Sorry I was gone so long. This one took a little more figuring out. Hopefully I'll have Part Two up soon.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Homecoming (Part One)

Knight Light remembered how the city twinkled in the night. From far off the horizon, to high in the sky where he flew, Radiant City was always alive with light. The interior of the city was no different. The tall skyscrapers also sparkled, different sources of light reflecting off the crystalline walls. No shadows seemed to exist here. If they did, they were small and thin.

Oh, the buildings were always so beautiful. Each one seemed to have a different shape. Some were rectangular length-wise, the structure of the lattice visibly seen. Some looked like spires, twisting about and creating a point at the top. All seemed to vary in size as well- a few were skyscrapers, others were like little homes or restaurants. No one building looked entirely similar to another.

As the only one in the city with wings, Knight Light spent his time as the city's guardian, looking for trouble so he could snuff it out. Sometimes he traveled out, but not too far, so as to keep his eye on the denizens. And not too late, either- he figured most bad deeds had to happen at night. For the most part, however, the city was safe.

None of them really noticed when they were swept away from Skylands. Knight Light had been in the city at the time, sitting at the top of one of the skyscrapers, watching how the crystals of the Starlight powering their city moved around the condensed stardust cluster, intrigued by the pattern. When the Core of Light was destroyed, most everyone in Skylands could see the blue that came from the explosion, but the city lights were far too bright to see it. They only heard the sound, which to them could've just been a sonic boom from a passing jet. The ground shook, and they felt the wind sweep around them, though neither were powerful enough to warrant concern for the city dwellers.

There was also a grand influx of new civilians. Radiant City had always been a melting pot of clans from all over Skylands, but the population tripled in size that day. These were the people who saw the explosion, the ones swept away by the wind and taken to the Light Realm. All of them had been quite frightened by their ordeal, though all the older residents had just seen them appear out of nowhere, as if they had been here their entire lives.

Most people didn't realize it, but Radiant City had become the center of the new Light Realm.

There was also something else, too, that only affected a small handful of people. It affected Knight Light, creating some kind of tickling sensation in his chest. Then it became hot, and agonizing, and he thought it was nearly heart-stopping. When it ceased, a brand resembling a sun shape emblazoned itself on the front of his armor. An energy flowed through his veins, like some kind of magic. When he tapped into it, a rainbow came up, likening itself to the power of the purple-white cluster in the Starlight. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Knight Light traveled around after that, seeking to see Skylands for the first time- the city was safe enough. The Light Realm had a yellow sky and no shadows. A few different islands existed in the realm besides Radiant City, like farm islands and similar things. He traveled around and around the realm, time and time again, for the four years they were all in there. No matter where he turned, up, down, left or right, he always found himself turned back around to the city. Knight Light felt trapped. But they couldn't be trapped, right? There was always another way out of a situation such as this.

One day, the winds started up again- there hadn't been any wind during this whole time. Knight Light had arrived at the Starlight in time to redirect an attack from a short yellow man. He flew in the air, cape waving behind him, decked in white. He wore some kind of pointed headpiece, like it was supposed to be a meaningful shape. Knight Light recognized that fiend right away, and knew of his motives.

"Luminous, I cannot allow you to take the Starlight," Knight Light shouted defiantly. "Your mad quest for banishing darkness ends here."

"You're as valiant as you are foolish," Luminous scoffed. "Can't any of you see? If left to its own devices, all darkness will rise up and kill us all. Don't you feel the wind, Knight Light? Skylands is experiencing great change- a convergence is happening outside this realm, and we'll all go home soon. This is the perfect opportunity to take the Starlight back with us and catapult it into the sun to save all of Skylands."

"Taking the Starlight from Radiant City will cause the buildings to collapse- everyone in the city will die because of your lost cause of a quest."

"What's a thousand lives to the countless billions I'll be saving once my plan comes into fruition?"

"My point still stands- I will not allow you to do this."

"I do so wish we could've had a peaceful chat to come to a decision. Oh well. If I can't gain the Starlight through diplomacy, I'll get it through force!"

