Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders

by Tilde-Heart

Chihiro Hatsuki is an ordinary Earth kid whose life is turned upside down when the Skylanders, the magical guardians of another world, land in her backyard and promptly tell her that she's a magical portal master! Now, Chihiro must help the Skylanders defeat their archenemy Kaos and restore the Core of Light that protects their world. (Canon-divergent retelling of SSA)

24. Chapter 24

Alright, the poll has ended and splitting this chapter (and future chapters of similar length) has won! Thanks for your input, everyone! Now, into the next chapter!

Greenswitch: Glad to see that somebody referenced the little nod to the Giants! As for the people in that painting, well, I can't really say much other than you'll just have to wait and see! (also, went ahead and fixed the issue you talked about!)

Watch Seeker: Chihiro sure messed up, huh? I do wonder how she's going to take this one... (Wink)

Anyways, those comic plot ideas sound pretty interesting! And if you mean like people related through their parents getting married to other people's parents (I.e. the general meaning of step-siblings), then yes, step-siblings is the word you're looking for!

---

"Just worry about getting better, alright? We're taking care of things plenty over here!" Chihiro shouted as she swung around the door to Hex's infirmary room and slammed it backwards, "Get well soon, Hex!"

As the door slammed shut, however, that brief moment of happiness fleeted from her heart as fast as her smile dripped away from her face. Chihiro could only heave a sigh as she spun around and pressed her back against the wall, then yet another sigh escaped her as she slunk down and stared at the ceiling. With a wave of her hands, she summoned up a magical checklist and flipped through its pages, all records of the things she'd been doing in the past couple days—reminders to check on Cynder, Hex and Roaster in the infirmary, potential leads and locations to the Eternal Undead Source, missions that needed to be checked out...

And yet, nothing had gotten the Eternal Undead Source back in their hands.

"Day five, still no sign of the Eternal Undead Source's new whereabouts."

Chihiro tossed her checklist into the air and watched as it disappeared into thin air and sparkles, then spun her finger against the cool tile of the infirmary's floors. Though nobody would hear other than herself, reiterating things like this seemed to give her some mental clarity, so at least her verbal records were good for something.

"With Kaos keeping it masked from the Far-Viewer, we've had to resort to the old-fashioned way of doing things… But it isn't doing us any good."

Chihiro slowly pulled herself off the ground and bit her lip, then inched closer to the glass window on the room to Hex's door. A part of her hesitated to peer inside, but a bigger part of her pushed her forward just enough to sneak a quick peek inside.

Hex's infirmary room was clean and pristine as ever, aside from the few skulls that rested on her nightstand just to make things a little more homey for her and the remaining dishes of that morning's breakfast that still had yet to be taken back to the infirmary kitchens to be washed. Hex herself was practically drowned underneath the massive comforters that laid on her bed, the only visible parts of her being her head and a bandaged arm that laid on top of the comforters. She looked… Eerily peaceful as she slept, a bit of a surprise to Chihiro—she had always thought the undead had no need for sleep, but she supposed she was wrong.

"Cynder, Hex and Roaster are getting better, but even with all the stuff we've got here they aren't back to prime. Whirlwind said they'd need at least a few more days before they could go back into the field."

And they wouldn't be like this if not for me, Chihiro had wanted to add, but she was sure that nobody wanted to hear her self-depreciation, even herself, so she let it rest in the bowels of her mind.

Her eyes stung a bit as she placed a hand on the window, a hand she soon clasped as she drew away from the door and pressed herself against the wall. Though she wasn't particularly sad or mopey, the feeling she felt wasn't necessarily a good feeling. It was a kind of numbness, something that made the entire day a blur she could barely remember. Chihiro squeezed her clasped hand into a fist, and some of the numbness shook itself off… But it didn't entirely cure how… How off everything around her felt.

Chihiro slunk back down on the floor again, then sighed as she sat down and laid her arms on her legs.

"… Y'know," Chihiro whispered as she looked aside, "Ever since Kaos beat me up that time, I've been so obsessed with getting stronger and beating him because I thought it was what I needed to do so I could protect everyone. But… Then, after we lost the Undead Source, well…"

Chihiro whimpered while her head flopped down. "I think I, I, well… I don't know how to put it, but I've been seriously screwing up."

Chihiro's whimpers and that weird stinging feelings started to grow as she curled up into a ball and buried her face into her knees.

"I got so worked up about beating him and being as strong as he was n' stuff that all I cared about what doing that. I wasn't thinking about anybody else, and now look what happened! I caused a monster invasion, I messed up that village, and now…"

Chihiro's head ached just a little as she looked back at Hex's infirmary door, the glowing light that emerged from the door's window more painful than pleasant.

"I wasn't able to do the thing I was working for in the first place," Chihiro whimpered, "I couldn't protect them at all!"

The room around was silent and stoic as Chihiro was while she slunk down and looked aside. Another one of those weird, melancholic feelings came over her as she stared at the identical stark walls of the infirmary's hallway. She guessed this was what people felt when big realizations came over them, all quiet and mopey as the realization dawned like a morning sun, but it didn't feel good at all! It just made her feel numb and dizzy, like she wasn't even the person who resided in her own body!

"And I don't know how to break it to them, but I think that I, I might… I might give up on this apprenticeship. They deserve a better portal master than me, I'm just not cut out for all this stuff. All I do is screw up and get people hurt."

Another soft, shallow sigh emerged from Chihiro's mouth as she laid her hands down on the cold, cold tile. As true as that was… What was she supposed to do? She couldn't exactly go back home, not when she couldn't use the portals to teleport herself back to Earth. And even if they did want her to stay here regardless, which she highly doubted, she couldn't subject them to that. She could hardly stay there with them when she caused them so much pain—heck, she wasn't even sure she had the right to call them her friends!

After all, friends don't let monsters run around their friends' home and wreck the place, or nearly screw up important tests, or lose the important things they were searching for to their arch-nemeses and get them nearly killed. If she was in their shoes, she would be so frustrated with herself already! And with Master Eon around, they had someone to take care of portals… In the end, she didn't have a place here. Anything she could do could be easily filled by someone else who wouldn't cause them so much grief.

"Might as well break the news to them," Chihiro said as she finally got up, "The sooner they sort this stuff out, the better."

So, Chihiro hung her head and trailed down the infirmary halls, the occasional spotlight from above a flicker of light among the otherwise stark halls, spotted in such a pattern that the light would flash over her as if all eyes would turn on her. The very notion sent chills of fear running down her spine, and before she knew it she went from walking to bolting down the halls and dashing right towards the infirmary door!

"Chihiro!" Called a familiar voice that sent a shock down her spine.

Chihiro gasped as she froze in place, then she whipped around to find none other than Spyro in the hallway's open space! He beamed back at her with those warm, golden eyes that made her feel a little safer, a little less vulnerable as he held a couple empty potion bottles in his paws, but even those he stowed aside before he flew up to her.

"How's Hex?" Spyro asked as he finally met Chihiro's gaze, "I haven't been able to check on her lately, what with Ghost Roaster's head injury needed extra care and all..."

Chihiro's eyes fluttered, then she forced a smile and shook her head as she stepped back. "Oh, Hex? She, she's fine, she's still a bit busted up and all but she's definitely making progress..."

"Thank goodness! I hadn't seen her since that night..." Spyro's face faltered as he looked towards Chihiro, "Hey, Chi? Is something up? You seem kinda shaky."

Chihiro froze, then bit her lip and shook her head. Truthfully, a tiny part of her wanted to open up to Spyro—after all, that looks in his eyes was so kind and understanding, and something in it made her feel a little less worried about opening up. Besides, he was the Skylanders' leader, surely he'd understand how she felt after this, right? But... She couldn't burden him with this, not when he was doing double-duty on both missions and infirmary work! He already had so much on his plate, all because of her.

"You sure?" Spyro tilted his head, then shook it and pulled it up as he flew back to the counters, "Oh, right, now I remember what I came here for! I needed to refill those potions!"

Chihiro's trembling, blurring gaze fell on Spyro as he collected those empty potion bottles from the counter, and that tiny feeling of wanting to open up and pour her heart out grew larger and larger by the second, until it was so overwhelming that if she didn't say anything it might have killed her! Finally, her lips started to tremble with some sort of numb feeling, one she dispelled the moment she forced them open.

"Hey, Spyro?" Chihiro just barely whispered, "Have you ever felt like you shouldn't be the Skylanders' leader sometimes?"

Spyro perked up his head and turned back to Chihiro with that same warm, oblivious smile. "What was that, Chi? I didn't really hear you..."

Chihiro gasped, then forced herself into a smile as she grappled for the infirmary door's knob.

"Oh, it's nothing, I'd better get going! I think Master Eon needs me!"

The cold air hit her face as she slammed the infirmary doors open and shocked her back into the cold, cold reality she faced, but at least the racing in her heart had slowed some. The panting she didn't even realize she was doing slowed a bit as her eyes glazed over the buildings that huddled around the heart of Ancient's Peak, the layout of which now seemed more alien to her than anything. Master Eon was probably in his study, so she trailed up to his citadel's door and knocked. It would be best to tell him first in the safety of closed doors, after all.

"Who's there?" Hugo's muffled voice cried from the other side of the door as footsteps drew close.

The door yanked open, and on the other side was a very exhausted Hugo, who had paper and notes stuck all over his disheveled brown fur as his tired eyes sunk into the massive bags on his face. God, he looked like he hadn't slept in days!… Which, he hadn't, he had been just as busy as they were taking care of his duties and helping them look for the Eternal Undead Source simultaneously.

Just the sight of him made Chihiro's stomach sick—he looked as awful as he did because he couldn't rest, all due to Chihiro's mistake! Just another reason she needed to resign.

"There you are, Chihiro!" Hugo grinned as he patted down his fur, "Master Eon was looking for you!"

Chihiro cringed as her sick stomach started to tie itself in knots. He… Wanted to see her? Perhaps he had gotten the same idea, and was ready to kick her to the curb? If they had similar plans and ideas, then why did the very notion make Chihiro sick to her stomach?

"We compiled the list of sightings and possible locations for the Eternal Undead Source earlier, but some things came up so we were hoping you could take them and use the Missionator to arrange investigation teams!"

Oh, so it was just more of the same old stuff they had been doing for the past several days. That sick, sick feeling in Chihiro's stomach eased itself as she forced a nod, her head hung low so her own eyes wouldn't have to lay on Hugo's tired face.

"Great! Everything's waiting for you under the stairwell!" Hugo turned around and bolted towards the stairs that lead to one of Master Eon's many personal libraries, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Master Eon!"

Chihiro frowned, then shook her head and slapped her face. Wait, what was she doing? She came here to tell them she was resigning, not to just stick around and do stuff!

"Wait, Hugo!" Chihiro called as she dashed into the citadel, "I need to tell you—"—Chihiro frowned as Hugo dashed to the top of the stairs, completely oblivious to Chihiro's words—"Something."

Chihiro lowered her head and sighed as Hugo hit the top step and ran up to Master Eon. She'd follow after him, but they both seemed pretty busy, and she didn't want to be even more of a bother. Guess she'd just tell them another time.

So, Chihiro just trudged underneath the stairwell and glazed over a small table, the top of which was completely eclipsed by a large corkboard piled with notes and books and other things. It would probably be easier to move this stuff to the portal room, since the Missionator was located there now. So, she grabbed a couple of the books and held them tight against her chest.

"Now, this crystal increases magic power, so…"

Wait, was that Master Eon's voice? Chihiro frowned and lifted her head, then shrugged it off as she grabbed a few more books and tucked them in her arms.

"Do you think something as small as that can handle such powerful warp magic?" Hugo asked up above.

Warp magic? Why would they be discussing warp magic? Eh, not that big a deal. Chihiro pulled a few paper lists off of the corkboard, then tucked them into one of the books.

"I assure you, Hugo, this crystal is perfectly attuned for a warping spell of that power. Now, just hold it steady while I…"

A bright flash of magic glowed above a bright rainbow that caught Chihiro's eye for a few moments and nearly made her lose her grip on her books.

"Now, what that taken care of," Master Eon said before he cleared his throat, "How are the preparations coming along for young Chihiro's next exam?"

