to slow the tree down!
"Bowslinger! Archer! Whatever you are! Get the Skylanders! Don't let them ruin all I have worked for!"
Bark Bow continued to fight, and when he drew his last arrow, he didn't miss.
Shot through the heart, the Doomlander had Mind Magic seeping out of his body. He tried to fire one last volley arrow, but he missed, fell, and turned to magical dust.
Seeing this, Kaos sighed with defeat.
"Fine." He said. "You win. But even WITH all of Skylands unbrainwashed, you'll never be able to get to me! My fortress lair is now upgraded to awesome new heights and levels AND protected by an impenetrable force field! Good luck getting through THAT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
And then, he vanished.
"Impenetrable force field?" Spyro asked. "Well, I think there might be a way to get through…"
"Thank you, kind ones." A voice said. "We thought we would NEVER be rid of those creeps!" Various figures stepped out of the shadows. Spyro gasped.
"More dragons! Oh, thank goodness. We were looking all over for you!"
"I am Draeger, the Dragon Elder." The one resembling Ignitus said, with those resembling Volteer, Terrador, and Cyril next to him. "Once the sheep suddenly became terribly evil, we had no choice but to hide. Who knew they were being led by the Head?"
"We need your help." Cynder said. "All of Skylands has fallen victim to an evil brainwashing spell caused by a Dark Portal Master called Kaos. We were told that your Dragon Magic could fix all this."
"That is correct." Draeger said. "According to legend, this is the power of the Ancient Brain. Our Dragon Magic did indeed reverse it a long time ago. But no dragon has ever attempted this in thousands and thousands of years."
"Woah, really?"
"We don't have a choice." Cynder hissed to Spyro.
"If you desire this, then we shall be of assistance." Draeger got into a relaxed state and meditated calmly. Purple energy began radiating from him.
"Fellow dragons." Another one said to the Skylanders. "Repeat after him."
All dragons got into the same state. Soon, the energy radiated from them as all the Imaginators watched. Then, a massive blast of Dragon Magic blew from the temple!
"It is done." Draeger said. "Now, it falls to you to stop this 'Kaos' creature once and for all. But first…"
He gestured to many enchanted wings.
"Not all of you dragon brothers and sisters can fly. These Dragon Wings can help you finally soar to the skies."
"You mean…" Bash gasped. "I CAN FINALLY FLY?! WHOO-HOO!"
"They are yours to keep. There are plenty for you all."
"Well," Spyro says. "Now you'll know what it's like to be one of the cool kids."
"Head outside the temple and fly down towards Skylands." Draeger said. "Travellers, mount your dragons. Only together can you finally fulfill your destiny."
The ten nodded. Sir Hoodington mounted Spyro, Aquaria mounted Echo, Cloud Cannoneer mounted Blades, Rocky mounted Bash, Bark Bow mounted Camo, Soul Blades mounted Cynder, Wiza mounted Sunburn, Quickshot Bot mounted Drobot, Kid Solaria mounted Spotlight, and Shadowstar mounted Blackout.
"Hang on, everyone!" Spyro said. "It's gonna be a wild ride!"
"CHARGE!" Sir Hoodington pointed his sword forth. All dragons leaped out of the temple, with some testing out their new Dragon Wings, now colored to match the user's element, as well.
"WOOOO!" Bash yelled. "This is awesome!"
"Whatever Flynn sees in riding Whiskers," Fire Kraken yelled. "I don't see it anywhere!"
The dragons flew throughout the clouds, enjoying the true freedom of Skylands.
"So this is why it is called Skylands…" Sir Hoodington marveled. "Such freedom."
"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Spyro said. "Hold on tight!"
They continued soaring through the air, with some Imaginators leaping off some dragons, both doing aerial stunts, and landing on other dragons. Since they could fly with levitation, spiritual power, and golden angelic wings, Wiza, Soul Blades, and Kid Solaria even flew themselves before remounting their dragons.
The 25 of them flew throughout all of Skylands, never wanting this moment to end.
"Evil does not truly see the beauty in this world." Sir Hoodington said. "You and I both, along with many others, will fight to our last breath to defend it!"
"That's exactly what I said to Cynder when we first flew in this world." Spyro said. "You know, you and I have more things in common than I realized." The two dragons were flying side by side now, as was Bash and Flashwing, and Zap and Echo.
They became elemental blurs and streaks in the endless sky, soon diving right downwards from above the clouds. There, every single island was laid out before them like a living breathing map.
"Well, I guess this place isn't so mysterious and ancient anymore."
"It's more than that. Look! I can see basically all of Skylands from up here!"
"You're kidding, right?"
Laughing, the dragons and Imaginators continued to glide down into Skylands. Soon, their destination was in sight.
