The Skylander Academy was becoming tough to repair, but the Mabu were helping the best they could. Jet-Vac, Stealth Elf, Roller Brawl, and Pop Fizz helped out too, but something was off-putting about them. As Hat Kid brought buckets of cement to Sharpfin, she recognized something was still off about them. It clearly had to do with the Eternal Sources, considering the massive damage that had been inflicted on the island and the Core of Light.

"Hey there, lil' kid!" Mags greeted the alien girl as she walked past her with that giant wrench in her hands. "Somethin' bothering ya?"

"Kinda," Hat Kid replied, taking her hat off and pulling her bangs back. "I'm trying to get these Skylanders to fight back and help the Super Smash Brothers, but… they seem too hopeless to do anything. Like their very lives are tied to that Core of Light, and once it's destroyed for good, it… sparks hopelessness in them again."

"Aw, shucks," Mags groaned with a cheerful and encouraging attitude in her voice. "I mean, it's alright. You can always pitch in and rebuild the Core of Light from square one. They shouldn't feel this bummed out. They've still got them Eternal Sources."

"But… there was something about that clown that just rubs me the wrong way," Hat Kid replied, with Alchemo stopping his work to hear the alien child explain something. "Like, he knows that we're just pawns tied to destiny. Like our very lives depend on it. If that destiny is gone… then who are we? If not alone algorithmic beings? I'm not even supposed to be here."

"Come again, sugarcube?" Mags asked.

"I'm not supposed to physically be here," Hat Kid replied. "It's like I know I would lose all my Time Pieces and land in Mafia Town. That I would explore different locations, like Dead Bird Studios, Subcon Forest… even the castle Mustache Girl built. She even said so herself after becoming crazy from having the power to manipulate time. I feel like I know what's going to happen, and yet I play through the easy victories anyway. Mustache Girl even said everyone has the feeling of dying over and over, going back in time to fix each mistake you made. I got all my Time Pieces back, but… for whatever reason I feel incomplete. Like I'm lacking something. Like these people from other worlds aren't supposed to visit me and throw the original progression of my story off-course. Now I don't even know how to get these Skylanders on my side without going back to square one, and even then I can't do that because that Darkness is still out there!"

"...Now now, pumpkin," Mags advised, placing her hand on Hat Kid's head. "I may not know what's with all the whatchimajingies involving time and space, but I got a good feeling that not even the toughest of Skylanders know their destiny is tied to more than just protecting some powerful macguffin. They know where their loyalties lie, and they're gonna defend their world to the death no matter what. But… as far as I know them, they're not gonna give up. They're always gonna fight back for the greater good. So what if that Core of Light ain't coming back for quite some time? They can still take action."

"I know, I know…" Hat Kid sighed, plopping that hat of hers back onto her own head to avoid embarrassment from Mags's comforting advice. "I just hope I can get back to my home planet once the Skylanders did everything. I'm not even one, and I want to persuade them that they can still help out their buddies. Like, they're supposed to be getting out there and finding their pals. Jevil might be right. He may have said this world is pointless, but… there is a way we can get these guys to see their world isn't as worthless as that clown says it is…"

"Maybe I can help…?" Alchemo suggested, feeling rather nervous he was stepping up to the plate. "...I mean, I don't know. I've never really interacted with many people throughout my life. You and I… we have no idea how we're going to convince these Skylanders. They're the last survivors, and none of us are gonna wait around idly until we eventually die." A gray-haired Roller Brawl, upon catching the conversation between the two kids, began to feel rather curious about what they're going on about. Maybe moping about the Core of Light's destruction isn't as important as stopping the one who caused it. Kaos is still out there, and so is all that Darkness.

"Perhaps Alchemo might have something interesting to say for the most part," Eon advised the vampireress, who was watching the Skylander Academy's rebuilding from a few feet in the air. "Skylands is nothing without its Skylanders, even without the Core of Light to protect them. A true hero would keep fighting until it's over, no matter the cost. Perhaps it wasn't your fault you and your friends failed to save the Core of Light…" A bit of the magenta highlight in her ponytail faded in, listening to whatever words of wisdom Master Eon had to offer. They were minimum at best, but they helped her realize there was nothing to worry about if they're still here.

"Even in the darkest of times, your heroism still shines through," Eon chuckled. "The other Skylanders will soon be reminded that Alchemo might have something to say." The young cadet's ears perked up, widely surprised that the spirit of the Portal Master was giving him the chance to speak his mind.

"What?!" Alchemo asked, nervously sweating as he tried to deny what he spoke about earlier as he waved his hands in front of his face. "I was offering a suggestion. I didn't actually mean I was going to give out a motivational speech right now~!"

"Aw, don't worry about a thing!" Mags encouraged, patting the young cadet's back. "It'll come to ya naturally!" Alchemo cleared his throat, starting to get a feeling of doubt that he might screw it up. When he glanced over at Hat Kid, she was giving him reassurance that he was going to say what needs to be said. She knew she would give the best support she can to ensure Alchemo took what he learned for granted, and he exhaled deeply as a result.

"Okay… I know Master Eon might have probably trademarked this, but… Skylanders, unite!" Alchemo called out with a bit of shyness in his voice. Roller Brawl got closer to the younger Skylander to hear what he had to say, with Pop Fizz pitching in as best as he could.

"Or not… depending on how close our darkest times must be and you can take all I want with a grain of salt, but just know we can't give up now," Alchemo continued, still feeling scared about how this was going to turn out. "Look: I understand that the Skylands is weakened without the Core of Light, but it isn't completely defenseless. We're still here. We're still alive. And the good news is: I know where all those Skylanders that have vanished off to are being kept. The guys I dragged with me to this world can't fight back against the Darkness on their own. The longer we idle around, the greater the chance is the Darkness would be too powerful for them to control, and it would be over for all of us." Jet-Vac and Stealth Elf overheard the conversation while they were patching one of the blue roofs, becoming rather curious about what point their only surviving rookie was trying to get across.

"You should all know this, right?" Hat Kid added, attempting to help Alchemo rebuild the confidence among the SuperChargers as they left their current work and listened to what the kids have to say. "You've been defending this place for who knows how long, maybe even since the beginning of this place's existence! It's actually kinda embarrassing that we're just kids telling you this kind of information."

"It… pretty much is," Stealth Elf replied, starting to get humiliated by just the thought alone. "But it wasn't our fault that we forgot. That clown who just showed up in our world began to mess with us a lot. He keeps telling us that everything is meaningless, that everything is just a game that has no major consequences. By the time we die, there would be nothing left of our world."

"Are you going to let the maddening lies of one who has seen no purpose of our existence in general determine your duty to the universe?" Eon helped out, his spiritual form floating down in front of Alchemo, Mags, and Hat Kid. "Are you going to submit to the darkness in your hearts, just as he desires? That creature is playing with your minds, making you think you are more insignificant than you actually are. You have the upper advantage. You know that even if he had managed to destroy the Core of Light, there is more that needs to be taken care of, like Kaos and his Doomstation. The only things Jevil will never have that you all possess are friendship and teamwork, those of which he can never take away from you. As long as you remember the importance of those working alongside you, and you cast out the insanity of those trying to steer you off the path of good, you can do anything."

"Yeah… Why are we even sulking around? We've got a world to save!" Roller Brawl declared, all the color in her hair restoring back to normal as she reconnected with her heroism.

"These new Skylanders need us, and we're gonna need them with our own team!" Jet-Vac proclaimed.

"Then get out those vehicles of yours!" Mags called out. "You wanna rescue your Skylanders?" The four veteran SuperChargers replied with a simple "Yeah!" in boosted confidence.

"You sure you know where everyone is?" Pop Fizz asked, raising his hand to alert the elf, vampireress, and sky baron about his question. "I sure don't…. I think. When is my birthday again…?"

"I think they're all located in Cloudcracker Prison," Alchemo answered, slowly but surely building up his bravery. "I don't know where, but they're somewhere in that place."

"If what you say is true, then…" Jet-Vac replied, aware of what needs to be accomplished. "Stealth Elf! Roller Brawl! Pop Fizz! Alchemo! Comb the academy and gather up every Rift Engine as possible. We're taking a trip to Cloudcracker Prison." The three SuperChargers beside Jet-Vac all ran off towards the remains of the Skylander Academy, determined to put an end to Kaos's shenanigans.

"Are you sure it's gonna work if we all pitch in?" Alchemo asked Hat Kid.

"I don't know, to be honest," the alien girl replied. "Everything is just flying fast before my eyes… and I kinda just want to get back to my ship and start over." Stealth Elf instantly reappeared in a green mist with seven Rift Engines in her hands, Roller Brawl with four, and Pop Fizz with three.

"These are all we found in the garage," Stealth Elf told the sky baron, taking out her own Rift Engine that was glowing with the Life Element. "Now let's take these Rift Engines to Cloudcracker Prison and rescue all our friends." The green elf tossed the Rift Engine into the air and brought out the Stealth Stinger. Jet-Vac, Pop Fizz, and Roller Brawl took out all their Rift Engines and summoned their vehicles, and everyone hopped into the ones that matched them.

"Y'all go on right ahead!" Buzz called out to the SuperChargers from one of the higher towers of the castle, his head poking out a window and alerting the Skylanders he was alright. "Sharpfin and the Dirt Sharks are slowly recovering, thankfully. Mags and I will try to fix this place as best as we can. Now go out there and save Skylands!" Alchemo lifted Hat Kid up to his shoulders, carrying her to Jet-Vac's Jet Stream.

"Looks like Eon's right," Jet-Vac noted, adjusting his helmet. "These rookies may not know it, but they can't do this on their own. We'll be right behind them before the Darkness can whoop them into next week! To Cloudcracker Prison!" A Rift of the Air Element was conjured by the Jet Stream, and the remaining Skylanders with an alien girl all entered through the Rift in their vehicles.


On board the Sky Eater, Kaos was sitting in his floating throne with a sign of regret on his face. He stared out of the window that was giving him a good view of the islands his Doomstation was destroying, watching as they crumbled in front of the void that was sucking them in. His golden-brown eyes began to reveal signs of guilt and worry. A Dark Drow entered the room to deliver the news to his master.

"We had just received word from the Skylander Academy," the Dark Drow explained. "The Core of Light has been destroyed by Jevil. Even though the Eternal Sources have survived, it will be enough to ensure that all hope in Skylands will disappear from your presence."

"...And what about Jevil?" Kaos asked in a softer and more saddened tone.

"He left without another word, glad that he at least got to spend some quality time with you," the Drow went on. "It won't be long until the Darkness has consumed everything, Emperor Kaos." The Dark Portal Master didn't say anything about the situation. He felt as though something was wrong, even though he was close to victory.

"Is there something wrong, my lord?" the Dark Drow asked. "Your silence isn't very reassuring…"

"No, no…" Kaos replied. "Just… leave me to my own devices. I need some time to figure things out."

"I understand," the elf finished, taking a quick bow. "All hail Emperor Kaos." The Dark Drow left the room, and Kaos exhaled a deep sigh as he slid out of his chair. The Dark Portal Master paced the floor, unsure of what to do.

"I just don't get it," Kaos told himself, still keeping his calmer tone. "The Core of Light has been destroyed, the Skylanders are utterly defeated, and this is supposed to be the greatest day of my life. I should be rejoicing and picking flowers for my victory. Why am I feeling that something's wrong all of a sudden?" Kaos glanced at the outside realm getting destroyed in his presence, gazing upon the world he was destined to rule. He didn't care if the place was turned into a wasteland wherever he stepped. He lived for the destruction and chaos that followed. So why was we worried that there wouldn't be anything left?

"I feel so alone," Kaos concluded, lying to himself even. "My mother should be congratulating me on following my own path to conquest! No… that's not it. What would Glumshanks say?" The Dark Portal Master cleared his throat, pretending the old troll had his say on the matter.

"'Oh, Lord Kaos,'" Kaos began with his impersonation of Glumshanks. "'Truly I adore all that you do, and I live to be of your service. It's just that you seem to be at an emotional crossroad on what to accomplish. You see… it is your destiny to rule Skylands. If you were to go as far as possible to rule over the universe and beyond, you would first have to destroy Skylands… therefore destroying your destiny.'" The Dark Portal Master began to suspect that maybe his own butler was right, even through just an impression of the troll alone.

"Hm… no no no, that was a horrible impersonation," Kaos dismissed. "What would- What would Jevil say? Hmm… 'Just think of what a marvelously, undisagreeablyifying chaos that's about to ensue. There's a world beyond that cage keeping you all locked in here by a simulation. The best course of action is to destroy everything in this miserable world and move on to the next. Your destiny stands for much more than that. Don't think you're going to throw it all away for a monster that isn't real, real!'" Kaos groaned at how stupid that impersonation of the jester sounded as he bumped the thenar of his hand on his temple roughly, and he sat in his hovering throne to contemplate that talking to himself didn't help in the slightest.

"Great… now I feel even worse," Kaos sighed, tapping his finger and rubbing his thumb over the blue birthmark on his head. "Glumshanks… I miss you. Please come back…"

"Sky consumption is at 98%," a feminine robotic voice echoed throughout the large, empty room. "Cataclysmic Mega-Rift reactor now charging." A single, red button on a monochromatic platform emerged out of the floor in front of Kaos, blinking slowly as a sign of encouragement to tempt the Dark Portal Master. Kaos's fingers began to tense, a weakened smile grinning across his face as best as it could.