Next… Exam? Chihiro fell to her knees, while books spilled out of her hands and fell open on the floor, but Chihiro herself hardly noticed them as she pressed her hands against the floor and tried her hardest not to collapse! After all, there was no way in her right mind that she was prepared for this exam! Heck, she wasn't strong enough or smart enough for any of this portal master stuff!

Chihiro panted fast, shallow pants as she dug her fingers into her scalp and tugged at her hair. Why did she agree to do this when she was never gonna be the portal master they need? She was useless, a letdown! After all, she couldn't even stop Kaos from…

Chihiro froze as her whole body broke into a cold sweat out of nowhere! Her breath grew labored and panicked as she looked around, but despite being in Ancient's Peak with no sort of threat present, a part of her was telling her she needed to run, to fight, to do something before things went bad! Her heart pounded in her ears as she saw visions like ghosts, of Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster's twisted, broken and injured figures, all groaning and crying out in pain…

Chihiro's clammy hands shook faster as she tried to reach out for them, while the ground around her warped into cold, hard stone… Just then, while Chihiro trudged against the weight of her own body, the Evil Skeleton Knight walked behind Cynder and raised its sword high.

"Stop!" Chihiro had wanted to scream, "Leave her alone! Don't hurt her!"

But, her throat was so dry and choked that she couldn't make a sound! She could only watch in horror as the Evil Skeleton Knight swung down on Cynder and…

"Chihiro? Chihiro?"

Chihiro jolted up, and her terrified visions faded as she found herself staring right into Hugo's tired eyes! A frown was on his face as Master Eon hovered close beside him, and the blue light that came from Master Eon's body showed he was just as concerned.

"Chihiro, is something wrong?" Hugo asked, "You look kind of… Not good."

Chihiro jolted in place, then forced a smile as she snatched the books off the ground and leaped to her feet.

"Ah, I'm good," Chihiro completely denied as she turned around and bolted out the doors, "Actually, I probably need to organize those patrols now, bye guys, see ya, adios!"

And so, Chihiro slammed the citadel door, then bolted closer and closer to the portal building's doors, her vision shaky as if everything around and slipping and sliding and warping itself underneath her feet. The blood had rushed back into her ears around, and she was so shaken that she could hardly comprehend her own surroundings. Everything felt blurry and strange in her mind, like she wasn't even real!

And her mind was a complete blur, save for that time that repeated in her brain on a nonstop loop. Soon, it wasn't the only one though. Every little mistake, every tiny blunder, every single flaw of hers, it built up higher and higher, until it became a mountain of her failures and shortcomings. The guilt was a knife that stabbed into her very soul, and it made her chest hurt so, so much.

Chihiro stumbled over her own feet and barely balanced herself, then finally tripped and fell on the grass, though it felt a lot harder than it normally did. Chihiro hyperventilated as she dug her elbows into the earth and used it to push herself back up, then when she looked up she found herself back at the portal building's doors! Strained, choked sobs croaked out as Chihiro pushed the doors open with all her might, then stumbled inside and collapsed onto the cold, cold floors. Thankfully those visions seemed to have gone away, but the pain they brought her still felt so real. It was like just seeing it, she was back at that battle again.

That battle where they all nearly died, where she barely escaped with their lives… Where she failed to fulfill her duties as a portal master. No, even worse. She failed to protect them as their friend. Chihiro had wanted to just curl up and die, she wanted to cry until the sky turned blue from night, but she couldn't just sit and wallow in her own pity! What would they think? So, she reluctantly pulled herself off the floor, even though her whole body felt like gelatin that would collapse in on itself at any moment, and shook her head.

"It's time to get to work, Chihiro."

Chihiro sniffled, then wiped off her nose and eyes before she stormed down the halls... Only to pause as an odd, empty feeling came over her. She frowned as she looked down at her open arms, then sighed and turned tail back to the portal building's doors. Seems she dropped the books in her outburst, but oh well. She still had a little bit before they started on patrols—she'd just pick those books back up from outside and get in here and collect the rest when she was sure Hugo and Master Eon had forgotten about her little breakdown.

"It's just one more day. After this… You'll never cause them pain again."

§

"HEY CYNDER!" Cried a somewhat raspy voice as the door to Cynder's infirmary room flew open, "Look who's here to visit~?"

Cynder groaned as the sudden noise roused her from nap that day, then her bleary eyes fixed on the black and gray dragon that resided in the doorway. She clicked her tongue a bit, then narrowed her eyes as she lifted her head just slightly off of her bed.

"It's the reapers of the end," Cynder moaned as she yanked to meet the dragon's eyes… Only for a sharp rip to sound off. Whoops, looks like she tore her pillow with her horns again. Cynder laid up and shook feathers from her horns, then winced as she examined the torn pillow.

"Oh, don't worry about that! Good ol' Dark'll let Chi know you need new pillows…" The figure, a black and silver-colored clone of Spyro, flitted over to Cynder and laid a tray full of food on her bed, "For now, lunch!"

Cynder frowned as she examined the food tray on her bed, which only contained a simple bowl of soup and some grilled sandwiches. "This soup wouldn't happen to have zombie garlic in it, would it Dark?"

Dark only made a strained laugh and scratched the back of his neck as Cynder raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course, you asked and all!" Dark giggled again, "Sorry about accidentally dropping that entire onion in your soup the last time, by the way. Honest mistake, I swear."

"Eh, it's alright. Turns out the stuff really gives this soup the punch it needed."

Dark let out a few chuckles, then his chuckles disappeared into nothingness as he attempted to make a small, genuine smile. "Feeling better, anyways?"

"I'll feel better when we finally get the Eternal Undead Source out of Kaos's grubby hands." Cynder scowled while electricity crackled at her paws, "With the kind of stuff that thing could do, who knows how far ahead it's gotten him?"

Cynder heaved heavy, angry pants as her wings began to twitch. The bandages around those wings loosened slightly to unveil scales that, while no longer bubbling and burning like they were when she came in those nights ago, were still raw and unhealed enough to show the lavender cartilage and flesh underneath and make Dark shudder.

"If his stupid clones hadn't tripped us up, we would've had it by now and I wouldn't be laced up in this stupid infirmary!" Cynder snarled for moments as her fangs shot out of her mouth… Then she sighed and retracted them as she fixed her bandages. "But, I guess there isn't much I can do about it now. Seems like I'll just have to wait until you guys find it."

"And we will, Cyn!" Dark exclaimed as he balled his front paws into fists, "I swear on my…"—Dark frowned and swished his tail—"Well, noticeable lack of light."

Cynder made a kind of forced, sardonic chuckle, then as she poked her sandwiches, she swooshed her tail with little mind paid to the pillow feathers she scattered everywhere.

"Well, thanks for the food at least." Cynder only made a small nod as she turned to Dark, "Seems like outside of our medical staff, you've been the only regular visitor I've had!"

"Of course! If I was you, I'd hate being all busted up and locked down!" Dark made an aside snicker, "Especially when I could be drawing mustaches on Hugo when he's sleeping…"

Dark winced as Cynder shot him an ever-familiar glare.

"I'm joking! I wasn't actually planning to draw mustaches on Hugo's face during his afternoon nap and I definitely did not have a stash of permanent glitter markers saved up for that exact occasion."

Cynder chuckled, but it was soft and low, the kind of way one when chuckle when they almost didn't want to admit they found something funny.

"He's not here right now, Dark, but your secret's safe with me." Cynder took a quick swig of her soup, then laid the bowl down and frowned as someone knocked at the door.

"Dark!" Called a deep, kind of raspy voice from the other side of Cynder's door, "Come on, we were supposed to leave for patrols ten minutes ago! Eruptor's already losing his temper!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, Sunburn!" Dark called before he turned around and groaned, "Well, guess I've gotta leave."

Cynder just made a nod and went back to her food.

"Sunburn's right, you should get back to work…" Cynder made a soft nod as she looked back up at Dark, "Well, see you later, I guess?"

"You bet!" Dark replied with an utterly cheesy grin, "Be sure to get better soon, Cyn!"

"I will, I will." Cynder's mouth twitched into what kind of seemed like a smile.

And so, Dark flew out and closed the door to Cynder's infirmary room. With a sigh, he turned around to find that sure enough, Sunburn had been waiting for him outside the way! After all, it was hard to miss Sunburn with a body so warm you could feel the heat from a mile away, his sunlight yellow crest or the red-hot look in his eyes… Oh, and the amalgamation of avian features like beaks, feathers and talons on an otherwise draconic figure was hard to miss, too.

"So, what were doing again?" Dark asked as he plopped onto the ground and followed Sunburn down the halls.

"Chihiro says Master Eon and Hugo think they found a lead on the Eternal Undead Source at the Wyvern's Roost." Sunburn stopped for a moment and flicked his wings, which sent scorching vermilion feathers across the halls, "So, the three of us are going there to follow up,"—Sunburn looked down at Dark and raised an eyebrow—"And I'm guessing you were bugging Cynder again?"

"Well, of course!" Dark frowned and toyed with his claws, "I mean, she's pretty lonely there and all. Somebody's gotta keep her from getting stir-crazy and cranky!"

"She's always cranky, Dark." Sunburn stretched off a talon and counted his toes, "And cold, and short-tempered, and she can't take a joke. I don't know what you see in her!"

"Hey, Cynder can be nice!" Dark pouted and shoved his face in Sunburn's, then giggled and turned away, "In her own way…"—Dark frowned and shook his head—"Anyways, we should get back there before Eruptor blows his top."

And with that, the conversation went dead as they flew up to the infirmary's doors and pushed them open…

§

"Alright, so there was the sudden outbreaks of fainting spells in the molekin campsites, the crop failures in the mabu fields…" Chihiro remarked as she strung along paper scraps across a worn corkboard and scribbled down notes, "Then there was a couple of skeletal beast sightings in the United Dragon Kingdoms…"

"JUST WHERE ARE THEY?" Eruptor boomed as he stormed back and forth across the portal room, momentary pause taken to shake his rotund fists at the ceiling, "It's been thirty minutes! Sunburn and Dark Spyro should've been here by now!"

Chihiro winced as Eruptor stomped across the floor and for a moment her head started to spin again, but she quickly shook it off as she pushed herself towards the corkboard.

"Don't worry about them, Eruptor." Chihiro's eyes were still fixed on her corkboard as she waved a hand towards Eruptor, "I'm sure they'll be here any second now…"

"SORRY WE'RE LATE!" Dark Spyro exclaimed as he slammed the portal room's doors open, "KINDA LOST TRACK OF TIME!"

"And there they are." Chihiro smiled and turned around while Dark Spyro and Sunburn flew inside, though it was a kind of forced smile, admittedly. "Took you guys long enough."

"Hey, where's Eruptor, anyways?" Dark remarked as he flew up to Chihiro and looked around, "And by the way, Cynder's pillow got torn up and she needs a new—"—Dark froze for a minute as he examined Chihiro's corkboard—"Woah, what is this thing?"

"Master Eon and Hugo gave me this." Chihiro turned around and waved a pen in the air, "They've been using this to document any possible leads on where Kaos took the Eternal Undead Source. And…"—Chihiro sighed as she looked back at the corkboard—"They've been doing a lot of documenting…"

Chihiro frowned as she drew the button of her pen across the corkboard's surface. She was in the middle of something before Dark Spyro barged in, but the moment they started talking it had completely slipped her mind!

"Now, where was I…"

"Uh, Chi?" Dark said as he waved a paw in front of Chihiro's face, "We've still got a mission to go on, just saying!"

"Oh, right that!" Chihiro shook her head and ruffled her hair, "I almost forgot. Just let me check those patrol notes from the Missionator…"

Chihiro hummed as she yanked a paper list from the table and skimmed it over.

"You guys were going to the Chicken Coop—wait no, I sent that one already." Chihiro shook her head and looked again, "Let's see, you, Sunburn and Eruptor are headed for Wyvern's Roost…"—Chihiro frowned and folded up her list as she looked over the area around her—"Where is Eruptor, anyways?"

As Chihiro and Dark both frowned and looked around, the portal room's doors slowly creaked shut… And revealed that behind them was Eruptor with a decently-sized, door-shaped mark on his face.

"Right here," Eruptor seethed through gritted teeth as he crossed his arms.