The rivals clashed. Knight Light grabbed Luminous's cape, hurling him into the sky and away from the city. Luminous sent magic his way, the impact slamming onto Knight Light's knees. He retaliated by striking his sword onto Luminous's side.

The clash lasted for days, becoming more and more grueling as time went on. Neither foe stood down nor backed off. Even when the winds became more and more dangerous in the sky, neither of them quit. They shoved each other into rock islands, sent magic projectiles to each other, straight out clashed, and neither of them gave way.

Their fight led them to some kind of crystal spire at the edge of the realm, which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Knight Light shoved Luminous into it, plunging him deep into the crystal. Using his light magic, Knight Light sealed the crystal, using the surrounding crystals by the spire as keys that would keep the fiend locked away for a long time. Luminous would not be getting out.

The wind picked up to their absolute extreme- in Skylands, most everyone could see the explosion from Cloudcracker Prison's destruction, that which was causing the Light Realm to collapse. Knight Light, his energy completely sapped from the battle, allowed himself to fall, his vision going dark...


"His vitals are normal. Heart rate, normal. Breathing pattern, normal. The only thing off is his magic level, which is slowly getting back to normal. This man is at the pinnacle of health."

"But you think he should be dead."

"From the height at which he fell weeks before, yes. No one could survive a fall like that."

"But like you said, he did. And he looks like no ghost or phantom to me. Though his Element is strange. It's unlike anything I've studied since coming to Skylands."

Knight Light could hear voices. Everything was dark, and yet he could hear voices. He felt so weak- he almost thought he was dead. But he was definitely alive. He could feel the magic in his bones, almost hearing it scream with life. Knight Light had to wake up now. He had to understand who the voices belonged to.

Hearing his wish, he felt the tickle in his heart again. It brought a little energy back to him, enough for him to obtain consciousness. Knight Light slowly opened his eyes, taking in the scene. He was in some kind of sick bay, laying on a cushy cot. No one else seemed to be in the room with him in the same predicament. He appeared to have two visitors. One was a short purple man with a long cape and a large helmed encrusted with strange crystals, and Knight Light saw him hover above the ground. The other was a taller figure in a red cloak that hid his arms, his face seemingly hidden in a dark shadow with only white eyes seen- but they quickly disappeared when Knight Light tried to look directly at them.

"Oh! His levels are changing slightly- he's waking up," the short one noted.

Knight Light summoned the energy to speak. "...You're not from Radiant...City," he stammered. "Where...where am I?"

"You're one of those Lost Ones, aren't you?" the cloaked one asked. "The ones that disappeared from Skylands when the Core of Light was destroyed."

"The Core was destroyed?"

The short one held up a hand to the cloaked one. "Not yet, Enigma," he insisted. "Clearly he's been out since the event that brought him back." To Knight Light, he asked, "Is the Light Realm familiar to you?"

"I've been trapped here for four years," Knight Light nodded.

"You were. But something brought you and everyone else trapped there back to Skylands."

"I'm back?"

"Yes. You've been unconscious for a few weeks since we found you. You still haven't fully recovered yet, so-"

"I need to get out of here! My people need me! Ugh, but I can't move. I request your assistance- carry me back to Radiant City."

The cloaked one, Enigma, held Knight Light down- while there was no need to do so, he still did it. "Everyone's fine. The people in the city are acting like they never disappeared for four years," he explained. "You need to stay here until you get your energy back."

A stranger's word wasn't good enough for him. Knight Light needed to see for himself. "I'm ordering you to take me back," he said in a low voice, trying his best to sound threatening.

"I'm sorry, did you say you were ordering us?" the short one chuckled. "Exactly what kind of power do you have to do that?"

"Why, the power of the Light Element that flows through my veins. You must know about that, and you must know how powerful it can be. Now carry me back to my home."

Enigma released him. "You know what, Blastermind? I think we should do as he says," he insisted.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting off?" Blastermind asked. "No, he's too weak to travel that far."