Come on, Kaos! Kaos thought to himself as his forefinger hung over the big, red button. This is your moment to shine! Why are you tensing up this badly? All you have to do is push it and you can rule all that you desire. Are you gonna embrace it or not? Sweat began to run down the Dark Portal Master's forehead, licking his dry lips as he brought his finger closer to the button. This was supposed to be his destiny: the destruction of Skylands. Why was he worrying about it?

"Ngh… Ugh! I can't do it!" Kaos groaned, twisting the lever on his throne's arm to turn away from the button. "I just can't do it! There must be something wrong with me. No no… what if the Sky Eater blows up? Would I die along with all my minions?"

"Something wrong, Kaos?" the voice of Nefarion asked. For a good while, Kaos had completely forgotten about the pulsating magenta spire in the center of the room while he was contemplating his decision. "You don't need to repeat everything. I've already heard every word of it." Walking down the stairs near the center of the chamber was the appearance of someone entirely different. It was clear from the blackened clouds and the faint magenta aura flowing behind him that this was Nefarion himself, only that he looked completely different from every other humanoid creature Kaos had seen.

The being had a straight posture and a thin, graceful body that would tower over the mighty Kaos, wearing steel, dark-indigo boots that scraped and clacked silently across the monochromatic floor. The plates on his boots reached up to his knees, with the upper half of his legs concealed by a pair of black, baggy pants that were held up by a very dark-brown sash belt smoothly wrapped around his waist. His dark-violet long sleeve shirt was tightly swathed in a roguish leather chestplate, and his forearms were clad with metallic gauntlets - bound by black straps - that accentuated his wickedly sharp fingers.

A black, hooded cape bedecked with gray markings nearly impossible to notice flowed behind him, and a pauldron with defining features and embellishing edges was displayed on his right shoulder over that cloak. Inside the shadow of the hood was the androgynous beauty of the Nightmare King himself. Pale skin clear of enlarged pores, messy locks of brownish-gray hair, piercing, narrow eyes with red irises, and a domineering smile with pointed incisors: he had all the bishounen looks that Kaossandra described.

"Ah! Who are you?!" Kaos asked, frightened by the attractive personification of the Nightmare King's true form. "How did you get into the Doomstation!?" Nefarion laughed as the Dark Portal Master was foolish enough to not even know what he looked like.

"You mean you don't recognize me? Nefarion, the Nightmare King?" Nefarion replied, stopping in place as he ran his thumb over the edge of his cloak close to his neck. "To be fair, it's been a while since I've even had a body, and I owe it all to you. Under your guidance, you have reawakened me from death and brought me back to Skylands so that I may strike fear into the hearts of our enemies once more."

"Why… yeah. I guess I did," Kaos added, his right hand grasping his left upper arm. "But I've been thinking a bit: I don't know if we should take action just yet…"

"Kaos… hasn't more than enough of the sky been consumed to open the Cataclysmic Mega-Rift?" Nefarion asked.

"Well… I think we've got enough to destroy Skylands forever, but-" Kaos answered before shifting towards an objection.

"But what?" Nefarion interrogated, teleporting himself close to Kaos and giving the emperor quite a scare due to how terrifyingly close he was in front of him. "What is causing you to hold back the absolute?"

"Well, I was just thinking: what if we savor the moment?" Kaos began, jumping off his seat as he explained his plan. "Drive away all hope of survival from Skylands because we worked together, and rule over them for a hundred years. Two hundred, at least. Maybe three… or four. Because I don't want to exactly press the button until then. We would want it to be slow and painful, wouldn't it?" Nefarion sighed deeply, hardly persuaded by what Kaos had to say.

"Slow and painful?" Nefarion questioned, levitating a few inches off the ground thanks to the Darkness still streaming from his back. "Jevil admitted the truth. I found that truth. What difference would it make if we press the button sooner or later? It's still suffering. If we act now, our job's going to be a whole lot easier. The multiverse will disappear. The Portal Masters will be driven to extinction. Skylands will be gone forever. All you need to do is push that button and fulfill who you are meant to be: the ruler of all creation." Nefarion watched with anticipation as Kaos slowly approached the large button meant to release the Cataclysmic Mega-Rift, his malicious smile grinning a bit wider as the Dark Portal Master got close to the pedestal.

Kaos looked upon the button, still tempting him with the relaxing, reddish glow slowly blinking off and on. The Dark Portal Master's finger hovered over the button, getting ready to press it. He began to wonder if this was what he destiny desired. He wanted to rule over all of those pathetic excuses for civilians, didn't he? It was almost like second nature to him. Kaos glimpsed upon the destruction outside in front of the Sky Eater, watching everything he sought fit to rule disintegrate into nothing more than dust and streams of magic that were drawn through the cracks in the Traptanium armor.

Nefarion turned around until his back was facing the soon-to-be ruler of Skylands, hoping Kaos would come to a solution on his own. In a twist of fate however, the Dark Portal Master clenched his fist and pulled away, completely unaware of what deep end he sunk himself into.

"No…" Kaos replied in a softer tone as he turned around to face the Nightmare King, his voice rising a bit as he went on while leaving nothing surreptitious. "This isn't the way I wanted it to be. Glumshanks is right. I'm probably destroying my own destiny. I want to see Skylands tremble under my control, not leave it to your wishes… whatever they are. I won't be the one responsible for all the damage you will force me to do, and I might as well rule it with a fist that's my own iron. You are nothing more than just a tool designed to assist me. That's what the Darkness has always been. That's what YOU have always been." Nefarion didn't take the news very lightly on the opinion, and his eyes hiding under that hood and hair of his was enough to prove it.

"I... have waited for long enough!" Nefarion roared virulently, turning around and quickly pinning Kaos back in his throne with the strength of a giant. The Dark Portal Master shrieked like a wounded puppy upon being slammed into the back of the chair he was sitting in, frightened that the ongoing relationship between him and the Nightmare King was starting to deteriorate.

"I have kept the Darkness under my control for thousands of years!" Nefarion jumped down Kaos's throat with a sadistic scowl, the red glow in his irises becoming more apparent through the vicious death glare he was giving the small Dark Portal Master. "I was the one responsible for crippling millions of species throughout Skylands! I made a mark in this universe's history as a force not to be trifled with! So don't give me that bullshit excuse that I'm nothing more than your little pet that does whatever you command!" The Nightmare King began to cool his temper down quickly upon noticing Kaos was shielding himself from his remorseless stare, keeping his arms up to avoid fixating on that cold look. Nefarion let go of his grip on the emperor, his boots softly touching the ground as he backed away to give Kaos some space.

"A million pardons for my sudden outburst," Nefarion apologized, reverting back to that calm and sophisticated tone that he had before. "I just never really got the chance to vent all my frustrations in so long… In fact, I have never quite noticed how much you act like me when I was your age. Bratty, pampered, not caring about the benefits of the health of others. My own past reflected in the eyes of a new generation born from the aftermath of what I started. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

"Uh… what do you mean?" Kaos asked, his heart beating close to a hummingbird's in terms of the Nightmare King making his flesh crawl from just his presence alone. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was kinda wondering you would give me an exception after all I've been through," Nefarion responded, his small but malicious grin hidden behind one of the fingers that could claw someone's face off. "Showing me there are those that are up for the cause of fulfilling their lifelong dreams, and that whether on the side of darkness or light they know when to back down. Now I see you're no different from your mother. And that's coming from someone who has seen her cowering before me all those years ago, when she was just a helpless child. How she cried for her parents that weren't even there. She never told you… did she? How much power the Darkness has given you, and how easily it can be taken away."

Kaos felt his breath begin to stiffen and cut short as he felt the birthmark on his head fade away in a wisp of blue. The mark vanished from the Dark Portal Master's forehead entirely, causing Kaos to take fright over feeling completely naked without that mark.

"Ah! My thing!" Kaos exclaimed, throwing punches in the air to strike the Nightmare King with no effect. "What- What did you do to my powers!?"

"I'm just trying to prove a point," Nefarion replied as he walked over to the big red button on the pedestal. "Since when have you always been the one in control?" The Nightmare King slammed his fist on the button, terrifying Emperor Kaos with yet another glance of fear and control as he was starting to interact with the physical realm.

"Reactor core engaged," the feminine voice spoke again as the pedestal sunk into the floor. "Mega-Rift sequence initiated. Utter and complete destruction of Skylands commencing."

"All it took was one push of a button. Not even the tiniest bit of effort," Nefarion replied, walking past a weakened version of Kaos before lifting the small emperor's chin up. "If you really want your powers back, you're going to have to prove to me that you can rule the cosmos under MY authority, otherwise you might just spend the rest of your days just being… yourself. Not that it would matter anyway. Do you want to fulfill your destiny… or do you want me to kick you out of your own hovel just like what you did to Glumshanks? Think about it…" The Nightmare King's daunting gauntlet pulled away from the Dark Portal Master's chin as he walked towards the spire of neon violet and black with quiet, metallic footsteps.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" the robotic voice repeated across the Sky Eater as a loud alarm blared. Kaos scrambled over to the window to look upon Flynn's ship flying straight towards them at top speed. The glimmering essence of another world flowed from the Dark Rift Engine that was held on tight to Cali, Hugo, and Glumshanks. Flynn himself was piloting the ship as best as he could to avoid the gravitational pull of the growing Mega-Rift in front of the Sky Eater, and the very Skylanders set to destroy the Doomstation were none other than the Super Smash Brothers themselves.

"G… Glumshanks?" Kaos asked, surprised to see the very troll he banished fly straight after the Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction with the SuperChargers and Mabu. Nefarion slowly walked up to the Dark Portal Master's side, gazing down upon the SuperChargers delivering the strange relic.

"The Dark Rift Engine," the Nightmare King spoke, walking towards the hovering throne Kaos was sitting in and pressing the button on the seat's right arm. "Attention, minions of Kaos. This is your new captain speaking. Send out all troops across the Sky Eater, both outside and in. Make sure our new guests feel most unwelcome here. As for Kaos… he won't be of my service any longer. Prepare to eject him from the Doomstation."

"Wait!" Kaos objected, frightened that he would be thrown out of the very machine he built with his own army. "Don't throw me out! I'll do anything! Anything! Just give me back my powers!" Nefarion glanced back at the powerless Dark Portal Master, his red eyes remaining narrow as he thought of a way that could appease them both.

"You want your powers back?" the half-vampire asked. "Then take them." The Nightmare King snapped his fingers, and Kaos was hit in the head with a burst of dark energy. The blue birthmark he always bore was brought back, and with it all of his previous Portal Master abilities. Nefarion moved his finger off the throne's button, walking up to Emperor Kaos and glaring down upon him.

"Just so we're clear: you work for me now," Nefarion spoke with a soft but threatening demeanor. "As long as you remain inside the Sky Eater, you pass off my orders as yours. You stall the Skylanders for long enough if you want to remain in the front row of ruling over the multiverse. If you have any objection about that, then I might have no choice but to throw you out of this place… without any powers. Shame you haven't heard what I'm capable of, even without my mask and the Darkness inside me…" Nefarion began to release a menacing and intimidating laugh as he looked outside the large window to watch the Mega-Rift grow faster and larger, proving to Kaos that he's not one to mess with as the Dark Portal Master got on his throne and drove away from the menacing aura of the Nightmare King.


Flynn's ship was starting to get chased down by a massive fleet of Dark Drow aircrafts emerging from the cracks in the Sky Eater's armor, who were already starting to fire homing lasers in an attempt to gun down the ship.

"Uh, okay? Anybody got any repellent for all these bugs right behind us?" Flynn asked, ducking his head as he steered the ship through the darkened clouds.

"Just keep flying, Flynn!" Cali told Flynn, helping Glumshanks hold on tight to the Dark Rift Engine.

"Alright, so… any idea how this Dark Rift Engine thing is gonna work?" Sonic asked, holding tight to the railing surrounding the deck. "I don't think Kaossandra gave us any clear instructions on how to use it!"

"Do you see the levers attached to the Dark Rift Engine?" Hugo replied, curling up close to the back of the ship in order to cope with the turbulence. "They're in charge of opening a Rift that will suck the Darkness back into its realm. And hopefully Nefarion, since I fear he may have returned if Kaossandra is right…"

"You guys need to focus on the mission, alright?" Glumshanks added. "The Sky Eater is protected by pure Traptanium armor, meaning it'll be hard to tear down its defenses without getting to the inside. Our best course of action is to get to one of these Radiance Geodes surrounding that Sky Eater and blow a hole into its armor by detonating its crystals and opening it. They're responsible for protecting the Sky Eater, and when one of them explodes, the Sky Eater's defenses go kaput."

"Radiance Geodes?" Bowser asked, just about ready to use his Rift Engine for the Clown Cruiser to get off the attacked ship. "Where do we even find one?" Fox McCloud looked around to find one, with his visor to assist him in tracking it down. Peeking out from the clouds without being torn apart by the growing Mega-Rift was a massive, asteroid-like satellite festooned with orange-yellow pillars of crystals.

"Bowser! You attack those crystals over there and blow a hole into that Doomstation so Glumshanks and the Mabu can get in," Fox ordered the Koopa King. "Kirby! Pit! The rest of us are going to be riding on your Sky Vehicles so we can gun down all these fleets and help our pals get in safely."

"Already ahead of you!" Bowser told the Star Fox mercenary, jumping off Flynn's ship and flying straight for the colossal Radiance Geode.