While steam hissed off of Eruptor's body, Sunburn and Dark Spyro both made forced laughter as they regrouped.

"Yeah, let's just get this show on the road!" Sunburn exclaimed as he backed away from a seething Eruptor.

So, Dark Spyro, Sunburn, and Eruptor all hopped onto a nearby portal, then were whisked away in a flash thanks to a handwave and a little magic on Chihiro's end. Chihiro waved goodbye as they vanished in a bright pillar of light, but the moment they disappeared her expression became more solemn.

"And I can't rest, either," Chihiro insisted as she rushed back to her corkboard, "I might as well do the most I can on my last day here."

And yet, Chihiro couldn't really bring herself to focus as she stared at the corkboard with all its lists of mishaps and monsters they needed to tackle. So much additional work, so much harm to others, all brought on by her failures. But, she supposed she wouldn't have to linger on them for much longer once she gave up.

Chihiro winced as she glazed over the board a little bit longer, only for the whir of a portal to pull her away from its surface. It took a few more handwaves, but finally the portal opened and brought forth… A groaning Eruptor, who promptly faceplanted on the floor.

"Wyvern rides suck…" He groaned as he rolled over and rubbed his stomach. Poor guy, probably got a little too shaken up during the mission—Eruptor did have a pretty sensitive stomach and all.

Chihiro sighed as she glanced him over, then turned back to the corkboard and frowned.

"Young Chihiro?" Master Eon called as he floated into the room, "What exactly are you doing?"

Chihiro's eyes shot open with all the panic of a wild animal in a car's headlights, then she giggled and looked back at her corkboard.

"No, nothing, Master Eon!" Chihiro lied as she fiddled with a paper list on the table beside her, "Just the usual looking for that Undead Source…"

Chihiro turned her attention back to the corkboard and winced.

"Actually, nevermind that." Master Eon floated in front of the corkboard and rested on Chihiro's book, "Hugo and I have something important we need to show you. Come!"

Master Eon flew away, but this time Chihiro wasn't quite as quick to follow. Surely, Master Eon was probably calling her over for that exam he and Hugo discussed earlier, but she really didn't want to go. No, she had to break the news to him right now!

"Whatever it is, Master Eon, can it wait?" Chihiro frowned and adjusted a few pins on her corkboard, "I, well, er…"

Chihiro drummed her fingers against the table. This was supposed to be simple enough! She'd work things out with Master Eon, hang up the mantle, tell everyone goodbye and head back to her ordinary life on Earth after this. It was what she had wanted to do… At least, that's what she thought. But why did these words feel so hard to say?

"I, you see…" Chihiro shook her head, "I, I kinda have something I…"

"Nonetheless, I can assure you that this is of utmost importance." Master Eon gently nudged Chihiro then went back to floating along, "You can tell me once we have attended to the task at hand."

So, Chihiro shrugged and reluctantly followed Master Eon out of the portal room. As they passed through the hallways, Chihiro couldn't help but take one more glance back at her makeshift laboratory. A tugging feeling in her heart told her that she needed to just spit it out already! She had to tell him she couldn't be his apprentice anymore and get it over with! But her throat gained a lump so giant it kept the words from coming out, so nonetheless she followed him through the halls and out of the portal building. On instinct she felt herself drawn to his study's doors, but Master Eon simply shook back and forth when he saw her walking there.

"We won't be headed there today, young Chihiro," Master Eon informed as he flew towards the training arena instead.

Chihiro frowned, then shrugged and ran after Master Eon—who knew a ghost could be so fast? When she finally arrived at the arena's doors, they had been creaked open a bit already, and she could faintly hear Hugo's voice from inside the arena itself. Yeah, it was definitely exam time.

Chihiro winced, then skipped inside as Hugo and Master Eon talked among the arena floor, which had been completely cleared of training dummies. While they talked, some kind of boxlike machine with a crude camera lens attached to its front sat between them, the only other being in an otherwise super empty room. It actually kind of reminded her a bit of the projectors her school used to use…

"So, Master Eon, what is all this for, anyways?"

"Why, it's for your next exam, of course!" Master Eon said as he glowed a bit brighter, then floated over to Chihiro. "Hugo, start the projector."

"Already?" Chihiro's eyes widened as she watched Hugo toy with the projector, "And more importantly, while all this is going on?…"

Chihiro drew to a stop as she watched Master Eon's glow fade in an almost contemplative manner.

"Young Chihiro, while it is true that we have much to deal with at the moment, it is still important that we stick to our regular schedule." Master Eon bobbed up and down, "Routine is of utmost importance in the middle of a crises, after all. Especially when it comes to one's studies."

Chihiro looked aside, then frowned and shrugged. "I guess that makes sense."

Chihiro sighed and rubbed her arm as Hugo and Master Eon talked behind her, but their conversation was little more than background noise at this point.

"And, go!" Hugo exclaimed as he pressed a button on the projector.

It whirred a bit like those old-timey film projectors for a few moments while a couple of blue sparkles gathered around the lens and glowed brighter and brighter… Then finally, they gathered together into a giant beam of light! The light beam shot out from the camera's lens, then molded itself into a silhouette of a human body.

"Wh…" The silhouette mumbled in a voice strikingly like Master Eon's as its features came to light, "…Where am I?"

Chihiro blinked a couple of times, unable to comprehend the person before her as they looked around in confusion. They seemed so familiar, but why? Chihiro frowned and examined them further, chin on hand and all, as she tried to piece together why.

They had pale peach skin that was vibrant with youth, and bright blue eyes that shone like summer skies. Tufts of short, white hair poked out from a shiny sky blue viking helmet with twin pairs of horns, and their face had a long, square nose paired with a long and rounded jawline that ended in a square chin decorated with faint white fuzz.

They donned a long-sleeved, baby blue cape-jacket that trailed down to their feet and was pinned together at the top by a dark blue emblem with a white sun carved onto it, which in turn was paired with twin ribbons that circled around the projection's arms and depicted the symbols of Skylands' elements. Under that cape-jacket was a white tunic with blue stitches down the front, brown and dark blue slacks and light blue leather boots that went up to the knees. Despite their momentary confusion, they carried a sort of noble, regal aura to them, like a king or a knight… Wait a minute.

"That voice, that energy…" Chihiro blinked a few times, then whipped her head right towards Master Eon, "Master Eon, is that you?"

"Close, young Chihiro." Master Eon bobbed then swirled around the room, oblivious to the projection's utter confusion, "This is a mere holographic recreation of what I looked like in my prime."

Master Eon then chuckled as he examined his holographic self. "I was quite the looker back then, if I do say so myself."

Master Eon then shook and returned to Chihiro's side.

"Nevertheless, this is your exam. For the eighth exam, you might battle against your mentor and come out victorious. In the event that the mentor cannot fight, they may appoint someone to act in their steed…" Master Eon made a slightly awkward laugh, "And as you can see, I am in no position to fight."

"Then, why not just ask one of the Skylanders?" Chihiro asked with a shrug.

"I considered that, but you've worked close enough with them to know their fighting styles well." Master Eon made a sagely bob, "And I wanted this exam to be something of a challenge."

Master Eon then shook and glowed a little brighter. "But, all this talking is unnecessary. Let the exam begin!"

Chihiro winced, but nonetheless nodded and clasped shaky, sweaty palms. Might as well get this over with quick. So, Chihiro let out a cry of war, launched herself right at the still-distracted holographic Eon and got ready to send out a magic blast… But just as she was about to make contact, the holographic Eon whipped around and crafted a magical shield that completely blocked her blow!

"Who are you, child? What are you doing?" The holographic Eon exclaimed with disgust in its voice, disgust that softened into befuddlement as it looked around, "And is this the training arena?"—Holographic Eon shook its head—"No, it couldn't be. The training arena wasn't nearly this big last I remember…"

Chihiro gasped as she stumbled back while her sword exploded into light without her even realizing. Wasn't this supposed to be a fighting exam? Why wasn't her opponent actually attacking? This holograph seemed more distracted than thinking… Chihiro looked to her side and found that Master Eon's glow had faded slightly, the same way it did when he was concerned. Oh geez, something felt wrong here.

"Master Eon?" Chihiro asked as she watched Master Eon fly towards his holographic self, "What's going on here?"

"I'm not sure, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he looked holographic Eon in the eye, "This hologram was supposed to be strategic, not sentient!"

"Wait, that's my name! Why are you using my name?" The holographic Eon demanded, its brow furrowed as it poked a finger at the real Master Eon, "There's no possibility that some puny ball of light such as yourself could be me!"

Holographic Eon gasped and staggered back as it saw its hand ripple with a couple blue flares of light. "And why is my hand blue?"

Holographic Eon then looked down at the rest of its body and screamed as that body rippled with that same shade of blue!

"No, why is my entirety blue? Is this some kind of curse?!"

"Uh, I hate to interrupt…" Chihiro remarked as she looked back between the two Eons, "But can we move things along here? I'm pretty sure it's about time for me to portal the Skylanders back…"

"Portal?" Holographic Eon echoed as he looked towards Chihiro, "Don't tell me, you're a portal master?"

"Portal master apprentice, unfortunately," Chihiro corrected with a frown and just a hint of bitterness, "But yeah. I'm a portal master apprentice and the current protector of all that is good in the universe, you're a hologram created for my exam—"

Chihiro winced and looked aside. "Which I really need to get back to cause I have a ton of other things I have to take care of right now, so can we get back to fighting already?"

The holographic Eon just blinked and fell back a few more steps. "This can't be real!"

He was distracted, she had an opening!

Chihiro summoned another sword, then rushed towards the holographic Eon without even thinking! When she was about midway there, she jumped in the air and went to swing… But then, she grappled the air and realized she hadn't summoned a sword at all! There was just empty air where she held her hands! Chihiro gasped as she looked down at her empty hands, but her befuddlement got stopped short as holographic Eon grabbed her leg and tossed her aside! Chihiro only skidded across the training arena's beaten floors, then grunted and pulled herself back up.

"Owch, that really stung," Chihiro grunted as she dusted off her sleeves, then glazed over her hands. Her sword wasn't summoned at all! Were all these awful feelings messing with her that much?

"I can't possibly believe this! This has to be a joke!" Holographic Eon stormed as it gestured towards Master Eon and Chihiro, "This is the current state of Skylands' defenders? An impudent child and a ghost claiming my name?"

"Hey, we're not the only ones here, buddy!" Chihiro spat as she shook a fist at holographic Eon, "We've got tons of Skylanders here, too!"

"Bah, that's hardly proof of any ability! Any so-called portal master can grab some mabu off the street and say they've recruited a Skylander!" Holographic Eon gritted its teeth, then stormed its way towards the doors.

Chihiro gasped, then her brows clenched while a burst of rage formed in her heart! That's it, that weird hologram could insult her as much as it wanted, but it had no right to insult the Skylanders!

"HEY, YOU KNOCK THAT OFF!" Chihiro squealed as she ran in front of holographic Eon and snarled, "The Skylanders are some of the greatest heroes I've met! They've been through stuff worse than I can even imagine and still came out kicking! You have no right to say that about them!"

"Then let me see these so-called Skylanders!" Holographic Eon demanded as it pushed Chihiro aside, then shot a finger towards the training arena's doors. As they flung open with a loud slam, Holographic Eon snarled and dashed right ahead.

Chihiro winced as she rubbed her head then blinked as Hugo and Master Eon rushed ahead of her.

"After that holograph!" Master Eon exclaimed as he and Hugo darted out the doors.

"Right!" Chihiro shouted as she jumped back to her feet and followed after them, all while rubbing her very sore head and wincing, "Stupid hologram…"

By the time they had all gotten back outside, the holographic Eon had already gotten a decent enough look at the surroundings and the people within, and unfortunately it didn't seem impress. It shot glares towards the equally-confused Skylanders while they all surrounded it and chattered, then those glares turned to a scoff and a turn of its head.

"You call these Skylanders?" Holographic Eon scoffed, "Even a child could outclass them!"

"Well, can YOU do any better?" Chihiro asked.

"I certainly could!" Holographic Eon snarled as it looked down an angry Chihiro and a very concerned Hugo and Master Eon, "After all, look at this sorry state! There's barely anyone here, and the forces you have are pitiful!"