"He's absolutely right, you know. We don't exactly have the means to combat Light magic. We're totally defenseless against one of his awesome attacks. Why, he could be accumulating it as we speak."

Blastermind's eyes widened suddenly. He was looking at Enigma's face, but Enigma was at an angle that Knight Light couldn't properly see him at. What he missed in their silent exchange was nothing more than a simple wink. "Quite sound logic, friend," Blastermind finally agreed. To Knight Light, he said, "Alright sir, we'll carry you back to Radiant City."

"Thank you," Knight Light sighed in relief. "And my name is Knight Light, by the way."

"I'm Blastermind, and my friend and colleague here is Enigma. Don't you worry about a thing- we'll help you get home."

Enigma and Blastermind helped him up from the cot, supporting Knight Light as they walked around the sick bay. It turned out that Knight Light had underestimated his returning strength. Each slow step they took hurt him greatly. His feet felt like they had weights. And with each step he took, it sapped enough energy from him to make him feel weak again.

"Are you alright, sir?" Enigma asked him, pausing them so Knight Light could breathe. "It doesn't look like your full energy has returned quite yet."

"That can't possibly be the correct conjecture," Blastermind insisted. "He possesses Light magic. It's incredibly powerful, and should be able to-"

"I get it! I'm sorry!" Knight Light groaned. "Just take me back to my cot, please!"

They complied, this time fully carrying him over. He was set on his back, exactly as he had been before. "An energy has come back to you," Blastermind noted. "We Trap Masters call it fighting energy. It's the kind of will to keep going even when you've hit rock bottom. But you could needlessly hurt yourself if you go on without any other kind of energy to back it up. Just rest and relax for now. We'll get you back to Radiant City as soon as possible."

Knight Light didn't argue this time. He eventually settled into sleep, and never once blamed them for the nasty stunt they pulled.


This Skylanders Academy was a decent place, Knight Light saw after a few days. He explored its halls, observing the many artifacts its students had collected over time. The grounds were bright green, with a tiny stream that flowed around and cascaded off the island. A prison of sorts existed here as well, for any escaped convicts that the Skylanders came across.

Yes, Knight Light had been caught up on everything that had happened. The Core of Light had been destroyed by an evil Portal Master named Kaos. Somehow the explosion of magic had created two separate realms of Light and Dark, where different people had been sent. They'd been there for four years, until a similar event happened at Cloudcracker Prison, bringing the Light and Dark magic back to Skylands. He could hardly wrap his head around the event. It seemed that most of the Skylanders couldn't do so, either, as many of them were still trying to figure it out.

He spent his time recuperating, walking around the Academy and getting acquainted with everything. His wings were a bit sore, but he always tried flying around. Knight Light had gotten comfortable here, convinced that his home was safe after all. The Skylanders seemed like they were on top of things, even when trying to get the escaped convicts back in jail.

Knight Light flew around the grounds one evening, when his wings had recovered the most. He felt good, thinking that he might make it back home that night. All that he needed to do was talk with someone about it, and they would surely allow him to return. Knight Light steered himself back toward the island, touching down, before noticing the color of the sky for the first time. The sky was a bright red, streaks of purple showing up. Knight Light found himself panicking. What was going on? The sky had never looked like this before.

He fled inside, searching for someone to assist him. Knight Light found Blastermind somewhere in the halls, leading a group of youngsters around the school. He quietly made himself known, before dragging Blastermind away from them.

"Your face shows great distress," Blastermind noted. "What is it that you need?"

"It's the sky! I'm not sure what's happened to it, but...well, you need to come see what you can do!" Knight Light stammered.

Knight Light dragged Blastermind to the front steps, showing him what he meant. Their activity attracted the attention of Enigma, who himself was assisting a dark centaur female with tours.

"Is there a problem?" Enigma asked them.

"The sky! Would you just look at it?" Knight Light gasped fearfully, nearly trembling.

Blastermind looked up, developing a deadpan stare. Enigma did the same, taking a stance that suggested a quizzical thought. The centaur just laughed at Knight Light, as if his fear was completely unwarranted.