"Alright, let's do this!" Pit exclaimed as he and Kirby jumped into their Sky Vehicles and revved their engines. Mewtwo and Ridley took to the skies with their natural methods of flight, while the other Skylanders climbed on the Sky Vehicles that Pit and Kirby were driving. Sonic and Banjo held on tight to the sides of Viridi's Voice, while Donkey Kong, Clementine, and Fox climbed on board the Star Sparkler's wings.

With the exception of Bowser, all the Skylanders flew straight for the massive numbers of Drow-piloted gliders as a means to protect Flynn's ship. Pit and Kirby fired their cannons at the first few batches of aircrafts flying straight after them like a swarm of ravenous locusts. For the other black gliders attempting to gun them down, Fox drew his blaster and started blasting, Banjo and Kazooie threw out stones and daggers, the Inkling released powerful soundwaves from her vinyl discs, Sonic kicked in the air. Each of the SuperChargers that didn't have Sky Vehicles resorted to using their methods of projectiles, such as Mewtwo using his telekinesis to crush the gliders and Ridley spouting fiery lasers from his mouth, and Bowser was busy firing Koopa shells at the crystals surrounding the Radiant Geode.

The Koopa King blasted his way around the massive geode as fast as he could, attacking crystal after crystal until there were none left. Soon enough, the geode began to split in half, revealing a pumping object coated with a honey amber-like substance surrounded by aquamarine crystals.

"Alright, time to blast through that gooey filling and give the Sky Eater some gum to chew through!" Bowser told himself, blasting Koopa shells at the inside of the Radiant Geode. The amber substance began to pulse faster and glow brighter, giving Bowser the warning that the Radiant Geode was about to blow. The Koopa King piloted the Clown Cruiser away from the damaged giant geode.

"You can do this, Bowser!" Cali called out to the Koopa King, by which he could hear her voice coming from Flynn's ship. "Kick that geode into that machine's mouth!"

"Yeah! We believe in you… or something along those lines. But we still believe in you!" Flynn replied. Bowser got out of his Clown Cruiser when he knew all of his other friends were holding Kaos's minions back for him to strike the Doomstation, held the Sky Vehicle's left wing until he was at the right angle, and shot himself off the tilted aircraft like a bullet. The Koopa King took out his flaming hammer and swung it with great force, hitting the exterior of the Radiant Geode and knocking it straight towards the growing Cataclysmic Mega-Rift at the top speed of a maglev train.

The split-second the Radiant Geode passed through the Mega-Rift and barricaded the Sky Eater's mouth-vacuum, a colossal explosion occurred, causing the gigantic magenta vortex to vanish instantly. The Doomstation was slowly tilting backwards after the cataclysmic explosion caused by the Koopa King, who was flying straight into his Clown Cruiser's seat. All that remained was the mutilated mouth of the Sky Eater, leaving itself wide-open for any intruder to fly into.

"Go on already!" Bowser called out to the three Mabu and Glumshanks. "This is your chance to install that strange engine thing right next to that wimpy Darkness! The rest of us will meet up with you in that robot!"

"You heard the Skylander!" Cali told Flynn, by which he spun the ship's wheel accordingly. "Let's go! C'mon! Move!" Flynn's ship was now flying straight towards the terminated mouth, safe from any dangers regarding the massive Rift.


Inside the Sky Eater, Kaos was slowly recovering from the massive impact the Radiant Geode caused, and his expression changed in shock upon finding out the giant hole in the sky was no longer showing up. As for Nefarion, he was not one to admit defeat that easily. As the Nightmare King remained suspended in the air, he descended to the floor and flounced straight for the control panel surrounding the spire of the Darkness while keeping his temper low and his fearsome stride consistent.

"Dammit… these SuperChargers are much tougher than I anticipated," Nefarion sighed, adjusting a few controls on the control panel to send out more troops to attack the invaders. "Oh, Kaos? I understand you have a pet that's been feeding off the magic the Sky Eater has collected. I'll be releasing it upon these trespassers."

"What? A parasite?!" Kaos exclaimed, marching towards the Nightmare King in confused curiosity. "I thought I told my minions to filter the Liquification Chamber of any pests! If a powerful monster like a Hydra is left alone to feed off the magic, it'll have disastrous consequences!" Nefarion didn't so much as turn his head to look down upon Kaos with those narrow eyes to spell danger, and the Dark Portal Master gulped since there was little to no convincing.

"Just for the Skylosers," Kaos nervously chuckled. "Not on us, of course." The Nightmare King chuckled with reassurance that he had control in this place.

"Don't you have any preparing to do?" the half-vampire asked. "By the time these aliens enter the Sky Eater, you'll be the last obstacle standing in their way." Kaos walked back to his throne, giving Nefarion quite an ugly glare when he wasn't looking. The Dark Portal Master sat back in his throne, adjusting the crown on his bald, large head.


"C'mon, everyone!" Bowser shouted at his friends as he readjusted himself in the Clown Cruiser's cockpit and flew straight for the Sky Eater's mouth. "We gotta get this Dark Rift Engine up to that Darkness!" While the other Smashers were surrounded by a huge fleet of more Dark Drow-piloted gliders, Mewtwo recognized that the Koopa King was going in alone to protect Flynn's ship.

The Pokémon's eyes flashed a bright white as he spread his arms open, suspending all the attacking aircrafts in midair. Mewtwo began to spin himself around in the air and use the dark energy around him to conjure up a mighty storm around himself.

"Follow the Koopa King!" Mewtwo telepathized, giving off an aura that the other eight SuperChargers should avoid. "Hurry!" The Star Sparkler and Viridi's Voice flew behind Ridley as they flew past the enemy ships surrounding them. Mewtwo drew his arms close to his chest before spreading them out, releasing a powerful storm cloud with thousands of scythes that looked like the one he carried cutting through multiple aircrafts at a time. The Pokémon warped himself towards the Doomstation as he tried to avoid open fire from the gliders that did survive his attack, even though they were minimal at best and he was already fatigued from the powerful attack he used.

Inside the Sky Eater's mouth, there were a bunch of twisted tunnels and steel trappings, opening and closing like it was the machine's digestive tract. Flynn's ship took complete care of maneuvering in each twist and turn, almost like it could make the rest of the way up the Sky Eater without the Skylanders.

"If we keep going straight ahead, we'll make it to Kaos," Fox McCloud advised the team as he tapped his visor to map out most of the Sky Eater, getting on his feet and adjusting his balance on the flying Star Sparkler. "I think Glumshanks and the crew can manage the rest on their own. But we'll be right behind them in case they get into any danger."

An alarm suddenly began to blare across the Doomstation, alerting whoever's in the Sky Eater at the moment about the invading Skylander team. Suddenly, the faint aquamarine lights began to dim as the muffled shrieks of multiple reptilian beasts could be heard circling around the futuristic-steampunk tunnels the Smashers and Flynn's ship were flying through. Mewtwo could feel the threatening presence of an enormous beast larger than the size of the boat Glumshanks, Hugo, Flynn, and Cali were on, and his guard was kept at an all-time high until the time came for the unidentified animal to strike.

Just seconds before tragedy struck, the Genetic Pokémon used his telekinesis abilities to instantly push the ship forward before metallic rubble fell on top of the Mabu crew and the troll butler. Bowser, Pit, and Kirby all stopped their Sky Vehicles midair to avoid getting crushed by the massive pile of wreckage that ambushed the crew.

"Sonic! Donkey Kong! Anyone! Come in, will you!?" Cali called on the tablet the blue hedgehog still carried in his quills. "What's going on? Where are you guys?"

"We're right here!" Ridley answered, swiping the tablet from Sonic's back and answering the Mabu. "Something just happened, and we're separated from you!"

"Well, go find another way in!" Cali told the flying Space Pirate. "We'll be fine up ahead! Just be careful of whatever caused that accident!" The tablet was turned off, and Ridley tossed it to Banjo and Kazooie. The fighters then began to hear a buzzing sound echo behind them, like a murderous swarm of wasps.

"You have got to be kidding me," Kazooie sighed, recognizing that there was a huge fleet of the aircrafts that attacked before, and they had got the SuperChargers in their sights. Ridley took a good look at the destruction that separated them from Flynn's ship, analyzing that there was something leaking from the sides of where the wreckage came from. Different tints of a glowing liquid tinted with the color of aquamarine covered the massive Traptanium metal scraps with droplets of that kind of fluid.

"Everybody, don't take aim and fire unless I say so," Fox ordered, aiming his blaster at the incoming gliders as all the other Smashers prepared to fight. However, Ridley knew there were far too many to take down, and he might be aware of the safest route possible.

"I've got a better idea!" Ridley objected, snatching the other nine teammates from the Sky Vehicles. The aircrafts Pit, Bowser, and Kirby drove reverted back into Rift Engines again, which floated back into the hands of their drivers. Ridley, thanks to his large size, managed to carry the Smashers through the large crack where the ominous liquid was leaking from. The other room was empty and hollow, with nothing but an entire lake full of this aqua substance that was also littered with metal crates and bridges.

Donkey Kong and Kirby watched as the Dark Drow gliders flew right past the crack without noticing their targets have long been gone. Ridley's grip on the heavier Skylanders was starting to slip, and he knew he needed somewhere to land before he crashes into the strange liquid. The Space Pirate spotted a large bundle of crates down below, and he dived straight for it. All ten Skylanders landed on the crates safe and sound, wondering what kind of section on board the Sky Eater they were in.

"Thanks for the save, Ridley," Pit thanked, stretching his angelic wings and glancing around the place. "Hey… Lady Palutena? Now that you've managed to get back in contact with me, where do you suppose we are?" The golden, holographic head of the Goddess of Light herself appeared beside Pit, ready to give her best advice to the angel.

"Well, I'm no expert on this universe after having not seen this place in a while, but from what I understand, this is the Liquification Chamber," Palutena explained to Pit and his friends. "It's basically where all the magic of Skylands is stored after the Sky Eater consumes it, and it's used as a power source. I'd recommend not drinking that magic since it might be completely dangerous for you, both figuratively and literally."

"Alright, you all know what to do," Bowser told everyone as the Inkling picked Kirby up and lifted him up to her shoulders. "Let's just go straight ahead and reunite with the other guys. I don't want my kingdom destroyed today. And neither my son nor minions are gonna suffer with that big-headed brat around." The group began to journey across the crates straight ahead, unsuspecting of the creature that separated them from the Mabu and Glumshanks following them while it kept itself submerged under the water.

"Hey, um… Fox?" Sonic asked, wanting to get something off his chest since the place was calm for the most part. "You know the whole thing about how my real name was Ogilvie Maurice, how I had twin siblings, and how I was born to a queen? I don't think any of those parts were real to begin with. Just thought I'd clear that out in case you still thought those things." The Star Fox mercenary glanced at the blue hedgehog beside him, not necessarily knowing what to say about the matter.

"Okay…" Fox replied. "Don't really know why you never told me this before, but thanks for some clarification." Clementine gurgled in her language, asking upon a random topic.

"I think Clementine wants to know if there are some things you guys wanna vent about, since we're pretty much alone here," Bowser translated. "I guess I can go ahead and start: I've been trying my damn hardest to be a good father figure after having reunited with my son for twenty years, and I guess we had plenty of time to catch up since we can't necessarily age."

"Clementine's glad she's living in a world where being trendy and fresh doesn't translate to who you are," Mewtwo replied for the Inkling after reading her thoughts. "As for me… I guess I'm starting to remember a little bit of myself before I became Shadow Mewtwo. I was with the Trainer, Pokémon left and right were being torn apart from each other… I could still feel the phantom pain of where the Shadow Synergy Stone was embedded. Pretty basic memories."

"I'm still wondering when I began to fight with you guys instead of against, even after ten years of captivity," Ridley pointed out. "Hope I find out why I'm not as vicious as I once was…"

"Where to begin?" Sonic confessed, looking down upon the magic streaks flowing through the glowing lake and the metal crates. "All I remember is my homeworld and waking up in Arcadia. Suddenly, I had the memories of every world in the multiverse. I've been telling you stories of your feats before you got the memories of them back, I spent ten years captive: one on the side of light and the other in darkness. Next thing I know… I woke up with you guys giving me the scoops on what happened (months after what you remember of me faded away), and I've got some robot hands to prove it under these gloves."

"Sure sounds like you've been through a lot," Palutena's hologram answered. "Any plans you want to do afterwards, Sonic?"

"I don't know, to be honest," the blue hedgehog replied. "I just want to kick back, relax, and let everyone else do other things. I can't be the one always running, especially when I went through so much. Hey, Kirby! Anything you want to talk about?" The pink puffball heard what the blue hedgehog was talking about, but he didn't really know what to say because it was still hard for him to talk.

"Um… poyo poyo-po… gakushū supīchi (learning speech)," Kirby answered as best as he could without pauses. It was rather adorable hearing the pink puffball speak better in another language since it suited him the best.

"So you're learning how to communicate better, huh?" Mewtwo telepathized, having some heart for an innocent creature attempting to talk. "We can kinda understand that." It was only a few seconds before Fox groaned, hitting his gloves hand against his visor.

"This visor's acting up!" the Star Fox mercenary explained. "It must be all this magic that's interfering with my signal."