"That's only because—" Master Eon said before being cut off by a large gust of wind that blew him into Hugo's arms.

"In fact, with forces like these, it would be more appropriate for me to guard Skylands!" Holographic Eon held up its hands, "I'll prove it to you all!"

The holographic Eon slowly started chanting a spell, a spell that grew faster by the minute! And the faster it chanted, the brighter the light under his feet grew, the more violently the winds blew, the more the ground shook… This couldn't be good! Just then, a gigantic vortex formed under its feet and stormed so intensely that everything was draw in, from buildings to plants to even Chihiro herself!

Chihiro herself shuddered as her feet were practically pulled out from under her, but still manage to secure her place as she clawed her way into the shaken earth. And a quick glance on her end showed her that she wasn't the only one, either! It seems like the entire island's population at the moment had been drawn closer to the vortex and just barely held on for dear life!

"Spyro, Trig!" Chihiro cried as she watched them fly right past her, "Hang on, I'll—"

Too late, they were already sucked into the vortex, only able to scream as they fruitlessly tried to escape its wrath! Chihiro could only gasp and watch as Spyro flailed his arm in some attempt to escape, only for that to get sucked in as well!

This was bad, really bad! Everyone was getting sucked into that vortex left and right, and with each person it absorbed its winds only seemed to grow stronger! She needed to do something, anything, but what could she do? She wasn't strong, she wasn't smart, and now she had no magic to boot! What was she supposed to do?

Strained gasps and sobs escaped Chihiro's mouth as she watched the vortex suck in even more of the surroundings. Once again, she could only watch helplessly as everyone was torn apart from her, once again she failed to protect everyone… Crap, those winds were getting stronger! Chihiro winced as she dug further in, then gasped as she looked up and caught sight of the infirmary's doors slamming open from the intense storms!

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Cynder cried as the bed she laid on was yanked out of the infirmary, with Hex and Ghost Roaster's own beds in close pursuit!

But, ultimately Cynder didn't get a chance to find out, because all three of them were sucked straight into the void just as quickly as they were summoned.

"Cynder!" Chihiro shouted as her eyes went wide, "Hex, Roaster!"

"He'll suck in the whole island at this rate!" Hugo wailed over the rattling winds as he dug further into the ground, though his balance was offset by him clutching Master Eon tight.

"I don't know what that hologram thinks it's doing," Master Eon exclaimed as he poked over Hugo's shoulder and bolted off, "But I am bringing this to an end!"

Master Eon hupped as he zoomed above the ground, then shot towards a chunk of ground that had been pulled away by the vortex! He soared down onto the patch of ground, then started a magic blast as he looked towards the holographic Eon… But the holographic Eon hadn't seemed to notice him, for it floated high above the vortex and watched that vortex eat up everything in sight!

As the magic blast incubated, it split into a round of magical, angel-like projectiles, then shot towards the holographic Eon!

Chihiro grinned as they drew close… For a moment, a spark of hope flared in her heart, hope that this mess would come to a close! But, that hope was immediately dashed as the holographic Eon turned around and summoned a shield that shouldered the attack for it!

"You're no match for me!" The holographic Eon snarled as he whisked away his shield, "Don't even try!"

The holographic Eon retracted its snarl, then raised its hand and shot out a magic blast that slammed against Master Eon and shot him back into one of the broken ledges without even flinching!

"Master Eon!"

Chihiro snarled as she clawed her way up the ledge, then froze and turned around as a familiar, shrill scream hit her ears! She turned around, and there went Hugo and Master Eon as they were sucked into the void's waters! But soon enough, those two cries multiplied as everyone else was sucked in as well! Flynn, Cali, Wrecking Ball, Gill Grunt…

"Guys!" Chihiro cried, but her shock faded into determination as she turned around and held out a hand. Like it or not… She was the only one who could do anything now, she had to stop this!

"Don't worry, I'm gonna stop—"

Right as she spoke, however, the ledge Chihiro held onto crumbled to bits and dropped her into the eye of the vortex!

"ThiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

And before Chihiro knew it, the vortex's magic sucked her up and wrapped her inside, its mass so thick and choking that she thought she was drowning in the ocean. The air had grown so thin that she couldn't breathe, and her head spun from the lack of oxygen… So all she could do was close her eyes and black out.

§

"Geez, what was the holdup with the portals, anyways?" Dark Spyro asked as he hopped off the back of a particularly large wyvern that watched Sunburn do the same, "It's a good thing we talked the locals into flying us,"—Dark Spyro scoffed and looked aside—"Eruptor gets a bellyache and he can get off early, but when we come back to report what we found it's total silence!"

"Well, we don't exactly have much to report," Sunburn remarked as he waved at the wyverns, who in turn waved back as they flew away, then looked back at Dark Spyro, "I still can't believe that plague they reported was just them planting their crops in the wrong place…"

Both Sunburn and Dark Spyro sighed, then Dark looked back up at Sunburn with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

"You know what always makes me feel better when stuff like this happens?" Dark winked as he saw Sunburn's beak widen into what seemed like a smile—with Sunburn having a beak and at, it was kind of hard to tell.

"DRAWING MUSTACHES ON HUGO'S FACE WHILE HE'S TAKING HIS AFTERNOON NAP?" Sunburn and Dark Spyro said in perfect harmony with each other, their eyes wide with excitement.

Dark grinned as he flew off towards the portal building. "I'll go get the markers!"

"You will do nothing of the sort, Dark Spyro," chided another voice, one firm in a parental way as a flying boat's shadow cast over them.

Dark Spyro winced as he looked up, and sure enough a shoddy flying boat hovered above the heart of the island while two figures jumped off its side and flew/floated down back to the heart.

The first looked to be a man with blue skin and an impressively-built muscular body, with long, wavy auburn hair that bled into his equally-long beard, green eyes and twin golden bracelets on his wrists. However, what was most striking about him wasn't the muscles or the odd skin color, but rather the fact that instead of legs he got around on a puffy while cloud!

The second was a griffin with feathers in such a dark shade of blue they were almost black, who wore a silver helmet with twin openings for their ears and four silver bracelets, one on each leg. Their claws were the same shade of silver as their bracelets while their beak was striking yellow, and their eyes were as green as summer grass. They had a bit of a stern look to them as they stroked their chest, but that sternness loosened into a kind gaze as they looked up and waved at the parting boat.

"Thanks for the ride, Captain Rizzo!" The griffin shouted as the ship became little more than a blink in the sky's eye.

"Sonic Boom!" Sunburn called as his grin turned more awkward, "Uh, forget anything I said about drawing on Hugo just now…"—Sunburn shook his head and walked forward—"Did you and Lightning Rod have any luck?"

"Unfortunately, no," Lightning Rod sighed as he literally pushed himself into the conversation and pinched his brows, "Despite my massive strength, rippling muscles, impressive speed, oh and did I mention my muscles—"

"What Lightning Rod means to say is," Sonic Boom interrupted as she pushed Lightning Rod back then sighed, "We tried our best, but by the time we fought off those skeleton dragons, whoever did it was long gone…"

Dark, Sunburn and Sonic Boom all heaved disheartened sighs, yet Lightning Rod seemed hardly shaken as he grinned and flexed.

"Hold your heads high, comrades! This is no time to get discouraged!" Lightning Rod exclaimed as he stretched his arms to the heavens, "After all, with an amazing hero like myself on our team, we'll find the Eternal Undead Source in no time at all!

Despite Lightning Rod's glistening confidence, everybody else hardly shared in his enthusiasm as they just gave him blank, bewildered stares, then coughed and looked away.

"Anyways, I should probably see if Cynder got those pillows yet," Dark remarked as he flew towards the infirmary.

The three of them watched Dark Spyro fly away, then frowned as their eyes glazed over the surroundings. It was oddly quiet here… In fact, it looked more like a ghost town, given that nobody was there aside for them!

"Where did everyone go?" Sonic Boom asked, "Missions?"

All three of them hummed in confusion at the vacant surroundings. Though that seemed reasonable enough, they've always made a point of at least having a few forces on-hand in case of a home attack. And even if they didn't, they should've at least seen Flynn bragging about his balloon, or Hugo running to and fro on errands… For it to be completely vacated save for them was definitely concerning to say the least.

"WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!" Dark Spyro shouted to the heavens, his eyes wide in panic as he hastily flew back to them, "Cynder, she's, she's completely gone from the infirmary! So are Hex and Ghost Roaster!"

Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all gasped. Now that was worrisome! None of those three were anywhere near recovered enough to be discharged, much less out of bed and walking around! Whatever was going on here, something was clearly wrong…

"I'll go check the beach!" Sonic Boom exclaimed as she took to the skies, "Sunburn, Lightning Rod, you look around here!"

"I'll check the infirmary again!" Dark cried as he flew back towards the infirmary.

And so, the hunt began! They checked every rock, looked under every crevice, peered through every room… And yet, everything around was completely empty!

Sonic Boom frowned as she poked her way out of a secret room, then flew up to Clam-Tron and circled him around a couple times.

"Doesn't seem like there's anyone here…" Sonic Boom remarked as she looked aside and tapped her claw against her beak.

"AWAKEN, MY COMPANIONS!" Lightning Rod shouted from halfway across the island, "IF YOU ARE STILL HERE, SOUND OFF!"

Sonic Boom shuddered again as she flew back up to the island's hub and sat down, then shuddered again as the portal building's doors swung open with so much force that it sent a massive gust through the heart of the island!

Lightning Rod sighed as the portal building's doors slammed shut behind him, a moment taken to run his fingers through his hair. "It seems as though none of them are here…"

"I think I know how people feel when I scream now…" Sonic Boom moaned and shook her head, "Anyways, they weren't on the beach either."

"Checked the infirmary again!" Dark Spyro shouted as he flew into view, a kind of worried frown on his face, "But still no sign."

They all frowned as they looked over the still-vacant island. Where could everyone possibly be? Unrest grew in their hearts as they scanned over the area once more, then…

"Hey, everyone, come here!" Sunburn shouted from across the island, "I found something!"

Sonic Boom, Lightning Rod and Dark Spyro jumped up and followed Sunburn's voice to the other side of the island, on a cliff that overlooked the beach. There, Sunburn sat next to a gigantic, intricately-crafted bronze horn modeled in the shape of a dragon which stood tall and firm on the ledge below them all.

"I'm pretty sure that horn wasn't here when we left," Sonic Boom said as she gently tapped the horn's mouth, "Just what is it?"

"This pattern," Sunburn whispered before he stepped back, "There's no mistaking it, this has to be from Dragon's Peak! They've got one of the largest dragon communities in all Skylands, so their stuff is practically everywhere!"

"But that doesn't explain what it's doing here." Sonic Boom frowned as she flew back down to Sunburn. "What should we do with it?"

"I guess we could try blowing it?" Sunburn looked to Sonic Boom and shrugged.

"Blowing a horn, you say?" Lightning Rod repeated as he flew up and wiped off his hands, "Allow me! With my massive lungs, no horn is too mighty for my blow!"

So, Lightning Rod spat on his hands, hastily rubbed them clean then floated up to the horn's pipe and gripped it tight. He took a deep breath in, then wrapped his lips around the mouthpiece… And from it came the loudest, mightiest sound a horn could have ever made! It was so strong, in fact, that it blew everybody else on their backs! But aside from that, nothing else happened.

"Hmm, so much for getting an answer," Lightning Rod remarked as he floated down and raised an eyebrow at Sunburn, Sonic Boom, and Dark Spyro, "What are you lying down for? We have to find—"

"Wait a second," Sunburn groaned as he pulled himself back to all four paws and looked up, "What's that in the sky?"

Lightning Rod stopped and looked up, then soon enough Sonic Boom and Dark did as well, all to find a thick, black silhouette that vaguely resembled a dragon circling through the skies!

That dragon silhouette did a few more loops in the heavens above, then swept down onto the island at speeds so fast that it not only knocked the horn right into the skies, but skidded across the ground and tossed dirt everywhere!

The silhouette was a silhouette no longer as it loomed over Dark Spyro, Sunburn, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom, its form that of a large dragon with board shoulders and fire red scales. Its horn were tall, slightly curved and a light gold in color, while the broad plates that covered its underbelly, the accent of its massive wings and the drill-shaped fin on its tail were a similar color. Its long claws were more of an off-white in color, while its amber eyes shone with a bit of worry as it bit its lower jaw as it fiddled with the large, silver pendant hung from its neck.