"Look! The Skylander Academy!"
"And our friends! They're okay! The Dragon Magic worked!"
"Alright, time to start the beginning of the end!"
The dragons swooped down into the Academy courtyard, landing both perfectly and awesomely. The Imaginators dismounted and went to check up on the others.
"Flynn! Are you alright?"
"Huh? Wha? What happened? I was just about to scarf down a guacamole enchilada and then, BOOM! I wake up right here!"
"Oh man, I don't feel right." Tree Rex said.
"You said it." Wash Buckler said. "I feel like I've swapped minds instead of halves!"
"Error. Memory chip malfunctioning." Drill Sergeant beeped. "Unable to recall any event after large Mind Magic explosion."
"Well, long story short," Spyro said. "You were all brainwashed. All Dragons and Imaginators were immune to it. Our Dragon Magic managed to fix all that, and now we know where Kaos is. His fortress modeled after Castle Blackthrone: Castle Blackthrone II!"
"Well, what are we waiting for, Chief?!" Flynn said. "Just say the word and let's go take down that pipsqueak once and for all!"
"It's not that easy, Flynn." Spyro said. "Kaos teamed up with a rogue Ancient he calls Brain. With his power, he made his lair seriously defended. It's got lasers, guards, and even an impenetrable force field!"
"Oh, well, that's just great. How are we supposed to take down a giant magical shield that can't even BE taken down?!"
"That's easy. We don't."
"So, you're saying we trick him into letting us in?"
"Heh. You're learning, Captain." Spyro smirked. "Well, as one of the new Portal Masters and leader of all Skylanders, I've got a plan. Alright, here's what we're gonna do."
…
It was called Operation: Skylander Strike.
Spyro's plan was simple. The lair was encased inside the force field, so they would fool Kaos.
How? By baking a giant cake (yes, a cake). Kid Solaria said it was sorta like the Trojan Horse (something he picked up from his Portal Master creator). First, they needed ingredients. Ghost Roaster, Chef Pepper Jack, and the Mabu Kitchen Staff at the Academy would be baking it together.
At the arena, Wolfgang returned the favor for his brother for helping him get to Brain by fighting in a battle where Sal had booked a gig for singing the Skylands' national anthem. Wolfgang even added his own rock version of it while fighting.
Stealth Elf was also put on trial for unpaid parking tickets for her Stealth Stinger. She selected Ambush to represent her in the trial-by-combat. Avoiding the wooden spikes, he did not lose.
Eruptor tried to fight himself, but last time he fought, he was banned for using his lava barf. So, Ember fought for him, avoiding the fiery center.
It was also Gold Giveaway Night, so Trigger Happy went in full guns blazing, activating the shock button to stun robots and have them get crushed under hammers.
The Stormbreaker took flight once again, piloted by Jet-Vac to combat vengeful vultures, Cloud Cannoneer to rescue Mabu Balloonists, and Flynn to get rid of jellyfish (thankfully, the self-guidance and radar didn't make him crash the Stormbreaker).
There were also a few dungeons. Cali was trying to find Blobbers and find more ingredients (no treasure, to Blobbers' disappointment), Mags defused bombs in her own dungeon, Sir Hoodington helped Buzz and Flynn get an artifact dropped by them, Aquaria helped Sharpfin with a plumbing problem, and King Pen helped Eruptor and Avril make a dungeon suitable for Frost Elves.
Some cities were also in danger. Gill Grunt helped Tessa put out fires and defend the city from invaders, Spyro helped dethrone a "Mayor/King/Super King", Echo, Cobra Cadabra and Wolfgang helped Sal round up chickens (Cluck's fast food kingdom wasn't shut down, apparently), Quickshot Bot stopped criminals from robbing a bank, and Chain Reaction helped defend a city with Buzz.
Battles were also being raged. Cloud Cannoneer and Jet-Vac destroyed a malfunctioning Creationtron and with it, evil Sky Baron Robots, Bark Bow helped Flynn shoot down balloon airships with arrows and drones, Flare Wolf destroyed enemy barricades and walls, and Buzz had Rocky destroy enemy towers.
Some of the ingredients were 200 pounds of butter, eggs, flour, and other cake-related ingredients. When making it, the chefs had to be careful not to take up space on the inside, and needed enough space so that the cake wouldn't fall in on itself.
Finally, when it was done, it was given to Mags, who began making the final preparations to it at the Abandoned Amusement Park known as Amusement Land (shut down due to tax evasion being more important than safety, resulting in many violations), since it was the only park with Frosting Cannons (for some weird and convenient reasons). The cake needed frosting and candles to be truly complete.
Eruptor, Aquaria, Soul Blades, Kid Solaria, and Quickshot Bot were scheduled to meet up with her.