"Same here…" Ridley pointed out, tapping the tablet he took from Sonic earlier. "All I'm getting is static from this device. Hey, Cali! Glumshanks! Hugo! Can any of you help us?" Just when things couldn't get any worse, the Smashers began to hear the animalistic growls of a swarm of alligators dangerously close to the crate they were standing on… only the growls barely sounded like alligators at all. They sounded like a strange mix between just those and the snarls of a bear, a wolf, a lion, and even an elephant's snore.

"Draw your weapons," Mewtwo telepathized, pulling his scythe out from his back. Palutena's holographic face vanished as Pit aimed his bow for anything out of the ordinary, Sonic pulled up his fists, Banjo & Kazooie got their floating Jiggy-shaped rocks and stone daggers prepared, Bowser tapped his claws on the handle of his mallet, Clementine quietly scratched the ink-coated vinyls by her sides, Fox's fingers twitched as he kept them over his pocketed blaster, Kirby got onto the ground and pulled out his whip, Donkey Kong prepared a spiky barrel to throw, and Ridley scraped the long claws on his boney knuckles against each other.

The team could still hear the strange growls as they got closer, and they began shuffling backwards until their backs were almost touching each other. They kept a watchful eye on the magical liquids filling the Sky Eater, and the beastly noises grew louder and louder… until they eventually stopped. Pit was the only one who could hear the sound of something heavy slowly emerging out of the water, and he slowly turned his head to see the enormous figure creeping up behind the group. The angel's eyes widened in fright, lowering his bow to get a glimpse on how huge and threatening their target was, his voice stifled and gasping for breath as he tried to warn his friends.

"G-G-G-G-Gu-Gu-Guys…" Pit whispered while stammering, catching the attention of Mewtwo and Donkey Kong.

"What is it, Pit?" Mewtwo asked the angel. The Pokémon recognized the fear in Pit's eyes as a sure sign something bad was going to happen, and it was becoming more apparent from the growing shadow behind the team. Mewtwo and shortly afterwards Ridley would glance down on the floor before looking up to gaze upon a massive threat.

"It's… It's a- It's a- It's- It's a Hy… It's a H- It's a Hyd…" Pit continued stuttering, reminding the other Skylanders of what was hunting them down. One by one, each of the Smashers looked up to see what they could assume were ten pairs of eyes in different colors staring down upon them with intimidation.

The monstrous creature's tail slammed in front of the team, having ten tips of different colors that wrapped around each other to coincide with the ten elements combined into one. The whole body of the monster was tinted a charcoal black with violet highlights and markings all over the draconic chest and front legs that were clawing into the crate. The color of the body seemed to fade into ten scaly necks of different dragon species that wrapped and twisted around each other.

One was a cyan amphiptere covered in snow-white feathers, another was coated in sandy rocks with gems for horns, one of the heads was a mix between a phoenix and a fiery dragon with lava cracks in its obsidian skin, and one was more of an aquatic serpent with gills and a fleshy angler. Another was covered in leaves and vines and had branches for antlers, another was a rotting corpse with a chunk of its skull exposed, another had a coat of shiny, violet scales mixed with a flowing frill, and one was entirely robot with cyborg-like eyes and tusks. Finally, there was an angelic head with white scales and a graceful, golden mane, and one more was a dark indigo dragon head with corkscrew horns and a violet mist streaming from its eyes and mouth. And all those heads looked down upon the Smashers with a threatening presence.

"It's a… It's a Hydr- IT'S A HYDRA!" Pit screamed, finally warning his friends of the multi-headed dragon that was just about ready to attack its prey. All of the ten heads lunged down upon its targets, hoping to grab a bite of one of them. The ten SuperChargers fled from the massive creature by climbing over its tail, and the Hydra roared from each of its heads as it crawled over the metal crates.

"Keep running! I'll take care of this beast!" Mewtwo telepathized to the fighters, floating into the air and using his psychic powers to lift the metal crates. The Pokémon threw the crates at the Hydra, attempting to ram them into its skulls with great force. The heads that possessed the Light and Dark Elements fired powerful lasers of gold and magenta to burn the crates into dust, and Mewtwo kept throwing more crates with his telekinesis as he flew behind his teammates.

"What's this guy's deal with us?" Sonic asked the Pokémon, picking up Kirby clinging onto the edge of one of the crates before he lost his stubby grip and fell into the magic-filled lake. "We didn't even do anything!"

"Does it look like it matters to this thing?" Ridley replied in the form of a question, flying overhead to escape from the Hydra like the Smashers. "We're just more food, so it doesn't at all!" The Space Pirate fired a powerful laser from his mouth, which collided with a violet beam breathed out from the head with the Magic Element. Ridley managed to get the upper hand, and the laser he fired collided with the Hydra and created a massive explosion that stopped the icy breath from reaching the Smashers.

"Oh, great," Bowser complained, he and his pals having stopped at the edge of a crate separated from the next batch too far away to normally jump. "Everybody got your golden mcguffin objects? We're gonna be flying off in the air." As each of the Skylanders took out their tiny Dot Engines, the petrifying roars of each Hydra head could be heard behind the fading blast conjured by Ridley. The massive creature flew overhead faster than they could react, knocking each one of them forward over the large metal crate and leaving them moments before they plunge into the lake.

"Our Rift Engines!" Fox exclaimed, having instantly recognized that the golden objects they took out flew out of their hands from the Hydra's powerful impact. Mewtwo tried to use his telekinesis to grab the Rift Engines, but the truck-sized, multi-headed dragon dived down into the glowing lake with the Rift Engines it grabbed in one fell swoop. The Pokémon was forced to suspend both himself and the other nine SuperChargers in midair with his abilities as they were just a few inches from the liquid surface. The Hydra emerged from the watery depths of all that stored magic, its smacking lips from each of those heads giving the Skylanders the terrible thoughts of what that draconic deity did to those Rift Engines.

"Oh, you can't be serious," Sonic groaned in annoyance, fully aware that the Hydra had the nerve to eat those Rift Engines. The only way it could have done that is if it obtained the gift of flight, and it accomplished just that with humongous, bat-like wings sticking out from the back. So the Hydra was basically a ten-headed wyvern, soaring high into the air with its jaws agape for the kill.

The Smashers soon recognized that the Hydra was going to eat them, and Mewtwo could read all their fears of being digested by a multi-headed dragon. The Pokémon used his abilities to throw Donkey Kong onto the head of the Life Element, leaving the gorilla to tackle those vines and branch-like antlers. This had managed to distract the Hydra long enough for Mewtwo to throw his friends at the beast before teleporting himself at the Dark Element head and clinging on tight to its horns. Each one of the Smashers held on tight to the head that matched with their assigned element as the Hydra crashed deep into the aquamarine liquid magic.

"Whatever you do, don't let go of the Hydra or even swallow that magic!" Mewtwo telepathized to the Smashers as everyone was submerged in all that magic with the Hydra they were trying to cling on to. "Now attack that thing with all you've got, but be careful not to cut off its heads! More will grow in place!" Mewtwo hacked his scythe at the back within the liquid magic, Kirby cracked his whip against the head he was on, Sonic attacked with rapid electrical kicks, Fox fired his blaster, Donkey Kong threw a bunch of spiky barrels, the Inkling planted subwoofer turrets that shot orange ink soundwaves, Banjo and Kazooie pelted the iron-tough scales with Jinjo-shaped rocks, Pit slammed his blades into the scales, Ridley slashed hard with his claws, and Bowser slammed his hammer with as much brute force as he got.

The Skylanders kept attacking with their skills before they drowned in the liquid magic, and the Hydra roared from the pain inflicted on its body. The massive dragon swam through the aquamarine magic, its violet marking glowing with raw power as it tapped into the energy the Rift Engines it ate possessed. The Hydra's ten heads created an enormous Rift composed of all ten elements in front of itself, soaring through the white vortex with the full awareness that it needed to shake its prey off first.

Once the liquid magic around the Hydra and the Skylanders flew off, everyone except for Mewtwo (since he didn't require breathing due to his role as a legendary psychic Pokémon) gasped for breath, with Clementine completely traumatized since she didn't even know if she would dissolve or not. Once the Inkling felt she was completely fine, she shielded her eyes from the flashing sunlight and glanced around a bit, shrieking when she found out they were several feet in the air above an ocean of shimmering blue water with a bunch of islands just several miles in front of them.

"Doesn't look like we're in Skylands anymore," Sonic pointed out as he held one of the Hydra's jaws open, kicking some lightning down the throat his target has and looking upon the scenery.

"We're probably at the Alolan Region in my world," Mewtwo corrected, flinging miniature Shadow Balls around himself to back some of the other heads off.

"How do you know it's your world?" Fox asked, tackling the heads with the Undead and Magic Elements. The Pokémon had the time to point towards a migrating flock of Pidgeots flying in the opposite direction of the Hydra, some even slamming into the fast-flying dragon unknowingly. It wasn't long before the Hydra conjured up another Rift, disappearing from the Alolan Region.

The Hydra was soon flying over another world it entered: the greenest green fields, pastel-colored stars embedded into the hills, cute and lovable Waddle Dees and Doos populating the area. Kirby instantly recognized this place, and after muzzling the head bearing the Earth Element with his five-barbed whip he stared out into the distance and found the exact same castle King Dedede lives in.

"Poyo! Poyo!" Kirby told his friends as they were still fighting the flying Hydra, reminding them of what he found before hitting the Hydra head he trapped with a powerful suplex kick.

"Oh, you know this place?" Ridley questioned. "Well, I don't think that would be important now if we let this Hydra know our punches!" The Space Pirate slashed at one of the Hydra's heads the moment the dragon entered yet another Rift, this time soaring over the top of an enormous mountain that was surrounded by a forest on smaller hills.

"How is this monster taking us to so many different places at once!?" Kazooie exclaimed in the form of a question as Banjo kept punching the Hydra's back.

"Who cares?" Bowser replied, breathing fire against the Life Element head while avoiding a deadly mist from the Undead one. "Let's just kill this thing and stop Kaos! What's one little brawl against a massive number of heads on a dragon gonna cause?" What neither the Smashers nor the Hydra knew was that there was some kind of drone with four propellers that picked up everything through its cam.

Somewhere, in another location of this world, a yellow dinosaur-like creature was sleeping with her head in front of a large computer in some kind of lab. She was wearing a lab coat that reached down to her legs and round glasses, and she was instantly woken up by the sound of beeping coming from her computer. The dinosaur jumped up in shock, surprised she got something through that drone. She was soon turning on the computer and looking through the readings, surprised to see the sight of a ten-headed Hydra flying through the air and disappearing through another Rift, with every scanner and reading she hooked up giving her the statistics of something important.

"Un… Undy… Undyne?" the dinosaur stammered as she called to someone outside the lab. "Do you have the phone? I need to call Sans. It's an emergency!"

The Hydra opened a Rift to another world, still attacking the fighters on its back as it flew across a strange new world filled with forests and mountains. Small droplets of the liquid magic the Hydra was soaking itself in fell down onto the forest floor, glimmering as it combined itself with the magic around to create something entirely new. Ashes and dust were drawn in from all corners, swirling around each other until they took the form of a strange man. He looked like an angel that fell from heaven, sporting locks of messy golden hair with orange tips. He wore a gray chainmail bodysuit and yellowish-bronze armor which included the following: a chestplate with shoulder pads, gloveless gauntlets, and boots. Each piece of his clothing gave him the obvious notion that he was a knight, but… he looked at himself in bewilderment and confusion. All he was left with were six unanswered questions while he stood stranded far away from any nearby civilizations…

How is he alive? Why did this happen? When did this occur? Where was he? What is he? Who is he?

The next world the Hydra entered was completely bland and white, showing an ambient background that slowly faded into a light gray on top. The numbers 0 and 1 rained from up above in a light shower, disappearing as they hit a flat, glassy, and possibly infinite landscape. The person living there seemed to be all alone, as though she was the only one in this world. She sported big, black eyes and locks of shoulder-length raven hair with a white band wrapped around the bang on her left. She sported a black tank top and a large, brown belt over her shorts, as well as glossy high heels that stretched over her knees. Last but not least, she wore a white ruffled choker and an ivory-colored coat with black ruffles at the inside of her hood and at the ends of her sleeves and coat.

She was miles away from where the Hydra appeared, but she could spot the creature struggling in the air from ten unknown beings trying to take it down. The woman could tell from the expressions what these warriors were trying to do: kill the dragon with all those heads. The decision to help the Smashers came to her naturally, and she quickly pulled out a strange kind of holographic screen to go through her inventory. She selected a move that allowed her to use two ebony pistols, and she aimed straight for the Hydra that was getting away to yet another Rift to a different universe.

Are you afraid of being something? a text-to-speech voice merged with a child's voice behind her. Behind the black-haired girl was some kind of monochromatic reptilian monster half her height, wearing a light gray shirt with dark gray checker patterns and sporting a tail. They had no arms and two horns on the back of their head, and their eyes were entirely white. The young woman glanced behind herself at the creature, her guns still aimed for the air.

It's not very often that something comes from nothing, the gray character went on. If the multiverse went on without you, would anyone care? Maybe you should stay away from their destiny. It's not really that important. The armless creature disappeared from the woman, simply gone without a trace in the blink of an eye. She lowered her dual guns, watching as the Hydra disappeared from the world she was trapped in. Her footsteps echoed across the empty world as she walked towards the aquamarine droplets of water that landed on the smooth, glassy ground, her black eyes lighting up in interest as she watched several tiny streams of magic flow from the droplets grow slightly bigger.