"You, you're the ones who sounded the horn, right?" The dragon asked as it whipped its head between all four of them.

"Indeed I did," Lightning Rod proclaimed as he rubbed a fist against his pecs, then raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't happen to hail from Dragon's Peak, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah!" The dragon rapidly nodded its head and took a step forward, "I'm Sir Flavius, member of Dragon's Peak's royal guard! And we've got a problem!"

Flavius bit his lip and hung his head. "You see, our home's been turned into an undead wasteland by a really, really evil dragon named Vathek! I don't know how, but—"

"Hold up a second," Dark Spyro said as he craned his head up at Flavius, "Did you just say your entire place was turned into an undead wasteland?"

"Well, yeah?" Flavius placed a claw to his chin, "I think I did, at least? Did I really say that?"—Flavius shook his head—"Actually, no, that doesn't matter!"

"Yeah it does!" Dark Spyro jumped up and soared until he reached Flavius's face, "Can you tell us more?"

Flavius frowned and hastily stomped his paws. "I can't think right now, I'm too worried! Let's just go to the peak!"

Dark Spyro bit his lip, then looked back down at the other and sighed.

"Give us five minutes, alright?"

Dark Spyro swooped back down right as Sonic Boom ushered them all into a group huddle, then nudged himself a bit closer to Sunburn.

"Listen, you all heard that undead wasteland bit, right?" Dark Spyro asked, then grinned as everyone nodded, "That's gotta be the work of the Eternal Undead Source! We've gotta go there!"

"I don't know about that, Dark," Sonic Boom chimed in with a frown, "We don't know for sure if it is, and even if it was…"—Sonic Boom gestured towards the rest of the group with her paw—"None of us are undead! It would be a lot safer to have the others take care of it."

"You're missing something here, Sonic." Dark Spyro raised an eyebrow as he wildly gestured outside their little huddle, "Everyone's missing! We're the only ones here!"

Sonic Boom opened her beak to speak once more, then promptly shut it as Dark looked at her with a burning fire.

"We may not be undead, but if the Eternal Undead Source is there, we have to get it no matter the cost! If it stays in Kaos's grubby hands, he'll use it for even worse stuff than what he's doing now! As Skylanders, it's our duty to bring it back so it can't be used to hurt anybody else!"

"… That's oddly heroic of you, Dark." Sonic Boom tilted her head.

"And besides! Cynder nearly lost her life trying to get it back! We have to avenge her sacrifice!" Dark bit his lip as he looked to the skies, then looked aside and frowned, "And the others' too, I guess."

"With the way you're talking about them, it's like they actually died or something," Sunburn remarked before he nodded and cast a glance at Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod, "But, Dark does have a point. Like it or not, we're the only ones who can do this."

As the group huddle broke up, Sunburn looked up at Flavius then splayed his wings and grinned.

"Alright, Flavius, we're in!" Sunburn proclaimed as he took to the skies, "Take us to Dragon's Peak!"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Flavius beamed as he turned around, "But, the flight there's gonna be pretty long. Hop on my back, it'll be easier!"

And so, everybody jumped on Flavius's back right as he soared up, up, and away to Dragon's Peak…

§

"Guys, don't worry, I'm right here…" Chihiro moaned as she pulled her tired, tired body off of the ground, "I'll get you out of there, I promise…"

"Who exactly are you talking to, child?"

Chihiro frowned and opened her blurry, blurry eyes. Everything around her was coated in a faint shade of blue that glowed bright enough to make things feel strange and unnatural. Just where was she, anyways? From what her blurry vision could decipher, this wasn't anything close to what Ancient's Peak looked like… Chihiro hummed and rubbed her eyes clear, then gasped and scuttled back!

This whole place, it looked like a giant board game! Paths of colorful squares, some with strange markings, were lined by opalescent stones, life-sized cardboard bushes and paper towers decked in glitter. Cardboard dragons and clouds hung in the skies above, which were less sky and more a never-ending sea of strange blue light.

"Where am I, anyways?" Chihiro asked as she looked left and right then shrugged, "Well, whatever this place is, it sure looks nice."

Chihiro smiled as she skipped up to a patch of paper roses and rubbed their thornless stems, then shook her head and stood back. "No, can't stop and smell the roses. I need to find everyone!"

Chihiro turned and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hugo? Master Eon? Anybody here?"

"What's there to look for, child?" Asked Master Eon's voice, "I'm right here!"

Chihiro beamed as she followed the voice's source, but her smile quickly faded when she found not Master Eon, but his holographic counterpart!

"Hey, wait a second! You're not Master Eon!" Chihiro pointed an accusing finger at the holographic Eon, "Where'd you take him?!"—Chihiro shook her finger for emphasis—"And everyone else, for that matter?"

"You'll find out in due time." The holographic Eon casually waved a hand as it strode forward, then froze in his tracks as Chihiro let out an unholy scream!

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Chihiro snarled as she closed in on the holographic Eon and got ready to swing, "GIVE ME BACK MY—"—Chihiro's eyes grew wide as her fist phased right through the holographic Eon—"Friends?"

Chihiro skidded right through the holographic Eon, then snarled and whipped around right as he gave her a very unimpressed look. Huh, she forgot for a moment that he was a hologram… But that wouldn't be an issue!

"If I can't hit you with my fists," Chihiro hissed as she clenched her hand, "I'll give you a taste of my magic instead!"

Chihiro flung her arms out and narrowed her eyes, all while her body rushed with adrenaline!

"TAKE THIS!"

Chihiro pushed her hands a little further as another ugly snarl crossed her face, but nothing happened! Her hands just stood stagnant with no magic at all, not even the rushing sensations she always felt when she cast spells! What was going on? Chihiro drew her hands apart and cupped them like she was getting ready to summon a sphere… And yet no spheres formed in her hands, nor did she feel that rush of magic in her veins—or for that matter, any magic at all! That's right, her magic was acting up earlier, but that was from her anxiety, right? Her head's clear now, so why wasn't it working?

"Don't think you can cast any cheap spells either, child," the holographic Eon explained as it stepped forward, "Our battle is not one of magic or might… But of board games!"

Huh. That would explain the oddly craft-like scenario that surrounded them… Or the weird path that they stood on, for that matter. Chihiro frowned as she took in the sights and gently stroked her chin.

"This… Isn't really the kind of fight I expected," Chihiro remarked with a sigh.

"That's because your mind is too narrow, you stupid child." The holographic Eon scoffed and crossed its arms.

"Hey!"

"Silence!" The holographic Eon shot a glare at Chihiro, then receded as she winced and stepped back.

"Not all combat is of the traditional nature, such as today's fight. There's more to battle than just flashy blasts and heavy blows. If you wish to free yourself and your island's inhabitants, you must to prove to me that you understand this…"

The holographic Eon stepped back.

"By beating me at this life-sized recreation of the best board game known to Skylands' kind!" The holographic Eon grinned as it stretched its arms for emphasis, "Skylands' Greatest Warriors!"

Chihiro winced again as she shoved her hands in her pockets. A board game, huh? Well, she and Mamoru used to play board games together all the time when they were little. Surely this can't be that bad, right?

"Well, how do you play?" Chihiro shrugged and raised an eyebrow at the holographic Eon, "I can't exactly fight this battle if I don't know the rules, you know!"

"Follow me."

Chihiro scoffed as she watched the holographic Eon pass her by, but nonetheless trailed after it until it stopped at a bright, green square with "Start!" written on it in Skylandian lettering. Guess this was where their little battle would begin.

"The objective of the game is simple enough for a child such as yourself," the holographic Eon explained while it ignored the dirty look Chihiro shot him, "You must obtain three pieces of treasure from treasure hunt scenarios scattered across the board, all while fighting off the game and other players' attempts to take those treasures."

Chihiro scoffed, then as a warmth burned against her hands she looked down and watched as a pair of die manifested in her palms.

"It's your turn." Holographic Eon gave her a prompting look, "Roll them."

Chihiro took a step forward and shook her hands.

"Simple enough, I'll show him." Chihiro swung her hands forward while her eyebrows furrowed without her even realizing, "Take this!"

The die clattered as they flew from Chihiro's hands and rolled along the floor, then finally came to a stop to reveal a six. Not that bad for her first try, she supposed.
Chihiro skipped across the six squares she was allowed to pass, then finally stopped as she landed on a candy-pink square that glowed the moment her foot stepped on it! Chihiro gasped as the light flooded around her and tinted the entire world in sugary pink, then that light faded away to reveal…

"Master Eon!" Chihiro exclaimed as her eyes and grin grew wide.

Sure enough, the bright orb of light that manifested from the square was the real, actual Master Eon! He seemed a bit disoriented as he flitted to and fro with a pale glow, but his light soon brightened as he caught sight of Chihiro's face.

"Master Eon! Are you okay?" Chihiro smiled as Master Eon laid in her arms, "What happened to you and the others?"

"Greetings aspiring hero, I bring you a gift for your quest," Master Eon said in a strained, almost robotic tone as he floated out of Chihiro's arms, then created something small and rectangular out of light before he levitated it into Chihiro's open palms, "Take this and my best wishes for your success!"

"Wait, what?" Chihiro gasped and stumbled back, "Master Eon, what are you talking about? Don't you recognize me?"

"Indeed I do! You are Chihiro, the second player in this game!"

And just like that, Master Eon disappeared in a flash of light, while Chihiro gasped and blinked. Master Eon… He didn't recognize her at all, but more than that, his voice was so stiff and mechanical. It was almost like he was being controlled by someone!

"And that is why I needed your island's inhabitants, child," the holographic Eon said as it finished receiving a card from Hugo a space behind, "They will play the roles of the card-givers and other important characters in this game."

"And you couldn't have just made them up yourself?" Chihiro asked as she glared back at the holographic Eon.

The holographic Eon scoffed in response. "Of course not! In this form, my magic is far too limited for such spells."

Chihiro shot the holographic Eon another glare. That felt like a lie, but whatever. As the dice manifested in her palms, Chihiro sighed and looked down at the gift Master Eon had given her, thought it didn't seem particularly fancy. After all, it was just a simple card with an illustration of a pair of leather boots that had wings on their heels. Chihiro flipped it over, and on the other side it brought only a description.

"'When used, this card adds one more space to your current roll.'" Chihiro perked up and placed the card in her pocket, "Huh, that sounds useful. Better stash that away…"—Chihiro paused just before she stowed the card away in her pocket—"Wait, how do you use these cards, anyways?"

Chihiro rubbed her thumb against the card, only for it to glow bright and then vanish into the light! Chihiro yelped and stumbled back, then her eyes trailed down as the light flooded into the dice and made them glow.

"Well, guess I found out!"

Chihiro grinned, then shook her hands really hard and flung the dice ahead! Hopefully she would get a decent roll. Chihiro kept her breath bated as the dice stumbled along the path, then unveiled… A nine! Well, one that was quickly turned to a ten as some magical boots manifested out of thin air and kicked the dice along, but still!
Chihiro skipped across the candy-colored tiles below her feet and finally leaped onto a brown square with an illustration of a treasure chest that overflowed with gold and jewels!

"This must be my first treasure!" Chihiro exclaimed as she peered down and watched golden light seep out from the floor below.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, child," the holographic Eon warned as it rolled its dice and lagged behind Chihiro.

Chihiro shuddered, then grimaced and looked down at the light glowed brighter.

"TREASURE HUNT SCENARIO," cried a mechanical voice that vaguely resembled a TV announcer's, "ACTIVATED!"

And just like that, the golden light grew more and more intense, until it completely ate up the surroundings and all that could be seen was the light itself! In fact, it was so bright and intense, Chihiro had to close her eyes so she wouldn't be blinded!

Once its sting left her face, Chihiro warily opened her eyes to find that… Wait a second, had the light done something to her eyes or something? Because everything was still gold!