"What, you saying you've never seen a sunset before?" the centaur asked him.

"Sunset?" Knight Light questioned her.

"The phenomenon that happens when the world turns on it's axis and day turns to night," Blastermind explained. "During the day, the particles in the sky reflect the natural sunlight, giving it a blue tint. This changes when the sun's at different angles, and-"

"What he means," the centaur continued, "is that this is a natural occurrence."

What a strange comment. They didn't have a word for sunset in Radiant City. Knight Light didn't think he'd ever seen one before. Perhaps the lights of the city were too bright.

"It's nothing that should warrant any fear," Enigma added, taking a seat on the grass. "I find it nice to look at."

"What, you weirdos like sunsets?" the centaur asked him.

"Blastermind likes the science behind them. I like the progression of the color changes. When the reds come in, the sky looks like it's on fire. When the purples come in, it looks like a calming ocean to put the flames out."

"I've never seen that."

"I do. Where I come from, we don't get to see the big clouds, so I enjoy seeing them, especially at sunset. They catch the colors of the sky and illuminate them further."

"Wait until the stars come out. Those have intricate designs if I've ever seen them."

Knight Light cut in once more. "Stars?"

"You're kidding, right?" the centaur asked, now more flabbergasted than humored. "They're kind of white lights that appear in the night sky."

"Are clouds just white puffs that appear in the sky?" Blastermind asked indignantly. "No, stars are gigantic masses of hydrogen that exist in the farthest reaches of space. Our own sun is a star, warming our world and giving it the necessary energy needed for life to flourish. Stars are found thousands upon thousands of light years away from our current position, and yet they all seem so close when night comes upon us."

"Sure, let's go with that."

"It's a fact of science and the universe as we know it."

His fears set aside, Knight Light decided to fly onto the roof of the Academy to further watch this phenomenon. The colors changed from red to purple, growing darker as time passed. White spots soon appeared in the sky, popping up in patterns. They seemed to make shapes as more of them came forth. Knight Light stared at them in awe. These were stars? They were so beautiful. He'd missed these his whole life?

"Mr. Sparkles!" a female voice shouted- the centaur's. "You okay up there?"

Knight Light looked down and saw the centaur looking up at him. "I'm fine," he told her. "I'd prefer it if you didn't call me Mr. Sparkles, though. It's demeaning."

"Sorry."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Knight Mare. I'm in training as a Trap Master."

" 'Knight Mare'? Are you sure?"

"And what are you called? You know, if not Mr. Sparkles?"

"Why, I am Knight Light, great warrior of-"

"Ha ha ha! They put that on your birth certificate or something?"

"It's an honorable name. Certainly better than 'Mr. Sparkles'."

The centaur shook her head, walking off. Knight Light watched her go, something stirring inside him. He hadn't known about stars, a fact that seemingly everyone else knew. What else did he not know?


He accompanied Knight Mare and Blastermind on a scouting mission the next day. Blastermind had seemed hesitant to bring him along, but decided that Knight Light had recovered enough to come along. They traveled along the Soda Springs, making sure everyone was safe after the attack from the Gulper. For the most part, everything turned out fine. Soda production was back up, the people were rebuilding, and the Doom Raider's interference had been laughed off.

"Is this it?" Knight Light asked.

"Pretty much," Blastermind shrugged. "If we were heading out to an actual battle, I wouldn't have brought you along. A scouting mission was most appropriate for you this time around. Enough to give you a feel for how we operate, and if there had been any danger, it would be easy enough to keep you safe."

"I don't feel it. I don't think I know well enough about how the Skylanders work."

"But it doesn't matter to you, right? You're just trying to get home as fast as possible, from what I understand."

He didn't reply, and only looked at the ground.

"I see..."

Knight Mare had taken a position on a high cliff, looking out. She blew her horn to get their attention, pointing westward. "I spotted something at the edge over there!" she hollered.

"Lead the way!" Blastermind told her.