The Rift Jet-Vac conjured opened up in Cloudcracker Prison, and the four vehicles Pop Fizz, Jet-Vac, Stealth Elf, and Roller Brawl drove screeched across the crystalline floor as they hit the brakes in their vehicles. Alchemo and Hat Kid, who were riding with the Skylanders during that time, climbed off the Jet Stream. The four veteran Skylanders looked around the darkened room, their eyes widening in shock when they had managed to discover the trophies of every Skylander they recognized.

"You see, I had managed to follow the Golden Queen here to this place alone, and she-" Alchemo explained.

"Wait, you followed the Golden Queen here all by yourself?" Jet-Vac asked the young cadet, curious as to why Alchemo would do this dangerous activity on his own.

"Look: all I want you guys to know is that Jevil has been killing other Skylanders and bringing them here for some kind of personal collection," Alchemo went on. "I don't know why that's the reason, but he said he didn't want anyone to know what he was doing. I escaped before I could save anyone."

"My bets are Jet-Vac was about to be taken here," Stealth Elf noted. "If he was going to be put on display for an entire graveyard of exterior decorations, then…"

"Guys!" Roller Brawl cried out to the group. "Eruptor's here!" The team found the vampireress standing in front of Lava Lance Eruptor's trophy form, and her breathing was becoming faster as she recognized what happened to him.

"We have to help him!" Roller Brawl declared, touching the base of Eruptor's trophy form. The vampireress stepped back, she and her friends watching as the SuperCharger's plastic husk began to glow in a red flash traveling upward, glimmering with a fiery aura as the lava creature's body was restored. Eruptor, after having been resurrected by his close friend, fell down with little energy in his body until he was caught in Roller Brawl's arms.

"Oh, my head…" Eruptor groaned, planting his stubby hand on his forehead.

"Eruptor…" Roller Brawl whispered, consumed by the fact that nothing bad ever happened to Eruptor filled her with disbelief and comfort.

"Hey, what are you guys staring at?" Eruptor asked, curious as to why these four veteran Skylanders were looking at him with relief. Roller Brawl suddenly hugged the lava monster in solace, burying her face into his chest while weeping tears of joy that sizzled into mist.

"We're just so happy that you're okay!" Roller Brawl wept as Eruptor was caught in a group hug with Alchemo, Jet-Vac, Stealth Elf, Pop Fizz, and Hat Kid. "I thought we would never see you guys again…!"

"Yeah, well… I'm happy to see you too, even if I have no idea what I'm doing here…" Eruptor replied, breaking the group hug apart. "And look at that. You brought the two kids along with you."

"Yes, but the fact they're here with us is important for all of Skylands," Jet-Vac advised. "The Core of Light has been destroyed by that fiend Jevil, and we need all the help we can get to stop the Darkness from consuming the entire universe. Are you in or out?"

"Why would I be out?" Eruptor answered, transforming his right arm into a lance. "Skylands is in danger! Of course I won't let my friends do all the work! Why exactly are you here again?"

"So we can recruit all our pals back into the team and help the rookies!" Jet-Vac proclaimed. "They need us just as much as we need them. Spread out and revive the other Skylanders!" Hat Kid simply watched as the Skylanders went around Cloudcracker Prison and began reviving everyone that was defeated by Jevil by touching their elemental trophy stands. Various different creatures known to exist across Skylands were brought back in an instant, ranging from anthropomorphic animals and robots to four-legged creatures with wings and/or other body parts.

Stealth Elf was popping up left and right through a green mist, Roller Brawl skated at top speed and smacked her hands on each base, and every one of those Skylanders kept finding more Skylanders to wake up. Alchemo was also reviving every trophy he saw, from King Pen to Hot Head.

"Double Dare Trigger Happy! Does it feel good to be back?" the young cadet greeted like the others he saved, hugging the armored gremlin shortly after bringing him back.

"Me at my best!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, nooging Alchemo's head roughly. The young cadet ran over to the trophy of a strange ent with stumps for hands before he unknowingly slipped on his back after walking over a cyan Traptanium crystal. While the Skylanders he and the other SuperChargers rescued were recovering the rest of the whole assembly, Alchemo managed to crawl over to the crystalline shard for careful analysis. Hat Kid walked over to him, curious as to what he found.

"What is that?" Hat Kid asked.

"It's a Traptanium crystal. And of the pure kind too," Alchemo answered, picking up the crystal. "When merged with an element, it is granted the ability of trapping anyone stabbed with it and using said anyone to a user's advantage. I don't know what happened to the other Doom Raiders, but I've seen it happen to the Golden Queen."

"Doom Raiders…?" Hat Kid asked, reaching below her hat and scratching her head. "What are those?"

"Only the cruelest of the cruel in Skylands," the cadet replied, picking up the Traptanium crystal and analyzing it. "It's an entire legion of our worst enemies. Maybe they can serve some use to us…"

"Hey, look what I found!" one of the recovered Skylanders called out, holding up a golden Traptanium crystal that was sticking out from the waning number of trophies. "What's a Traptanium crystal doing here lying on the ground?"

"Same question!" another Skylander replied, holding up a gray Traptanium crystal.

"Gather them up in the center of the room, and as many as you can," Hat Kid advised the Skylanders across the different corners of the room. "Whatever they are, I'm sure we can find something out about these…" Alchemo looked at the cyan crystal he was holding, thinking he saw Dreamcatcher herself calling for help.

By the time the other eight Traptanium crystals were gathered up and aligned in straight rows by Stealth Elf, Pop Fizz, Jet-Vac, Eruptor, Roller Brawl, and a few others, some of the rescued Skylanders crowded next to Hat Kid and Alchemo. The crystals were organized in the colors of gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and indigo, referencing all of the elements except for the Magic Element.

"Stand aside," the ent with the stump mallets spoke, pushing some of the Skylanders to the side.

"What are you doing, Stump Smash?" the satyr with the colorful paintbrush asked.

"Them Doom Raiders are trapped in those crystals, and we need all the help we can get," Stump Smash told the team. "We'll be using evil to fight evil." The ent slammed his mallet-arms on the Traptanium crystals, each one of them exploding into different elements as a bright flashed in front of the Skylanders. As soon as the light cleared, the Doom Raiders were brought back, rubbing their heads and looking at each other in complete surprise.

"What in the goddang…?" Chef Pepper Jack asked. "Where the dickens are we?"

"From this cold atmosphere flowing around the room, I would say we're back in Cloudcracker Prison…" the Chompy Mage replied through the sock puppet on his left hand by using ventriloquism before appearing to talk to the puppet in his normal time. "Thanks for telling them, Chompy."

"Hold it!" Wolfgang barked to the other Doom Raiders, aiming his bone harp at all the Skylanders surrounding them in the room. "Perhaps all these Skylanders were responsible for bringing us here just so they could imprison us in this place!" Most of the Doom Raiders readied their weapons and magical abilities, ready to attack without a second thought… until the Golden Queen called off the attack.

"Wait," the Golden Queen told her subjects, pushing Wolfgang's bone harp to the side. "If we try to take them all down, we'll be outnumbered a hundred to one. And if you were stupid enough to see past these odds, then chances are they would lock us up here. Besides, I don't think they would be rescuing us unless they have some explaining to do. Speak, Skylanders. Why did you free us?" The Golden Queen pointed her staff at a few of the veteran Skylanders, to which Jet-Vac was happy to oblige replying to.

"It must be hard to understand, but rest assured: we all hate Jevil just as much as you do," Jet-Vac answered. "We know that whole thing with the Sky Eater is his and Kaos's mess, and we're going to clean it up with as much firepower as we got. A group of ragtag SuperChargers have recently joined the fight, and we're going to help them all out. Just this once, we are going to team up and take down the Darkness, the very force that plans to destroy all of Skylands and leave nothing left." The Doom Raiders exchanged glances, intrigued by how this was going to play out.

"And what's in it for us?" Luminous asked. "We can't necessarily work for you unless we all come to an agreement."

"You have ownership of half of Skylands," Hat Kid declared against the wishes of the other Skylanders, who are all shocked at what she was doing. "But you're going to have to work for it to get it." The faces of each Doom Raider lit up in interest, wondering what kind of deal the little alien girl was trying to make.

"We're listening…" the Golden Queen replied.


The Hydra the Smashers were riding on was traveling through so many worlds in the span of just a few minutes, and already the Smashers were feeling exhausted from attacking the Hydra's back. Even a few fighters, like the Inkling and Donkey Kong, were becoming airsick. The multi-headed dragon flew through yet another Rift, soaring across a world where the sky was covered in a redness of blood that blotted out the sky.

Kirby stopped fighting for a while to look upon the rubbish in the landscape, which consisted of skyscrapers that were strewn across the ground and buried in massive cracks in the concrete roads and ground. The pink puffball crawled over to the Hydra's left just to gaze upon the world that looked the same all around: a planet completely void of life. The pink puffball looked closely upon the only people living in this hellish landscape, completely encased in the shadows around them. And standing in front of these people was Mephiles himself, doing nothing but staring at the SuperChargers attacking the Hydra.

One of the faces concealed in the shadow gave Kirby a grim reminder of the nightmare he had before: the armor of a defeated dragon, the mask with three perpetual horns, the two katana blades. The pink demon's eyes widened in fright upon recognizing the person he saw in his dream: the Dragon King.

Thankfully, Kirby didn't have to worry much as he picked up his whip and continued fighting the Hydra as it flew into another Rift. Once the Rift disappeared, Mephiles watched as the magic droplets that clung onto the beast dripped into the cracks that were oozing with flesh.

"How are all of you feeling ever since you slept in Uryutaluch?" Mephiles asked.

"Never better," the Dragon King replied, him being the only one that wasn't hidden in the shadows like the other six devotees.

"Good," the crystalline hedgehog spoke, crossing his hands in front of his chest as his Insaniton slithered up his spiny back. "Kirst, there's a world where humans and monsters live alongside each other. I have gathered the whereabouts of the Air Topaz, and it's hidden somewhere in a mountain where all those monsters were sealed. By the time we use the magic that fell from that Hydra to our advantage, I'll be taking you there. Understand?" One of the faces within the shadows nodded their head, aware of what to do.


"Ugh… attacking this Hydra is getting us nowhere," Bowser groaned, noticing the Hydra's wounds were quickly shrugged off like nothing. "That's it! We're gonna be cutting off its heads and burning the stumps!"

"Wait," Mewtwo telepathized. "This Hydra is composed of all ten elements. Fire alone won't work, but thanks to my knowledge in elemental weaknesses and strengths we might have a chance."

"How do you know which elements work on which?" Sonic asked, kicking a head in the nose.

"While the rest of you were busy searching for a book on how to combat the Darkness through the Core of Light, I had managed to uncover a book that explores the strengths and weaknesses of each element in Skylands," Mewtwo replied by projecting his thoughts into his teammates's heads. "What I had managed to pick up is this: Earth beats Tech, Tech beats Magic, Magic beats Undead, Undead beats Life, Life beats Water, Water beats Fire, Fire beats Air, and Air beats Earth. Those of you that possess a certain element: cut off a head of a different element that's weak to yours. Make sure the heads don't grow back!" Each one of the Smashers drew out their weapons and ran up the Hydra's back.

Banjo ducked to avoid getting blasted by a powerful laser from the Hydra's Tech head, and Kazooie pulled out a slew of massive daggers to cut off the robotic neck so Banjo could jam the stump with pebbles and gems. Fox McCloud zipped through the Hydra's Magic head in a flash of blue, channeling the power of the Tech Element inside him to automatically upgrade his blaster into a minigun-like weapon with powerful lasers that cut through the glittery scales. Kirby held his breath to avoid breathing in the poisonous mist the Hydra's Undead head created, wrapping his whip around the boney neck and yanking it off the dragon's body with the head attached. Ridley buried his claws deep into the Life Element head's neck, cutting through the leaves and vines that made up the neck before slashing it off.

Donkey Kong jumped into some kind of barrel cannon, aiming straight for the Water Element head and blowing it off while he was inside a spiky cannon. Clementine took out her vinyls and pulled out some kind of ink-coated stick, attaching the vinyls to one end like a double-edged axe and beheading the Hydra's Fire head before she was burned to a crisp. Bowser swung his axe to knock the Air Element head clean off like a golf ball, breathing fire all over the stumpy end. Sonic made sure the Earth Element's head was following him no matter what, dancing around it while flying in a newly-created tornado until that rocky head fell off from over-twisting. The only heads remaining were the Hydra's Light and Dark heads.

"Uh… Mewtwo?" Pit asked, aiming his bow at both heads. "What about these guys?"

"Light and Dark are opposite forces of each other, meaning one element can defeat the other," Mewtwo answered, drawing out his scythe. The Pokémon slashed through the Light Element head's neck while Pit did the same to the Dark Element head. The swirling energy around the Hydra's body vanished as all ten of its heads were gone, unable to grow back from each element that countered them.

The ten Smashers flew off the headless Hydra's body onto a cold, monochromatic floor where the lights were completely a dim aquamarine, watching as the body of the Hydra fell down dead in front of them.

"Oh my…" Fox contemplated.