But, it didn't burn or glow like the light did. Rather, it was more like a solid mass of sparkling gold. Chihiro skipped up to the walls beside her and tapped their hard surface, then looked back down at her fingers to find them covered in gold dust! Yep, looks like these caves were made of solid gold! And that wasn't the only treasure to be held. Scattered across the sparkly golden floors were jewels, crowns, paintings, watches, and all other sorts of treasures! It was like she had found a jackpot! Chihiro knelt down and watched her reflection fragment against a jewel's facets, then her attention turned to a nearby pocket watch.

Strangely, it had… Something etched in on it, but it was too deep to just be an accidental scratch. These engravings were probably someone's initials, now that she thought about it. And for that matter, a lot of these things seemed pretty personal. The paintings had notes congratulating people on birthdays and anniversaries on the back, the rings scattered within golden coin piles had matches, even coin purses with pictures of people Chihiro had never seen before could be found in the mess!

"I know what this means," Chihiro reasoned as she jumped to her feet and raced down, "A huge dragon must have stole all this treasure for their hoard and I've gotta stop them and bring it back!"

Chihiro jumped in the air and hit the ceiling with her fist, then beamed and raced ahead as gold dust shuddered down. The pathway ahead was so open, that surely this would be where her foe resided!

"I'm coming for you," Chihiro exclaimed as she dashed into the heart of the caverns, "So you better be ready—"

Only to stop and backpedal as she found a large, purple and gold dragon rested on a mound of gold coins and jewels!

"SPYRO!?"

The dragon jerked their head up immediately, then narrowed their golden eyes the moment they caught sight of Chihiro. Yep, that definitely had to be Spyro! But why was he…

"And that is why I needed your island's inhabitants, child. They will play the roles of the card-givers and other important characters in this game."

As the holographic Eon's words rang back into Chihiro's mind, she herself winced and stepped back. Guess this is what that creepy clone meant… But, she didn't want to fight him, not at all! And yet, Spyro shot her a cold, icy look that seemed so different from the warm looks the Golden Boy she knew always gave her… Did he even remember her?

Spyro made a low, monstrous growl as he crept off his treasure pile, then smoke burst from his nostrils as he huffed and drew closer to Chihiro. His golden eyes turned warm and red with anger instead… And Chihiro didn't like the look of it at all!

"Spyro, please!" Chihiro pleaded as she stepped back while Spyro shoved his face in hers, "You're my friend, not even just that, you're, you're one of the most important friends I have! I don't wanna fight you!"

As more smoke flew out of Spyro's nostrils, he narrowed his eyes and lurched his body up like he was about ready to pounce. He lowered his jaws, and crackling hot flames burst out with every breath.

"I know you're trapped in this weird game and lost yourself and all, but please, try to remember! We're not enemies, we're, we're…" Chihiro started to pant and shudder as her voice became strained, then she fell down and knelt her head as she clasped her hands, "We're, you're, you're my—"

FWOOM!

"ACK! Chihiro screamed as she rolled out the way of a red-hot fireball! Seems as though he didn't remember her at all, and bargaining would do her no good at this rate!

Like it or not, Chihiro had to fight him if she wanted to win and get everyone out.

Chihiro winced, but nonetheless nodded and raised a hand. "No hard feelings, alright Golden Boy?"

Chihiro gulped, then thrust out her palms and shot out a magical blast… Or so she thought. Rather, when she looked back down at them they were completely dull and magicless! But why?

"That's right!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped back, "This game's locked down on my magic! What am I gonna do?"

Chihiro winced as she looked back down at her hands, only to perk her head up as an intense warmth brushed against her face. Right across from her, a fireball bright as the sun sped down the way!

"Crap!"

Chihiro ducked under the fireball and turned around just in time for it to melt a hole in the cavern walls, but she didn't linger on it for long. After all, several more were headed her way! With a squeak she rolled around just in time for the fireballs to hit the floor, then looked up and shot a glare at Spyro!

"Seriously, Spyro?"

Spyro didn't respond, but rather he just kept roaring as he shot off more of those fireballs and melted as much as he could! He didn't even look like Spyro in the moment, he looked like a raging monster that couldn't be tamed!

Guess that's the game's work, too! Chihiro thought as she ducked under one fireball then scrambled away from another, I've gotta think of something to stop this—Chihiro yelped as she rolled out the way of another fireball—But how?

Chihiro winced as she drummed her fingers against the golden floor, which had become much warmer thanks to all these fireballs, but her mind was completely blank! She couldn't use her own magic, she didn't have any of those weird cards, and any other options were completely nullified by the first two problems. But still, she had to think of something!

Meanwhile, Spyro raised his mouth and got ready to fire again… But before he could, a jump rope of all things flung forward and wrapped around Spyro's jaws so tight that it snapped those jaws shut!

"Your reign of terror ends now, foul beast!" Cried a familiar voice from down the caverns.

"Put a sock in it, you! Spyro's not a beast, he's my friend!" Chihiro shouted as she jumped back to her feet.

"I wouldn't particularly call this kind of behavior friendly, child."

Chihiro gasped and took a step back right as the holographic Eon clone stepped out from the shadows with an entire deck of those strange magical cards in its holographic hand! It cast a glare at Chihiro while she puffed her cheeks, then frowned and withdrew a card from its deck.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down, "This is my treasure hunt thing, you know!"

"Did you forget what I told you?" The holographic Eon rubbed against the card it withdrew and watched as the card dissolved into a cloud of sparkly mist, "You'll have to combat both the game and your opponents' attempts to take the treasure. These zones are free range for any players who wish to enter."

The mist fluttered around Spyro, then as he inhaled it he grunted and fell right asleep! For a moment it kinda looked like he had dropped dead, but the stifled snores he let out moments later confirmed otherwise.

"And it seems here, it's my victory that's assured." The holographic Eon lifted an amulet from the treasure pile as Spyro snored away and grinned, "Not yours."

"SIMULATION… COMPLETE!" Droned that mechanical announcer voice again as a beeping sound echoed throughout the cavern.

Chihiro grimaced as the entire area around them dissolved into a storm of light and bubbles that unveiled their original board game battlefield once more, then poked her gaze under her feet and gasped! The treasure square she stood on was no longer a treasure square, but an ordinary colored tile instead!

"Already poised to give up, child? I wouldn't blame you." The holographic Eon smirked as it put on the amulet, "I spent ages perfecting my skills at this game by dueling against Era! I know every in and out of it like I know the back of my hand!"

"Who's Era? Wait, nevermind that!" Chihiro snarled and shook her head. "There's no way I'm giving up!"

"Well then, I'll warn you…"

As dice manifested in the holographic Eon's hands once more, it took a quick roll and passed ahead of Chihiro.

"Things will only get harder from here on out."

§

The autumn breeze grew colder and more bitter as Flavius and the Skylanders drew closer to Dragon's Peak… Well, maybe. With how long they had traveled, it felt like it would be an eternity until they got there, what with the scenery having blended together in everyone's minds.

Even Flavius, with his impressive strength, had started panting and heaving before he sat down on a small island and sighed. The island itself was comprised of hard earth and lacked any sort of grass, but it was a rest stop nonetheless.

"Let's rest here for a while, I'm exhausted," Flavius said as he watched the others follow him onto the island.

As everybody paused to catch their breaths, Sonic Boom frowned and looked up at Flavius.

"Say, Flavius," she said as she scraped her paw against the island's surface, "What exactly happened at Dragon's Peak, anyways?"

Flavius winced and looked away in shame, then after a few minutes spent wallowing in reluctance he heaved a sigh. His lips twitched and quivered like he really didn't want to talk, but seemed to steady as he bit them down.

"Guess I have to tell you that before we get here, huh?" Flavius frowned and scratched his chin, "Let's see, it all happened… Twinsday, I think? No, Twinsday was when we had sheep meat tacos… Mmm, sheep meat…"

Flavius drooled at the thought, then winced as he looked down and saw Sunburn and Lightning Rod jump out of his drool's path.

"Actually no, it happened last Skiesday!" Flavius cleared his throat and made the most serious look he could muster, "See, it all started when King Ramses' no-good brother Vathek got locked in the dungeons for trying to steal the throne again!"

Flavius whimpered and looked further away from Sonic Boom, Sunburn, Dark Spyro and Lightning Rod.

"You see, King Ramses had been watching over him for so long, and he seemed so weary, so I…" Flavius whimpered again and hung his head, "I, I… I did something awful! So horrendous, I can't possibly make up for it!"

All four of them gasped as Flavius began sniffling, then winced as they looked among each other. Their eyes all held a right of shock, save for Sonic Boom who just gazed at Flavius with sympathy in her eyes instead.

"What is it, Flavius?" Sonic Boom asked as she flew up and gently stroked his back, "It's alright, you can tell us! We won't judge!"

"Are you sure?" Flavius sniffled and wiped his tears.

"Of course I wouldn't!" Sonic Boom soared up and wiped a few of Flavius's tears herself, "Everybody makes mistakes, and the sooner we find out, the sooner we'll be able to fix them!"

"Alright then… I, I, I…"

Tears formed in Flavius's eyes as his mouth trembled, then he buried his face in his paws.

"I TOOK KING RAMSES FOR A FLIGHT!"

Sunburn, Dark Spyro and Lightning Rod just dropped their jaws, then fell on their backs from the shock.

"That was the awful thing?" Dark Spyro sputtered as he pulled himself back to his paws.

"Ye, yeah," Flavius croaked as he made a shaky nod, "I just thought it would be nice to get some fresh air, stretch our wings and all… But when we got back, Vathek was completely gone!"

Flavius broke down in sobs for a few moments, then finally gulped back his tears and pulled himself to full height.

"We sent our finest soldiers to search for him, but no matter where we looked we couldn't find him at all!" Flavius's sorrow turned to rage as he bore a scowl, "That is, until he showed up again to take the throne back!"

Flavius turned around and stared at the skies, then shuddered like sudden cold had come down on him. "But, there was something different about him."

Flavius shuddered yet again as he hung his head.

"He had all these holes in his body, and this weird, ghostly feeling about him… And worse, he was stronger, too! It was like just being around him made us all feel sick!"

"Ghostly feeling?" Sunburn echoed to Dark Spyro, "Made everyone sick?"

"That's what I said." Flavius turned back around to the Skylanders and nodded, "And worse yet, he brought these strange guards with him! There was an elf, and a skeleton and some… Weird, living skull thing? And they were all purple and gray and evil all over too!"

"Those have to be Kaos's minions!" Sonic Boom whispered, her eyes wide.

"They were so powerful," Flavius said with completely obliviousness to the others' shock, "We didn't stand a chance! Before we knew it, Vathek seized the throne and turned everyone who tried to fight back into stone! I barely escaped by the skin of my scales…"—Flavius grimaced as he rolled a rock off the island—"Or however that saying goes…"

Flavius sighed and mumbled something to himself as he laid down on the island, but while he went to brood, the Skylanders all huddled together with looks of determination on their faces.

"There's no denying it now. This has to be where the Eternal Undead Source is!" Sonic Boom whispered.

"And this Vathek guy has to be the one keeping it!" Dark Spyro reasoned.

"Guess we know what that means!" Sunburn smirked as he turned back to Flavius, "Come on, let's go have a talk with this Vathek creep!"

The Skylanders all resonated Sunburn's sentiment with cries of agreement, cries that seemed to lift Flavius's spirits as they pricked his ears.

"YEAH! We'll show Vathek who's the real boss here!" Flavius proclaimed as he jumped back into the skies and flew away, "Follow me!"

So, Sunburn, Dark, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all trailed after Flavius, and this time the flight was thankfully less tedious. It had only taken them a little bit before the floating rocks and clouds made way for a large island filled with carved dragon heads and massive stone sculptures. Surely, this had to be the place! And if that wasn't what tipped them off, then maybe the blank-eyed dragon guards dressed in spiky, bony armor that circled around the entrance in such massive numbers they practically crowded the entrance itself out were a dead giveaway.

"Ugh, great," Dark Spyro groaned as he overlooked the guards, "Looks like we've got company!"

However, Flavius didn't seem nearly as worried as Dark did! In fact, he had a big grin on his face as he leaned in and got ready to fly off.

"Don't worry, these guys are friendly!" Flavius proclaimed as he zoomed off, "They're my fellow guards, I'm sure they'll let us in!"