Knight Mare leapt off, landing on her hooves and speeding toward the edge of the island. Knight Light and Blastermind followed suit, coming closer and closer to the object that the centaur had found. They happened upon a grotesque sight- a Chompy Pod, larger than any Knight Light had ever heard of, encasing itself in some kind of purple goop.

"What is that!?" Knight Light shrieked.

"Ah, a fine specimen," Blastermind mused. "This is what happens when a Chompy Pod is left to thrive for long periods of time. When the eggs inside have all been expelled, and it can no longer reproduce by other means, it turns into a chrysalis, preparing for the next stage of life."

"That being?"

"A Chompy Worm."

"What do the worms look like?"

Knight Mare raised her flamberge up, prepared to fight. "You won't have to find out here," she insisted. "I'll take this creature out before the Soda Springs has to deal with it."

"Hang on before you do," Blastermind warned her. He lit up the crystals on his helmet, and a strange pinkish-purple aura surrounded the Chompy Pod. Lights glimmered on the goop, before the aura dissipated.

"Alright, the goop is still moist," Blastermind shouted. "I was worried that the shell had started forming, but you can go ahead now."

Knight Mare rushed forth, slashing her flamberge into the goop. She slashed several times, cutting down the Chompy Pod. The plant thing seemed to burst open, purple goop spraying out. Knight Light covered his face with his wings to avoid the spray. They fell back behind him, and he saw that Blastermind had completely avoided the goop altogether.

"Oh, what a rush!" Knight Mare cheered as she galloped back to them, completely drenched in the stuff. "There's nothing like watching a creature's innards ooze out, especially if it's evil!"

Blastermind levitated something out of the goop- a spotted egg. "This Chompy Pod started early," he mused, setting a hand to his chin. "I've never seen this kind of behavior in the species before."

Meaning that something wasn't right here. "Let me look at that," Knight Light asked him.

The egg was handed to him. Knight Light set it on the ground and crushed it with his boot. A foul-smelling green goop came forth, forcing the three to cover their mouths in repulsion. The eggshells seemed to melt within this ooze.

"Dr. Krankcase's work, I see," Blastermind gasped. "Though when he arrived in the area, I'm not sure. The only Doom Raider we found was the Gulper."

"Maybe it planted itself when the Gulper landed here," Knight Light shrugged. "Or it was something that he'd been asked to do when he landed here."

"Not probable. The Gulper was on an immediate soda rampage when he came to the area. When he sees that stuff, it's the only thing he can seek. And taking the soda out of the equation, he's not able to follow intricate details that the doctor would've no doubt told him in order to plant the egg here."

"I'm familiar with Krankcase, Blastermind," Knight Mare agreed. "He'd rather complete a task like this himself. He was no doubt here, that's for sure. Probably trying to grow some Chompy Worms for 'Her Majesty' to obtain- though I'm not sure what the goo egg was for."

Knight Light gave another shrug. "To kick-start the metamorphosis?" he suggested.

"Probably," Knight Mare nodded.

"Let's make another roundabout before we head back to the Academy," Blastermind decided. "I want to make sure that no more of these Chompy Pods are found in the area. We'll have to inform the others of this so they can keep their eyes peeled, too. Knight Light, are you okay to go on?"

He didn't feel exhausted at the moment. "I'm good."

"Maybe if we find another Chompy Pod like that one, I'll let you destroy it."

No comment.

"What do you want to ask me?"

The thought became more and more attractive to him when he thought of it. "I was thinking of training at the Academy," he muttered. "I might be more...useful, there."

"I see. Well I promise, Knight Light, the Skylanders will offer both excitement and accomplishment for you. Anything you need, we'll help you. What do you think?"

A chance to see more of the world. A chance to do more for it. "Yeah. I want to stay."

"We'll make sure to accomodate you, then."

They continued on, checking for more Chompy Pods. Knight Mare pounded his shoulder before coming up next to Blastermind. Knight Light felt odd about it. He was sure he was supposed to go back to Radiant City and make sure they were okay. But he knew that the Academy was where he was needed most. It was such a strange decision, one he never would've thought of before. But it just felt like the right one.