"Oh my indeed," Bowser replied, picking up his hammer. "Please don't tell me we're in another dimension…"

"I don't think we are," Fox told the Koopa King, checking his visor for anything in this place. "We've managed to enter another part of the Sky Eater, thankfully. If the outcome had been different, we might have ended up caught in one of this machine's moving gears…"

"This is Hugo! Come in, Skylanders! Are you alive?" Hugo's transmitted voice called over the tablet Ridley still carried along. The Space Pirate answered the call upon hearing the Mabu's voice.

"Yeah, we're all alive right now," Ridley spoke. "Say what you want to say or hold your peace."

"Oh, thank goodness you're all alive!" Hugo sighed in relief through the video chat. "Flynn had just managed to successfully sail his ship to the top of the Sky Eater. We're waiting for you to get up there and stop Kaos and the Darkness. Hugo out." The call ended, and Sonic took the tablet from Ridley.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get up there without our vehicles?" Bowser asked. "We're basically grounded here, and that Hydra ate our Rift Engines." Just as the Koopa King asked what they were going to do, they heard a rumbling sound emitting from the headless body of the Hydra. The necks began pumping out multicolored fluids mixed with the aquamarine magic, and flowing out from the fluids were the ten Rift Engines, untouched by the digestive acids.

"I guess that's our answer," Bowser noted, shielding himself from the splashing stomach fluids ejecting from the Hydra's body.


The roaring spire of the ever-growing Darkness flowed out from the center of the throne room, with Nefarion himself gone for whatever reason. Flynn, Hugo, Cali, and Glumshanks walked across a bridge over the empty chasm, with the troll pushing the Dark Rift Engine behind them.

"Oh! Sweet man-cave! Impressive ambient!" Flynn exclaimed, admiring the tongue-in-cheek look and feel of the room while Cali snuck around him in case an ambush were to occur. "Except for that lava lamp in the middle of this place. That thing's totally giving me the creeps."

"Um… that's the Darkness," Glumshanks corrected, having stopped pushing the Dark Rift Engine.

"Kaos should be showing up at any moment, so let's all wait here until the Skylanders come to us," Hugo advised, hiding behind Cali with a little bit of fear in his heart. Soon enough, the Clown Cruiser, Viridi's Voice, and the Star Sparkler flew above the Mabu and the troll from different sides of the drawbridge, and Mewtwo and Ridley appeared beside the vehicles so they could lower their other friends onto the bridge.

"We answered the call and we came here," Fox McCloud told the Skyland natives as the three vehicles above them reverted back into Rift Engines once again.

"Where were you?" Cali asked. "We've been trying to reach out to you for fifteen minutes."

"Really? Only fifteen minutes?" Pit asked. "Funny… seemed like more. To answer your question: let's just say we've been jumping to other worlds." The SuperChargers got to the end of the bridge, looking at the swirling pillar of black and violet.

"So… that's the Darkness, right?" Mewtwo telepathized.

"Down to the core," Glumshanks answered, positioning the Dark Rift Engine close to the spire. "But be careful when you go against Lord Kaos… or just Kaos. It's like someone's living inside the Darkness." Cali walked up to the machine and powered on the Dark Rift Engine by flipping its switch, both the Mabu crew and Glumshanks stepping back and hoping the SuperChargers would deal with the rest.

"Great," Cali replied. "I've powered up the engine and it should be ready to send the Darkness back to where it came from by the time all of you are done." The SuperChargers drew out their weapons and marched forward, hearing the ominous cackling of Emperor Kaos from up above in his hovering throne.

"You're too late, foolish Skylosers!" Kaos proclaimed. "The Cataclysmic Mega-Rift is almost complete!"

"Hey! You can shut those blabber lips of yours!" Kazooie snapped.

"Yeah! We're going to stop you and the Darkness if it's the last thing we do!" Pit spoke up.

"Better than anything you've thrown at us, Kaos," Sonic replied in a condescending tone. "What's the matter? Didn't your mommy ever change that soiled diaper of yours before you moved out of her castle?"

"Save your breath, you immature blue rat!" Kaos snarled, giving the hedgehog a slight bit of offense due to mispronouncing his species. "I don't have time to deal with the likes of you! Now quit wasting my time! All of you!"

"Lord Kaos, please don't do this!" Glumshanks objected. "The destruction of the Skylands will only be the destruction of your destiny!" Kaos could feel that birthmark of his about to be tugged away, with the echo of Nefarion's laugh reassuring him his life was on the line. The Dark Portal Master had a glimmer to change for what he desires the most, but felt like he would lose his reputation if he held back his ultimate power.

"I've made up my mind," Kaos growled from his throne. "Now… all of you! Prepare to meet your most ultimate of ultimate dooms at the hands of Supreme Emperor Kaos, dark overlord of the multiverse!"

"Stay behind us and keep a watchful eye on that Dark Rift Engine," Fox told the three Mabu and the troll, pulling out his blaster as everyone raised their weapons and fists. "Kaos will be down on the ground by the time it's fully charged." The SuperChargers stepped forward, feeling the floor shift underneath them. The ten fighters were lifted up into the air by a floor of gray tiles to confront Kaos, who was floating up to them in his throne.

"Now, Kaos," Nefarion's voice echoed throughout the room. "It's time to show how much power you have to take down these Skylanders."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kaos replied in a salty tone. "Just don't talk to me as I crush the sky fools." The Dark Portal Master channeled his powers from the spire behind him, feeling the raw energy of the Darkness flow through his veins as he floated off his chair. The battle between good and evil was about to begin.

Kaos teleported himself over the floor, sending out a series of small spiked wheels across from where he was at. Each of the Skylanders jumped over the small wheels towards Kaos, with Ridley grabbing the Dark Portal Master and grinding him against the tiles. Kaos created a large shadow orb that knocked the Space Pirate off his chest and launched another one at a random target from his hands. The shadow orb was aiming for Kirby, but Pit quickly got in front of the pink puffball and reflected the attack back at the small emperor with his Guardian Orbitars.

Kaos quickly teleported off the stage, where he was tackled by Mewtwo's flying scythes. The Dark Portal Master conjured up a shield around himself, aware it was the psychic Pokémon using that attack via telekinesis. Kaos was just about ready to send more spiked balls in his way upon having teleported back to the stage, but Sonic the Hedgehog dashed into him and pinned him to the ground using rapid jabs.

"And that's for calling me a rat!" Sonic exclaimed, ready to stomp on the Dark Portal Master's large head with a lightning-covered sneaker. Kaos quickly grabbed the Air Boot with his hands, slamming the blue hedgehog onto the floor and creating a powerful shockwave.

"Alright, miserable fools!" Kaos spoke, creating multiple versions of himself that surrounded the SuperChargers. "See if you can pierce this illusion!" The Kaos clones each pelted the Skylanders with shadowy orbs, and every time the likes of Fox McCloud and Mewtwo used their methods of reflecting every clone they hit disappeared into magenta mist followed by echoing laughter.

"There's too many of these buggers!" Bowser growled, knocking each barrel Donkey Kong tossed to him at the Kaos clones.

"Hold on, hold on!" Banjo told the team with a smug smile on his face, suddenly getting something he remembered that sprung up in his head out of nowhere. "I always wanted to do this~!" The bear cracked his knuckles and slammed his fist into the ground, creating a shockwave of Jinjo-shaped statues from the floor that instantly sprung up underneath each Kaos clone and hit them in-between their legs. The only one who cried in pain and who didn't vanish was the real Kaos, who was wearing his crown unlike the clones he created.

"Nice work!" Sonic congratulated the bear. "Let's clobber this guy into next week!" Kirby was about to attack Kaos with his whip, but the Dark Portal Master created two large versions of his three-fingered hands by his sides and yanked Kirby by his whip. The pink puffball was tossed into the air, but he was quickly saved by Clementine before he hit the ground.

The Inkling had transformed into a squid to cushion the hard landing for Kirby, and she quickly got him back on his feet. The music visualizers on her headphones pumped intensely as she threw her vinyl records like spinning blades, cutting through the enormous pink hands. The orange ink began to splatter upon Kaos, allowing him to receive more damage. His giant hands slammed onto the floor in different places, creating massive shockwaves everyone was forced to jump over to avoid getting hit by the fast-flying tiles.

"Yeah!" Kaos declared, the hands he created through his magic pulling out massive swords with pink crystalline blades. "That's what I'm talking about! Fear me and my awesomeness! Now even more awesome by the power of the Darkness!" The two swords slashed across the stage, gleaming as they released blue beams through powerful swings. The Dark Portal Master cackled upon seeing the Skylanders before him trying to dodge his attacks through dodges, and he quickly generated a shield around himself to block Pit's arrows and Mewtwo's scythes. Bowser slammed his hammer against one of the large swords so hard it shattered against his mighty force, much to Kaos's surprise.

"What!? You're all not dead!?" Kaos asked, slashing his sword across the tiles and creating smaller but more powerful shockwaves. "How are you still alive!?"

"Cuz we're more than you could expect from your average Skylander!" Sonic answered, kicking Kaos as he floated over to the stage to unleash some more spiked balls across the floor. "We're the Super Smash Brothers, and don't you EVER forget that!" The blue hedgehog zipped behind the Dark Portal Master and kicked him high into the air, where Fox attacked their big-headed enemy with a fast barrage of lasers from his blaster. Donkey Kong jumped high into the air and swung his large hands forward, dunking Kaos until he was literally launched through the floor by immense force. The Dark Portal Master was defeated as a result, since both of his darkness-induced powers and tiles vanished without a trace.

"Nice work, Skylanders!" Flynn congratulated the SuperChargers as they landed on the floor next to Glumshanks and the Mabu veterans. "You actually did it and clobbered the little guy!"

"Yeah. I guess we did," Fox replied. "Besides, he was nothing compared to the challenges we faced before." The sound of the Dark Rift Engine completing its charging echoed across the throne room.

"Looks like the Dark Rift Engine is ready to send the Darkness back to its original realm!" Cali told everyone.

"Alright, let's do this!" Flynn exclaimed, walking over to the Dark Rift Engine to push the main lever on the machine's control panel upward. "Boom!... Uh, boom? Something's wrong with my boom finger!" Just as Flynn was about to touch the lever, his hand froze in midair. Flynn soon realized he was completely frozen in a violet aura, and so were Glumshanks, Hugo, and Cali.

"I can't move!" Hugo exclaimed, struggling against the aura restraining him. The Smashers soon heard the ominous laughter of the Nightmare King around them, and before any of them could run away they all felt their breaths stiffen from being held up in the air by purple hands around their necks. As the fighters struggled and the Mabu and troll remained frozen, the Nightmare King himself made his entrance through the pillar containing the Darkness, clapping sarcastically from Kaos's humiliating defeat.

"I must say, I'm impressed," Nefarion spoke, walking past Kaos just lying on the floor and approaching the Dark Rift Engine just for admiration. "The multiverse is near destruction, and my victory is almost here… and yet you're all still alive to pester me. Bravo. Unfortunately, for all of you, your game's end is inevitable."

"Holy guacamole! The lava lamp is freakishly handsome!" Flynn exclaimed. "That's awesome! At least not as awesome as my own beauty, not to brag or anything…" The Nightmare King spread out his arms, and the frozen Mabu and Glumshanks were soon floating around in the air while the grip around each Skylander's neck tightened harder.

"Lord Kaos, please! You can still put an end to that Nightmare King!" Glumshanks called out, aware of the Dark Portal Master slowly getting up from his wounds.

"Yeah!" Ridley coughed, attempting to claw through the tight grip around his skinny neck. "I want you to tell yourself what to do! I want you to get mad at Nefarion! He's the guy keeping you as his hostage!"

"Second the thought!" Bowser groaned.

"You're all quite foolish, aren't you?" Nefarion laughed, walking over to Kaos as he was trying to get up. "Kaos only answers to me." The Nightmare King slammed his boot on the Dark Portal Master's hand to assert his authority and to also force the big-headed brat back onto his feet.

"Isn't that right, future emperor of the multiverse?" Nefarion asked, his furrowed and glaring red eyes glancing down at Kaos. The Dark Portal Master was about to say something horrid to the Nightmare King, but he sighed in defeat as he knew his servitude to the Darkness was futile.

"Just as expected," the half-vampire chuckled. "Guess all those lessons of handling your minions really… refreshed my memory. Gave me a sense of nostalgia for a moment. Now then… there's nothing left for us here. Let's destroy Skylands once and for all and ascend from this place. Crush that Dark Rift Engine and assure I'm not taken back to that accursed place ever again." Nefarion watched with anticipation as Kaos marched over to that Dark Rift Engine, charging up his powers to destroy that large machine for good.

"Hey, Cali?" Flynn asked for a last-minute confession. "Now that we're about to die, I'm kinda hoping you can use this little bit of time to pledge your eternal love to me."

"Nah, I'm good," Cali replied.

"Me too," Glumshanks noted.

"C'mon, Kaos! Is this what you want your life to be?!" Bowser asked, still struggling against that hand choking him. "To serve some freakishly glamorous overlord who doesn't care about what kind of destiny you have!?"

"Glumshanks knows what you truly want!" Ridley replied. "Trust us when we tell you this: nobody's going to tell you what you want to do except yourself! Just look inside yourself for once! Is this the path you've chosen?" Kaos raised his hands into the air, just upon the verge of releasing his energy orb upon the Dark Rift Engine. He began to think if this is what he's been living up to his whole life. If maybe his destiny was always in total control over Skylands…

Then something changed inside him. It had always been there to untie the knot.