Dark Spyro, however, just winced as he looked over the guards. "I don't know about that, they look kind of…"

"HEY GUYS! IT'S ME, FLAVIUS!"

Dark Spyro just sighed and shook his head. There was no way this was going to end well…

"Wait, what do you mean you don't know who I am, Qeolber? I'm Flavius, you know? Fellow knight, brother in arms, eggs from a different nest? Is this because I accidentally ate your sheep meat taco on Taco Twinsday…"

Dark grimaced as he looked back up to see Flavius ramble on about something to both of the guards, who just looked at each other… Then promptly slammed their tails into Flavius and sent him soaring away so fast that Dark could barely dodge him!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," Flavius wailed as he flew back into the open skies, "WAIT A SECOND, I CAN FLY!"—Flavius promptly stopped himself and shook his head as he sighed—"Guess talking to them didn't work…"

"Now what?" Sunburn asked as he and the others all flew up to Flavius and took a glance back at the guards, "There's no way we can fight our way past them, and they're stationed at practically every angle!"—Sunburn raised his eyebrows and looked back at Dark Spyro—"Unless…"

"Hey, why're you looking at me funny?" Dark asked as he tilted his head and ran his claws between his fangs, "Do I have something in my teeth?"

"Dark, you're good… Ish, with magic, right?" Sunburn flitted up to Dark Spyro and lifted one of Dark's paws, "Can you disguise us as those guards?"

"'Fraid not." Dark Spyro firmly shook his head, "I'm no good at fancy magic spells and disguises,"—Dark grinned as he whipped out a pair of goofy novelty glasses, with the big nose and bushy mustaches and all—"Unless you like these!"

Dark grinned as everyone else sighed and shook their heads, save for a perfectly confused Flavius who just frowned instead.

"Well, it's worth a shot!" Flavius said as he giggled and plucked the glasses out of Dark's paws, then placed them on his muzzle and giggled as the eyes popped out on dangling silver springs, "Plus, these glasses are really funny!"

While Flavius chuckled and toyed with the springy eyes, Sunburn just sighed and nudged Dark's shoulder.

"Well, I guess we don't have any better ideas," Sunburn said as he turned to Dark, "Lay it on us, Dark Spyro!"

"And watch the beard!" Lightning Rod shouted from the back, oblivious to how everyone else rolled their eyes beside him.

Dark grinned, then whipped out several more pairs of prank glasses and stuck them on everyone's faces in one swift movement, then grinned as he popped a pair on his own face. With everyone firmly disguised, they all swooped back up to the entrance, the tension thick as the guards laid their eyes on Dark Spyro while Dark himself cleared his throat.

"Hello, I'm from 'Totally Not the Skylanders in Disguise' Inc," Dark started as the guards' eyes started to widen, "And we're here to give you the opportunity—"

"INTRUDERS!" Wailed the guards, "SECURE THE PERIMETER!"

Everyone froze and got ready to attack, but they didn't even need to—the guards just flew right by them without even a moment's hesitation! Well, that was one way to get rid of unwanted guards.

Dark chuckled as he took off his glasses and beamed towards the others. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

"Neither do I," Lightning Rod remarked as he shook his head, then lifted himself tall and beamed, "But nonetheless, the perfect chance has presented itself! We must make haste!"

They all flew into the open doorway that the guards had abandoned with no hesitation, fully expectant of maybe some decay or something… But what they were greeted with was even worse than expected!

Dragon's Peak was always depicted as a lush, beautiful land with crystals clear streams and impeccable architecture in books and scrolls, but now it just looked like a wasteland! The dull, brown earth was cold and hard and only decorated by a few withered flowers and some large bones that stuck out from the earth, the waterfalls had turned from clear water to sickly green and purple sludge, and no sort of life could be found… Well, unless you counted the skeletal dragonets and zombie-like gremlins that occasionally lurked across the earth.

"This is Dragon's Peak?" Sunburn exclaimed as his jaw completely dropped, "This can't be right!"

"I'm afraid it is," Flavius whimpered with a nod of his head, "This is what that awful Vathek did to our home!"

Solemn silence as cold as the earth beneath their feet took over their conversation, because with such awful sights nobody could make the words. Not even Lightning Rod, haughty and confident as he usually was, could bring himself to smile! So, they all just watched the world around in a bit of solemn mourning…

But finally, Sonic Boom shook her head and puffed out her chest.

"There's no use sitting around and sulking," Sonic Boom reasoned, "Once we stop this Vathek and retrieve the Eternal Undead Source, we'll turn this whole place back to normal!"—Sonic Boom winced and looked aside—"Wherever it is, anyways…"

Sonic Boom froze as buzzing pricked her ears, then pressed herself against the ground as a barrage of bony stingers flew right over her and tore through a dead tree!

"But first," Sonic Boom said as she pulled herself up and watched a pack of Dragonet skeletons guided by zombie gremlin riders pour in, "We should probably take care of the guards!"

Dark Spyro grinned and leaped to the front of the pack, all while purple flames crackled at his lips.

"I'll take care of these guys!" Dark proclaimed as he opened his jaws wide and shot off a round of flaming purple fireballs, "LIGHTS OUT!"

Dark's fireballs crashed into the dragonet swarm and enveloped them in a bright purple bonfire, all while both the dragonets and their zombie gremlin riders cried out in agony… Then flared up in the midst of a gigantic explosion that forced everyone to shield themselves! Dark grinned as he turned back to the swarm, but when the smokes cleared his face quickly faltered. For while the gremlins were nowhere to be seen, their dragonets, while a little crispy, were still raring to go!

"Oh come on!"

Dark made a very tired frown then knelt down and charged after them, but as he drew closer they just shot their stingers right towards him! Dark gasped and veered off course as the first few stingers narrowly grazed him, then gasped and stumbled back as several more slammed into the ground where he once stood… Only for several more to shoot right towards him!

Dark gasped as the stingers came in quick, but before he could get stung, Sunburn teleported in front of Dark and burned up the stingers with a flamethrower! That flamethrower powered through the ashes of what was once the dragonet's stingers and slammed right into the dragonets themselves. The dragonets cried out in pain for moments, then zoomed out of the fire, now flaming hot with fury—literally!

As the dragonets flew forward, Sonic Boom flew up and met them halfway with a scream that blew them out like birthday candles! As the dragonets tumbled backwards in mid-air, a gigantic thunderclap sounded off while a large bolt of thunder shocked them down! The dragonets made a few pained noises as they crash-landed and wriggled about on their backs, but Lightning Rod only scoffed as he floated up to them and crossed his arms.

"Dragonets, what a pain," Lightning Rod muttered as he shocked them once more… Just to be safe, "They're only good for pulling chariots!"

As the dragonets finally fell silent, Lightning Rod wiped his hands clean and floated off, but he didn't seem nearly as cheery and full of himself as he usually did… Rather, he just hung his head low as he groaned and placed a hand on his forehead. For that matter, a look around showed that everybody else had hung their heads and winced, their faces a little pale like they had gotten sick. But, they all pulled themselves up and tried to shake it off.

Lightning Rod frowned and ruffled his wavy hair, then pulled himself up as something tapped his shoulder.

"I'm fine, there's no need to be concerned," Lightning Rod denied as he turned around his head, "In fact, I'm the pinnacle of health and fitness! You—"—Lightning Rod frowned and turned around as he saw that nobody was behind him—"Who's there?"

Lightning Rod turned around as a buzzing sound echoed, only to find himself face-to-face with one of the dragonets he had shocked earlier! Though it was still charred and rife with static, it was amazingly still kicking, and judging by the way it narrowed its eyes, it wasn't happy at all!

"You again!" Lightning Rod exclaimed with a snarl, "You pests just don't know when to quit!"—Lightning Rod wound up his arm as he heaved heavy pants—"Luckily, all it takes is one strike from me, and you're—"

However, just as Lightning Rod went to throw his punch, the dragonet flew out of the way and slapped Lightning Rod in the back with its tail! It giggled as Lightning Rod fell to the floor, but Lightning Rod did not seem as amused as he got up and snarled back at it.

"You insolent little worm!" Lightning Rod exclaimed as he brushed off his beard, "How dare you attempt to scrape my perfect face? You'll pay for that!"

Lightning Rod jumped up and threw out a round of lightning bolts, but the moment they left his palms they just fizzled out in a flash of light! Normally he'd probably have been more concerned, but he looked so ill that it seemed like keeping himself upright was enough of a challenge!

The dragonet giggled as it readied its stinger, but before it could fire a soft screech pricked its ears and turned it around. There, an equally-dizzy Sonic Boom staggered and stumbled on all four paws as she cracked her beak open.

"You, you'll stop right there…" Sonic Boom warned as she lowered her head and shuddered, "Once I… I get this headache taken care of…"

"Sonic, you alright?" Dark Spyro asked as he prodded over to Sonic Boom and nudged her head, only to stop as something just barely pulled him away.

"Let her rest, Dark, she's not," Sunburn sputtered as he hiccuped out a few wisps of fire, "Feeling good…"

Sunburn made a tiny snarl as he turned back to the dragonet, which now looked incredibly confused and bored, then opened his beak and got ready to fire… But before he could, a gigantic fireball rained down from above and burnt the dragonet to a crisp!

Sunburn raised an eyebrow, then made a weak smile as Flavius beamed down at them. "Guess that's taken care of."

Sunburn stumbled over to Flavius, then sat down and held his forehead.

"Alright, Flavius," Sunburn panted, his voice a bit more hoarse than before, "Where do we find… This Vathek dude?"

Flavius, however, just gave Sunburn a concerned look.

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Flavius asked, "You like kind of… How do I say this nicely?"—Flavius hummed and tapped his chin—"Super duper bad?"

"Er, no… We're fine!" Dark said with a bit more energy compared to the others, though he still seemed kind of tired as his eyelids drooped up and down, "We could take on that Vathek dude—"

"THERE THEY ARE!" Shouted a ghastly voice from a good ways across, "THE INTRUDERS! GET THEM!"

Flavius gasped as he whipped his head around, then frantically swept Sunburn, Dark, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom off the ground and onto his back.

"Hold that thought, actually! We've got company!" Flavius exclaimed as he jumped off the ground, "Looks like it's time it go!"

With a mighty flap of his wings, Flavius soared off the ground with no sort of attention paid to the others' screams, then rocketed straight into the skies above! Once he was safely out of sight, Flavius swooped back down and flew across the endless dead fields… Not that anybody other than Flavius paid any mind to this.

They were far too busy trying their hardest to cling to Flavius's while also managing their weird bout of weakness.

"None of you would happen to be undead, would you?" Flavius asked as he looked back at Dark.

Dark Spyro shook his head and hopped up.

"Sunburn's fire, Sonic and Rod are air…" Dark Spyro explained before he frowned and looked down at his paws, "I'm… Not sure about myself, I mean, I was cloned from a purple dragon but he just kinda hangs around the magic dudes and I, well…"

"D'oh, why didn't I think of that earlier?" Flavius shook his head, "You probably can't handle all this weird undead magic!"

"Heh, yeah…" Sunburn piped up from the back, "Guess we forgot about all that…"—Sunburn tilted his head and frowned—"Hey, you don't look very dead either… How are you doing fine?"

"I'm not!" Flavius grinned as he leaned down, "And I'll show you why! Hold on to your hats!"

They all gulped and prepared to scream as Flavius swept down and rushed forward... But thankfully this tripquickly dropped them off at a nearby island, and hey, for a moment things actually felt less… Dead! In fact, those things weren't! The entire area around them was full of fancy, well-polished marble statues, lush, green grass, crystal-clear pools and waterfalls and most importantly… Villages!

"This is one of the few parts of the island that Vathek hasn't taken yet," Flavius explained as he stepped forward, "And where I got my undead stopper thingamabobber!"

"Undead what now?" Dark Spyro asked as he hopped off Flavius's back and looked up.

"Just follow me!"

As Flavius walked off, Lightning Rod, Sunburn and Sonic Boom all jumped off his back and stretched. Seems as though being away from all that undead energy was quick to revitalize them, thankfully enough! So, they all followed Flavius down the village way and to a simple, kind of unassuming magenta cloth tent decorated with stitched stars and moons.

Flavius smiled as he draped open the tent's cloth door with his own wings, then ushered them inside the tent. They all shrugged and stumbled inside, then paused and gasped at the sights!