Kaos quickly threw his orb straight at Nefarion, who quickly predicted the attack and grabbed it through telekinesis within the Darkness. The Nightmare King threw the orb back at Kaos, knocking the Dark Portal Master across the bridge. Nefarion's vicious smile graced his lips as a result of him knowing Kaos would turn against him.

"You missed," Nefarion chuckled.

"Did I, though?" the Dark Portal Master answered in the form of a question, fully aware he outsmarted the Nightmare King. Nefarion suddenly recognized that while he focused all his energy in deflecting the energy orb, Kaos had flicked the lever necessary to open a Rift back to the world from where the Darkness came from. The Nightmare King's powers suddenly faltered, forcing him to let go of the SuperChargers, the Mabu, and Glumshanks.

"Quickly!" Mewtwo telepathized. "Let's take Flynn's ship and escape before the Sky Eater self-destructs!" The Pokémon flew across the bridge, followed by Sonic dashing alongside him and Ridley gliding across. The other Smashers followed behind, accompanied by the three Mabu.

"Come along, Glumshanks," Kaos told his troll butler. "We're leaving. Oh, and by the way, you're unfired."

"Oh thank you, Lord Kaos!" Glumshanks thanked, running across the bridge ahead of Kaos.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Nefarion snarled, horrified by the decision the Dark Portal Master had made. "Do you realize what you've done!?"

"Nobody tells Kaos what to do except Kaos!" Kaos snapped, poorly throwing his crown at the Nightmare King. "And that's me! And I'm him! And you're history!" The Dark Portal Master dashed across the bridge, leaving Nefarion to be sucked in by a powerful Rift the Dark Rift Engine created.

The Nightmare King was feeling the strong gravitational pull of that massive Rift inside the throne room pull him in, and he was walking straight for the exit with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Nefarion managed to grab onto a nearby metal fence beside the bridge, unable to hold his grip any longer as the pull only became stronger.

"I have just about been done being your prisoner, Nefarion!" a deep and somewhat sultry voice inside the Nightmare King's head spoke, possibly the true voice of the Darkness. "Perhaps it would be best if we face the inevitable together to prevent you from ever returning to Skylands!"

"No… I have gathered up enough magic alongside you to bring back my physical form. I will be the only free one," Nefarion told the voice, slamming his wickedly sharp fingers deep into his chest through a bright flash of magenta light. "You're the one going into that Rift alone." The Nightmare King groaned in pain as he ripped out the Darkness inside himself, his body becoming completely opaque and losing that violet aura around him. He was panting deeply as he looked down at his hand, which contained a black sphere containing the magenta mark similar to the one on Kaos's forehead.

"Nefarion! You can't just discard me!" the Darkness Nefarion tore out exclaimed through the mark, spiraling down the Dark Rift Engine's portal. "The multiverse would be mine for the taking! You will all pay for this!"

"Yeah… except I will deal with everyone first while you sit by the sidelines. Your dreams of destroying Skylands and beyond will be mine by then," the Nightmare King replied with a small devilish grin, running across the bridge with his long cloak trailing behind him as the Doomstation crumbled around him. As Nefarion disappeared through the door, the cries of the Darkness calling out to him echoed throughout the Sky Eater, exploding in a massive blast of fire across the very sky it consumed. As the darkened clouds cleared to bring forth a new dawn, Flynn's ship flew across the sky to escape the destruction of the very machine Kaos helped create.

"Wowsers!" Flynn exclaimed, piloting his ship away from the explosion with his Mabu companions, the Smashers, Kaos, and Glumshanks. "I can't believe the little guy actually did it!" By mentioning the little guy, he was talking about the Dark Portal Master with them.

"Yeah! That's what we're talking about when we wanted a big finish!" Pit laughed, twirling around on the deck.

"Way to help us push Nefarion back through that Rift, Kaos buddy!" Sonic told the Dark Portal Master as he hugged him from behind.

"Take your filthy, stinky hands off me, you dumb shrew!" Kaos snapped, pushing Sonic off his back. "I'm not your 'buddy,' and besides: your breath smells like old socks and chili dogs." The blue hedgehog breathed into his gloves hand and sniffed the odor for a bit.

"Tell you what: I'll bring a couple mints next time," Sonic told Kaos, backing away from the Dark Portal Master.

"So… what now?" Fox asked the team. "Do we just go back to our pals in the World of Trophies?"

"I guess so," Glumshanks answered. "I think now that the Nightmare King has been sealed back in his prison, the whole portal network might have been restored, meaning you can all probably go back to where you came from." The ten SuperChargers looked at each other, then back at the Mabu trio, the Dark Portal Master, and his butler.

"Well, it's been a wild ride these past hours, and we're all gonna miss you," Bowser told the group, he and the fighters pulling out the white pellets they kept with them all this time. "At least be glad we didn't try to kill you, Kaos."

"We're going to miss you too, Skylanders," Cali replied.

"Yeah… we'll be sure to place all of you inside the Skylander Encyclopedia," Hugo told them. "That way, we'll never forget your service to all of Skylands."

"This is enough to put a tear in my eye," Flynn wept, drying his weeping eyes from the back of his arm. "It's just…"

"Don't worry," Pit told Flynn, patting the dumb but handsome pilot's back. "We'll always come back. Alright, let's go!" The angel squeezed his pellet twice, only to find out it had no effect. Pit was rather confused on how it still didn't work, even after all this time. Mewtwo squeezed his pellet too, and so did Sonic, Donkey Kong, and the fighters.

"What the hell…?" Mewtwo telepathized, his enhanced senses picking up the evil laughter of the Darkness itself coming from the Dark Rift Engine's vortex.

"You didn't really think this was over, did you?" the voice of the Darkness called out to the SuperChargers, its voice echoing across the clouds that began to darken as they swirled closer to the violet Rift. Everyone on board Flynn's ship ran to the side to see a strange, black figure emerge out of the Rift, the powerful force of the Dark Rift trying its best to pull it in as pieces of the Sky Eater flew over to it.

"You can't defeat the Darkness, fools!" the Darkness's voice continued, taking form until it appeared as a titanic humanoid being with charcoal-black skin with pieces of the Sky Eater attracted to it like a magnet. "Skylands and the multiverse are all mine for the taking! All shall fear and obey me! I... AM… THE DARKNESS!"

There, the Skylanders saw the true form of the Darkness that grew inside Nefarion: an armored titan reaching out to them with a raven-colored wooden-like mustache covered in magenta veins and wearing the remains of the Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction like a battle uniform.

"Come to me, Skylanders!" the Darkness called out. "Face your inevitable demise!"

"Everyone!" Fox McCloud exclaimed, putting away his pellet and pulling out his Rift Engine. "Get all your vehicles! We have to find a way to push this guy back to his realm before he can destroy all our worlds! Everything we've been through has been leading us to this moment!" The Darkness laughed triumphantly as it grabbed all ten of the SuperChargers aboard Flynn's ship by the time they all got their Rift Engines pulled out, stretching out from its Rift and pulling the team into the portal the Dark Rift Engine created.

"Skylanders? Skylanders!?" Hugo exclaimed, horrified that something was going to happen to their companions.

"Please! Stop the Darkness or we're all lost!" Cali cried out, hoping the Smashers could hear the cries of Skylands.


Clementine, Bowser, Sonic, Banjo & Kazooie, Donkey Kong, Ridley, Pit, Mewtwo, Fox, and Kirby were all carried across a powerful wind flowing all around them, carrying them to face off against the true sentient force that was the Darkness. Colors of indigo and violet swirled all around them in some sort of tube, and the only Pokémon in the team threw his Rift Engine onto whatever ground there was inside this eerie vortex. It somehow spawned Giratina's Quad as a result, and Mewtwo sat in the Land Vehicle and revved its engine.

"Alright, let's do this!" Sonic exclaimed, tossing his own Rift Engine onto the swirling ground and bringing forth the Flash Drifter. One by one, each of the Skylanders pulled out their Rift Engines and spawned in their vehicles, with the Sea Vehicles submerged in the strange surface all around them like it was water and the Sky Vehicles soaring over them.

"Now that I'm free from that accursed Nefarion, I can finally destroy all of Skylands as I wish!" the Darkness declared, ready to challenge these weak Skylanders at this moment. "Come to me and face your ultimate doom!" The ten Smashers all drove their vehicles across the swirling vortex, with the teammates piloting the Sky Vehicles shooting the Traptanium metal armor protecting the Darkness.

"You don't understand," the Darkness told the SuperChargers, unleashing a series of spinning pillars stretching from top to bottom like a web destined to trap its prey. "My powers in this realm exceed your own." The Land Vehicles drifted across the eerie ground, the Sea Vehicles plowed across, and the Sky Vehicles threaded the gaps, all attacking the Darkness with their own attacks.

"Sonic!" Fox called out to the blue hedgehog. "Time to prove how fast your vehicle can go. Drive into that Darkness at Mach 1!"

"Already on it!" Sonic told the Star Fox mercenary, slamming his foot on the gas pedal and driving straight past the crystals suddenly emerging from the ground. Kirby recognized what the blue hedgehog was going for and flew his Star Sparkler right into the Darkness's face at top speed. The Inkling kicked the side of the Salmon Devourer, the speakers meant to attack with soundwaves suddenly changing into megaphones stylized after the Killer Wail. The megaphones projected a series of concentric circles before firing orange soundwaves at the Darkness's arms. Sonic, having caught up to the Darkness at top speed, rammed the Flash Drifter into its chest faster than the speed of sound that the Traptanium armor was showing cracks all over its surface.

"Don't you know when to quit!?" the Darkness snarled, unleashing a swarm of shadowy drones upon the Skylanders as the space around both sides expanded around them. Pit and Bowser barrel-rolled to avoid the line of fire from the shadow drones, blasting them before attacking the Darkness with their Koopa shells and pollen-infected bullets.

"Your games are over!" the Darkness snapped, generating multiple copies of the mark on its head that was hidden by the "helmet" it was wearing. "I know all of you are from different worlds! When I'm through with you, I will make sure they never existed! I will be the one to cover the multiverse in complete shadow!" Each one of the Smashers drove their vehicles past the obstacles, firing their weapons and attacking that Traptanium armor to expose more of the Darkness while trying to avoid all these lasers.

The team drives straight towards the Darkness, knowing fully head-on that they were driving straight into suicide as the marks around them began to charge. As they hit that benevolent force with everything they've got, they knew they had a good run should the Darkness survive the blow. But it might not matter since the Smashers would already be dead by the time the lasers would fire.

Just then, before the lasers could hit them, the Darkness was knocked back harshly by a powerful blow from a boulder barbell aimed straight for its head. The Smashers soon realized that all those copies meant to fire lasers at them vanished as a result, and their Land, Sea, and Sky Vehicles slowed down as a result. Donkey Kong, Clementine, Banjo and Kazooie, Sonic, Fox, Mewtwo, Pit, Ridley, Kirby, and Bowser all looked behind their vehicles, surprised to find someone else had attacked the Darkness.

The Skylander that had just thrown that boulder barbell was a crystalline humanoid carrying another one of them on her back. She was positioned on the nose of the Jet Stream, to which Jet-Vac himself poked his head out from his Sky Vehicle's cockpit.

"Hello, fellow Skylanders!" Jet-Vac called out to the Smashers. "Need a helping hand? Or two hundred?" The SuperChargers that were currently fighting the Darkness looked in awe at the alliance behind them: their eyes widening up in complete surprise to see an entire army of Skylanders riding into the fight with a bunch of Land, Sky, and Sea Vehicles at their disposal.

"What!? How is this possible!?" Bowser asked in disbelief. "We thought some of you were still moping back at the academy!"

"You can probably thank us two," Hat Kid told them, climbing on top of the Tomb Buggy with Alchemo.

"Hat Kid? Alchemo?" Sonic asked. "Wait… you two actually convinced Roller Brawl and the others?"

"What we've managed to do is take inspiration from you guys and help bring back their hope," Alchemo explained. "Well, it was mostly their self-understanding for a truer purpose. All we kinda did was convince them it exists."

"And us," the Golden Queen told the team, she and the Doom Raiders riding on top of a bunch of Sky Vehicles, alerting the Smashers of their presence. "We were promised half of Skylands if we take care of your little problem first…" The Darkness channeled its own energy to cover itself in magenta lightning bolts, enraged that the Doom Raiders, of all people, were working alongside these simple folks.

"You too, Golden Queen?" the Darkness asked. "Wasn't Kaos's betrayal enough? You all will pay for this!"

"I suggest you rookies let us do the rest of the work," the Golden Queen finished, pointing her staff at the Darkness. "Now let's end this! Us Doom Raiders have a world to conquer for ourselves!" The SuperChargers drove their vehicles closer to the Darkness, and every single one of those Skylanders flew past the Super Smash Brothers.

"Hm… wonder if we'll ever get that many fighters into our team?" Pit questioned as the Skylanders and Doom Raiders used their abilities to tear off those pieces of the Sky Eater protecting the Darkness.

"No… I won't go back!" the Darkness exclaimed, trying to attack all these Skylanders with its powerful abilities. "You can't make me! You need me! You all will pay for this!" The Skylanders that could fly naturally unleashed their most powerful attacks on the Darkness as the Rift behind it grew larger than before. Each one of those vehicles fired powerful projectiles that unleashed finishing blows upon this being until cracks of white began to glow on its charcoal skin.

Before the entire area was engulfed in white, the Darkness cried out in defeat as all those Skylanders and Doom Raiders inflicted hit upon hit to push it into that growing Rift. Just like that… the battle was over.


The clear skies explored with colorful fireworks as all the Mabu and various creatures throughout Skylands cheered in victory at the Skylander Academy. The Super Smash Brothers were gathered near the deck alongside the SuperChargers, SWAP Force, Senseis, and other various Skylander teams gathered throughout this world's history, with Hat Kid hanging out by their side.

"You see, Hugo?" Flynn told the four-eyed Mabu, acting like he knew what was going to happen all along. "I told you everything was going to be alright."

"Actually, you were kinda like 'ThAt SkY eATer ThiNGy MiGhT pRoBabLy eAt uS aLL FiRsT," Cali objected, mocking Flynn through an impersonation of him. Sonic burst into laughter upon the feminine Mabu trying to mimic the himbo pilot.

"That… That was a good impersonation," Sonic giggled, applauding Cali. "You really nailed that one out of the park."

"Hey! What matters is it was a team effort," Flynn told the group, hugging Fox McCloud and Donkey Kong alongside Roller Brawl and Eruptor. "We all pulled together in the end because we worked together… well, it was mostly me."

"Uh… no it wasn't," Pit tried to tell, with Stealth Elf setting down her wooden minigun and placing her hand on his chest as a way to tell the angel that it was alright if someone felt a little boastful for something they hardly did. Eon's spiritual form appeared in a mist of blue in front of the Smashers and the Skylanders.

"Thanks to all of you, the Darkness has been defeated, and all our troubles are finally over," Eon told the group.

"Ha! Far from over, we might say," Kaos called out to Eon and the Skylanders. Standing at the deck was the Dark Portal Master himself, accompanied by his rehired troll Glumshanks and the Doom Raiders. Glumshanks was carrying a stack of suitcases in which Kaos packed all his stuff, trembling as he tried to balance himself.

"Just never mind all the horrendously evil horrors just waiting to come and conquer Skylands!" Kaos told the team. "If there's going to be anyone conquering all of Skylands, it's going to be me! And the Doom Raiders."

"Besides, it was part of the deal," Dr. Krankcase spoke up. "We help you defeat the Darkness and in return we would conquer Skylands by our own benefits." Everyone except Kaos and the Golden Queen replied in agreement, with Hat Kid wiping the sweat from her face.

"Uh, I can explain," Hat Kid chuckled nervously. "They knew we needed help, and I sealed the deal in some way. Please forgive me..."

"Eh, it's alright, lass," Gill Grunt told the alien girl, his webbed hands gripping tight to his trident. "We'll deal with 'em the same way we deal with breakfast."

"So until our powers fully recover, we'll be hiding out somewhere you'll never find us, and we'll be ready by the time we attack with another dastardly evil plan," the Golden Queen told the group, with a large jet floating up to the deck. That was the cue for the Doom Raiders to leave the Skylander Academy.

"Eh, it only seems fair," Ridley told the other Skylanders. "You win some, you lose some. At least the Darkness didn't destroy everything."

"So long, Skylosers!" Kaos spoke as Glumshanks carried all of his luggage into the jet across the drawbridge behind the Golden Queen and her subjects. Before the Dark Portal Master walked into the jet to fly off from the academy, he glanced back at the new Skylanders that helped show him the truth of where his true destiny lies.

"And thanks for your support," Kaos mumbled under his breath so quietly nobody could hear him. Soon enough, the jet flew off with Kaos, disappearing into the sunlight to places unknown.

"Now are we sure we should let them dangerous criminals run off like that?" Mags asked.

"Well, it would allow us to get the upper hand against them in case of a future battle, and we best be prepared until then," Buzz told the team.

"And at least there would be nothing to disrupt the portal network in a dangerous way, now that it's been fixed," Eon notified.

"Well, I guess we're gonna be leaving for real this time," Fox informed all of the Skylanders. "We must say: it's been a fun ride, and we'd love to stay here, but: our duty is to protect other worlds from various dangers, and we're always open to new Smashers to recruit… if you're determined enough."

"And hey: it was kinda interestin' how we've all heard you can turn into trophies like us, so maybe you might stop over at Arcus in case one of you guys might be another fighter we're looking for," Banjo apprised. "And… at least we'll have these fancy clothes to remember this world by."

"We're always gonna be your SuperChargers," Kazooie squawked. "Come along, Hat Kid. You wanna head back to your ship? We've got a couple spares in Banjo's backpack." The alien girl walked over to the Super Smash Brothers, taking a pellet given to her by the armored Breegull. Alchemo was starting to become more curious about the world the fighters wanted to go back to, and he glanced up at Eon for permission if he wanted to go with them. Much to his surprise the spiritual Portal Master nodded his head, aware that the young cadet might learn the potential of teamwork elsewhere.

"Can… Can I come with you guys too?" Alchemo asked. "I want to learn more about your world, and I've never exactly been anywhere else outside of Skylands. This place: Arcus… I want to live in it. Learn more about it. Hone my skills there." The Smashers exchanged glances shortly before Mewtwo used his telekinesis to toss the young cadet a spare pellet.

"Welcome aboard, kid," Sonic told the young cadet, adjusting his blazer as he took out his pellet alongside the others.

"Oh, you're all not going anywhere…" Flynn spoke in a menacing tone, intimidating some of the easily-frightened teammates a bit. "Not without a big, epic, MEGA boom!"

"Was that it?" Pit asked. "I thought you were serious for a moment there."

"I knew it all along," Mewtwo telepathized, having read Flynn's mind and fully aware he was joking.

"I know where this is going," Sharpfin chuckled.

"Okay, everyone," Flynn told Hugo, Cali, Sharpfin, Mags, Buzz, Hat Kid, the Smashers, and all the Skylanders. "It's all in the timing, and we're going to make this special for our buddies. Let's try it all together. We're gonna miss you, little buggers."

"Again: we'll always come back," Fox reassured the Mabu pilot.

"Alright: everyone ready?" Flynn asked, making sure everyone on the team (except for Eon) got the memo of what's coming next. "One… two… three…"

"Boom!" Everyone struck their various poses at the same time, all shouting Flynn's simple catchphrase. Some of the Skylanders were chuckling from that, and the only Skylanders that arrived from other worlds were just about ready to leave with the young cadet and the girl with the hat.

"Now that was awesome!" Flynn called out, caught in Mags's arms as he fell over from how great that catchphrase's impact had. Pop Fizz, Jet-Vac, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, and Roller Brawl all hugged the Smashers with tearful goodbyes.

"We're always gonna think about you," Roller Brawl wept joyfully, trying to contain the tears in her eyes. "Thanks for all your help. And thanks, Sonic. Thank you for showing me heroism."

"Anytime, partner," Sonic answered, keeping his distance from everyone as best as he could.

"You might wanna make sure you're not touching anyone," Fox told Alchemo and Hat Kid, and the group made sure no one around them, including themselves, was even close to skin contact. The Star Fox mercenary squeezed his pellet twice, and it worked for real as he disappeared in a flash of white. The young cadet and the alien girl tested their pellets, and they disappeared too as Alchemo waved goodbye to his fellow Skylanders. Bowser, Sonic, Clementine, Banjo and Kazooie, Donkey Kong, Ridley, Pit, Kirby, and Mewtwo disappeared too.

"Yeah…" Jet-Vac sighed. "They'll come back one day. I'm sure of it."


Deep within the Falling Forest, the cloaked figure of Nefarion walked across the forest floor while concealed by the darkened clouds floating overhead. The Nightmare King stopped at a clearing, watching as Jevil approached him from up ahead.

"I was wondering when you would arrive, arrive," Jevil spoke in a calm tone, his yellow pupils glimmering from his eye sockets. "I have what you need to survive." The Darkner walked up to Nefarion, pulling out the completed Mask of Power from his cape. The Nightmare King pried it from Jevil's hands, feeling what little to no energy was flowing through it.

"Its powers… They're lacking in quantity…" Nefarion replied, looking down at the jester.

"For the time being," Jevil advised. "Since it had been split apart for so long with you locked away, it would take a while, while until you get your powers back. Now then… my summoners and I request something from you. You know what I'm talking about."

"I know," Nefarion replied, slipping the Mask of Power onto his belt while reaching behind his back with his right hand. Resting in the palm of the Nightmare King's gauntlet was an ace card that belonged to a heart suit, but the color it had was black instead of red.

"How curious," Nefarion continued in his usually relaxed tone, wondering what exactly Jevil would want from a thin piece of cardboard. "You helped Kaos bring me back through all that magic in Skylands… just for a card?"

"The greatest gift one can accept is an audience from one they truly idolize," Jevil replied, accepting the card with content. "Now that mask has the power to help you escape from this world and settle in another. You can rebuild your strength in the first universe you flee to."

"So it still has the ability to teleport me anywhere I wish, huh? Thank you for your servitude, Jevil," Nefarion notified, bringing the Mask of Power to his face and wearing it. "I feel just like my tyrannical self again." His red eyes pierced through the eyeholes in the mask,breathing through its silver and golden teeth as the eight serpents wriggled near his face. The Nightmare King turned around and extended his hand, creating a Rift composed of the ten elements in front of him. Nefarion entered the vortex, disappearing in front of the Darkner.

"That's it!?" Marx asked, floating out from behind Jevil with Kefka Palazzo and completely irritated. "You risked millions upon billions of lives for the complete and utter destruction of Skylands, and all just for a card!?"

"Oh, it's not just any card, little one," Kefka replied, taking the black ace of hearts from Jevil.

"Little one…" Jevil giggled, completely irritating the cosmic jester. "I love, love that name for you."

"It's. Marx. Learn it well," Marx groaned, keeping his pointed teeth tightly packed as he spoke before calming himself.

"Anyways, this card contains an ancient power long-thought to have been destroyed by eight hearts of complete purity," Kefka explained, showing the card to the two jesters. "However, a tiny fragment of this terrifying force has somehow made its home in this very card: the one our dear friend Nefarion found while serving as the Darkness's cellmate. And now that ancient power has grown spectacularly. Why… it could eliminate countless worlds in the blink of an eye if left to its own demise. Behold: what remains of the Chaos Heart." Jevil and Marx soon recognized that the large black heart in the center of the card was glimmering with an oily mercury texture, alien heartbeats pumping from it.

"Thanks to Marx, I have just about learned a few of the worlds out there, and I think I know of a planet that contains what we need to resurrect a friend that has had his game over for quite some time: our next guest… Dimentio," Kefka continued, taking the card he displayed to the other two jesters and sticking it into his sleeve. "I guess we can cross Jevil off the list. Welcome to the circus, Darkner." Jevil's face lit up in delight as he somersaulted in midair, giggling as he was starting to get used to being accompanied by new people. Marx rolled his eyes, still thinking he could have been Mephiles's one-man army.

"Hey, it already felt strange to us that three months passed here when we've been going through this just yesterday," Kefka questioned. "Curious..."

"Well, time affects places differently," Marx replied. "To us, it was yesterday, but to some it's been a hundred years."


"It feels good to be back," Fox sighed as he walked off the transporter that was always aboard the Legacy, followed by Hat Kid and Alchemo.

"I get my fancy costume looks good and all, but I just wanna get this sweaty armor off me," Bowser growled, accompanied by Pit, Kirby, Sonic, and Inkling.

"Yeah…" Banjo sighed, tugging on the collar of his shirt to let out some steam while Kazooie ruffled her feathers and Mewtwo, Ridley, and Donkey Kong. "I just want to undress from these clothes. Maybe put our Rift Engines somewhere safe."

"Rift Engines?" Cloud Strife asked them, his voice coming from the entrance to the room. "Where were you guys this whole time?" The 1st-class SOLDIER stepped into the light of the transporter's faint glow, surprising the SuperChargers greatly.

"In some place called the Skylands. We were just fixing your problem with the portal network," Sonic answered. "Why do you need to know?"

"Because we've been on hold trying to contact you for hours!" Link replied, walking up next to Cloud and appearing alongside him. "And Palutena's powers weren't doing much justice."

"What… What's going on, guys?" Pit asked, confused by what the blond-haired swordsmen were babbling about. Just then, Dante, Min Min, Shulk, and Robin entered the room.

"We came here shortly before you arrived," Shulk explained. "I had managed to predict a future where you all won against some kind of force that was going to destroy our worlds. All of the other fighters are waiting for you at the Smash Fortress. They were asking if you could clear things up on what exactly happened."

"What? Why?" Kazooie asked.

"So they can understand where the source of their troubles with the portal network came from and would like to hear your side of the story," a laid-back and flippant voice different from the fighters in front of the rookie Skylanders answered. Squeezing between Link and Dante was a short, paunchy skeleton standing a little over 4 feet, a wide toothy grin and large eye sockets with white pupils gracing his face. The strange undead creature was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue, unzipped blue hoodie over it, a pair of black shorts with white lining running down on it, and salmon-pink slippers with white socks.

"Heya," the skeleton greeted, his bones hardly rattling as he walked up to the SuperChargers. "I take it you all haven't met me, huh? Yeah, I understand. Anyways, you wearing some fancy Halloween costumes? That's hilarious. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. Pleasure to meet the lot of you." The skeleton extended his left hand as a greeting, with the boney fingers a bit stubby. The Smashers, who had just recently exited the portal with Alchemo and Hat Kid, simply stood there in great confusion.