For such a small-looking tent, it was a lot bigger on the inside! The walls were the same pinkish-purple colored velvet that the outside was and homed fancy wooden shelves full of crystals and potions and all sorts of other magic artifacts, while glowing star and moon stickers stuck tight to the cloth ceiling. In the center, an aged-looking green and yellow dragon with a long white beard and faded scales rested on a soft-looking straw nest, while a gangly, younger-looking dragon with magenta and silver scales dressed in dark purple wizard robes drew a blanket over the elderly dragon.

"Oh, Sir Flavius! You've returned with the Skylanders!" The dragon wizard exclaimed as they rushed over and examined Dark, Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod, "They don't… Seem particularly undead, however…"

"Yeah, yeah, Merlinus, they're not undead!" Flavius shook his head and gazed over at the aging dragon beside them, "How's His Majesty doing?"

"Better. He's accepted my vitalization potions quickly, and all that's left to do is let him rest." Merlinus turned back to their shelves of potions and other magical knick-knacks, "He's honestly lucky you found him at the time you did! At his age, had he been trapped in that statue spell any longer…"—Merlinus shuddered—"I can't imagine what would have become of him."

Flavius didn't seem very relieved, however. He just whimpered and sucked on his lip as he looked aside.

"Now, don't give me that face," Merlinus scolded despite the fact that they hadn't peeled themself away from their potion shelf, "You had no idea that Vathek was going to break out, none of us did. All we can do now is try to stop him."

Merlinus snorted out a puff of magical smoke as they rummaged through an old box.

"Now, where did I put those…" Merlinus grinned as they fished something out of the box, "A-ha!"

Merlinus turned to Sunburn, Dark, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod and tossed the objects right at them, then beamed as they caught the strange objects without even flinching and gave them a quick look-over. They were all simple, silver amulets with round, polished onyxes in their center… But what were they for?

"If you Skylanders want to make it anywhere past the front gates, you'll need these pendants," Merlinus explained as they looked down at the four of them, "They absorb the undead energy around you and keep it from affecting your own body. A sort of barrier, if you will."

"Nice!" Dark Spyro chirped as he propped his own pendant on his shoulder, "Now we won't have to worry about finding our way around!"

"I wouldn't say that for certain." Merlinus frowned and twitched their snout, "These amulets aren't the most powerful, so there's only so much they can take. If they absorb too much energy, they'll shatter completely and leave you defenseless. You'll have to be careful."

"Fear not, humble dragon! With my skills, something as meager as a time limit is hardly an issue!" Lightning Rod proclaimed as he proceeded to flex his arms, "After all, my speed is unmatched, my abilities are top-notch, and not to mention my muscles are absolutely impeccable!"

As Lightning Rod kissed his biceps, Dark Spyro gagged and looked towards Sunburn.

"He's doing that thing again," Dark Spyro whined as Sunburn patted him on the back.

"Just let him get it over with," Sunburn replied with a solemn nod.

"Now, these muscles aren't just for show!" Lightning Rod rambled to a very confused Merlinus, who only gave him a blank stare, "It's because of them that I've become Olympic champion fifty times in a row, winning gold in every sport that dares to challenge me—"

"You can brag about your gold medals after the mission is over, Lightning Rod," Sonic Boom scolded as she grabbed Lightning Rod by the arm and pulled him away, with only a moment of pause taken to give Merlinus a curt nod, "Thank you for your time, I promise, we'll—"

"THEY'RE HERE!" Cried a dragon from far outside the tent as the sounds of crashing and stomping feet shook the ground outside!

The Skylanders and Flavius dashed out of the tent in an instant, then hissed and stepped back.

There ahead of them, those undead dragon guards had flooded into the village, and with them came the same ruin and desecration that befell the rest of Dragon's Peak! The village dragons screamed and ran away as the guard dragons flew in, but Sunburn and Dark Spyro just shared knowing looks with each other.

"I'd say this is the perfect time to test these babies out!" Sunburn remarked as he tapped a claw against his amulet.

"I couldn't agree more!" Dark Spyro replied as he flew up and away towards the town square with Sunburn close behind!

The two of them were immediately intercepted by two large dragon guards who hit them with a combined, greenish-purple pillar of flame breath, but Sunburn and Dark Spyro were quick to fight the guards' flames with their own! The two flame bursts struggled against each other, neither one willing to relent, but finally Sunburn and Dark Spyro's prevailed and got ready to singe the guards!

All save for one, who rolled away from the flames and snarled as it eyed Dark Spyro and Sunburn.

Before the flames could singe the other guards, however, the one guard that got away slammed into Sunburn and Dark Spyro both and knocked them aside, right as the guards' combined flames rocketed into the ground below and set it alight!

Dark and Sunburn both groaned and pulled themselves off the ground, then glared down the guards as those guards got ready to charge again. Two can play at that game! While the guards flew closer, Sunburn teleported away in a burst of flame while Dark jumped into the shadows and vanished!

"Over here, scales for brains!" Sunburn proclaimed as he jumped out of the flame pillar and extinguished it within an instant, "Or not!"

Right before the guards could fly again, Sunburn teleported on top of a now-withered tree, then dashed away and teleported in midair as one of the dragon guards rammed into it! Sunburn paused for a moment and caught a breather… Then grinned as he saw a faintly draconic figure give him a thumbs up from the shadows! Down below, the guards had already recovered and chased after him… But this time, Sunburn wasn't going to run! Instead, he jumped off the roof, then coated himself in flames and became a flaming comet that slammed right into them!

The guards all bumped back into each other one by one, and while they reeled in midair, their shadows down below shuddered and grew spikes! Those shadows them spiked up and stabbed the guards in the back, literally!

The guards all cried in pain then fell into one big, tired pile, while Sunburn just flew down and smiled as Dark Spyro crept out from the shadows and shook.

But, Dark and Sunburn unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to bask in their hard work, because a scream from one of the nearby dragons showed that even more guards were pouring in! And worse yet, they looked just as strong as the few before them… And if taking care of those three was bad enough, surely they couldn't imagine taking all of them on at once!

The village dragons all stampeded off in a big, hasty crowd, all while a few tried to bring some order to the chaos, though they weren't able to garner much attention. At least, not until Flavius flew between the guard dragons and civilians and caught everyone's eyes!

"I'll take care of getting everyone out of here!" Flavius proclaimed as he flared his wings and looked back at the Skylanders, "Head for the hills and go to Crystal Falls, I'll meet you later!"

Lightning Rod scowled as he looked back at the guards like he was still ready to fight, then Sonic Boom grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to Dark Spyro and Sunburn.

"Don't even try it, Lightning Rod!" Sonic Boom shouted back, "There's too many of them for us to take on! Like it or not, we have to go!"

Lightning Rod muttered something under his breath, but nonetheless receded as all four of them made their way up the hills that surely lead to these Crystal Falls Flavius spoke of… But before they could pass, two more dragon guards swooped down right in front of their path and snarled!

"We'll take care of these guys!" Sonic Boom proclaimed as she and Lightning Rod leaned forward.

Sonic Boom flicked her wings, and out from them came a trio of griffin eggs that splattered across the ground and released tiny griffin triplets! The triplets giggled as they flew around the guards, nipped at the guards' snouts and screamed in the guards' ears, all while the guards themselves tried to bat them away like flies… Then the griffin chicks all stuck their tongues out at the guards and flew off!

The guards tried to make haste, but before they could even take more than one step forward, a gigantic thunderbolt struck them where they stood! And worse yet, that electric shock was only amplified by the metal of their armor, which conducted the shock through their whole bodies until they both fell unconscious! Well, that was one problem solved… But, another one had formed in its midst!

"They're blocking the way," Sonic Boom sighed as she looked over the guards, who had unintentionally created a barrier so tall it was well past flying over, "Give us a minute."

Sonic Boom took a few breaths in and out, then let out a mighty screech that was only amplified by a thunderclap courtesy of Lightning Rod! The impact was so great, it blew the guards right up the hill… And well past the path ahead!

"Wow, even I didn't know I could scream like that," Sonic Boom remarked, her voice a bit hoarse as she collected her eggs and tucked them under her wing… But not before she gave the eggs a gentle nudge and a kind gaze. "I'm so proud of you!"

With everything taken care of, the four of them all looked at each other and stormed up the hill…

§

Chihiro frowned as she looked over the cards she had amassed from her prior rolls. It was all typical fantasy objects and stuff—boots with wings on their soles, wizard hats in a menagerie of colors and patterns, tough-looking steel armor… But how could she play them to nab a win? Chihiro thumped her foot like a rabbit as she tried to think, and yet, nothing seemed to come to her!

"Child, are you going to roll or not?" Holographic Eon asked as it crossed its arms.

Chihiro turned around and huffed at the holographic Eon, then looked down at her open hand and watched the die manifest within her palm. She winced, then shook her hand and rolled… To find that she got a six! Nice! Chihiro skipped to the six spaces, only to jump up as the board flashed with golden light.

"TREASURE HUNT SCENARIO," cried that mechanical announcer voice again, "ACTIVATED!"

Once again, the board had shifted in appearances from the whimsical children's board game aesthetic to an old western town like she had seen in those old-timey movies. Worn wooden buildings and tumbleweeds littered the streets, and in the distance she could hear what sounded like…

"HELP!" Cried a voice that was unmistakably Hugo's!

"Hugo!" Chihiro exclaimed as she raced down the dust-covered streets, "I'm coming!"

Hugo's voice grew closer and closer as Chihiro ran and kicked up dust clouds along the way, and it sounded even more frantic as well!

When the dust finally cleared, she found not just Hugo but Flynn and Cali, all dressed in old western clothes like cowboy hats and fringed vests, all while they were held up by some bandits on strong-looking horses who were armed and ready to rob!

Chihiro instinctively jumped in front of Flynn, Hugo and Cali, her arms wide as she got ready for any potential blows… Then she lowered her arms in shock as she examined the bandits.

"Trigger Happy?" Chihiro sputtered as she watched the bandits lower guns loaded with something white and soft-looking, "Zap? Wrecking Ball? What are you three doing?"

"Chihiro! It's you!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he bounced in his seat and waved at Chihiro, "Hi hi! Do you see me? I'm a cowboy now, just like I always wanted to be!"—Trigger Happy frantically shook his whole body and pouted—"Wait a second, what am I doing? I can't break character right now!"

Trigger Happy cleared his throat and held up his gun. "Alright, everyone! Give me all the treasure you've got, or I'll MARSHMALLOW YOU!"

"Yeah!" Zap and Wrecking Ball chimed in as they held up their marshmallow guns the best they could.

Well, seemed as though Trigger Happy at least remembered who he was—perhaps there was some reasoning to be had with him.

"C'mon Trig, this is ridiculous!" Chihiro scoffed and placed her hands on her hips, "Now, drop the marshmallow guns and get off those horses! I don't think you even know how to ride—"

"DING DING! MARSHMALLOW TIME!"

Chihiro gasped and ducked as a marshmallow flew over her head and slammed into the tin walls of the buildings behind, followed by a storm of even more!

Flynn, Cali and Hugo seemed just as concerned as she was, given that they immediately tried to storm off only for Zap and Wrecking Ball to corner them!

"TRIGGER HAPPY!" Chihiro exclaimed as she ducked under another waves of marshmallows, "COOL IT WITH THE MARSHMALLOWS!"

"Can't stop, won't stop! I'm living the cowboy dream!"

Chihiro winced, then rummaged through the card deck she had stashed away and pulled out… That armor suit card! That's just what she needed right about now! Chihiro grinned as she hastily rubbed the card, then lurched up as it evaporated into magic and swirled around her! That magic soon solidified into a full-fledged suit of armor that completely covered her from head to toe! Though the metal burned a bit against the scorching desert sun and was a tad bit heavy, it did well to protect her from Trigger Happy's reign of marshmallow terror, as every marshmallow he shot just bounced off of her like a, well, marshmallow!

"Uh oh," Trigger Happy said as he drew back his marshmallow gun with wide eyes.

Chihiro smirked, then pulled out her card deck and fingered through what else she had—surely there had to be something that could finish this quick! The cards all had a variety of objects on them—potions, wands, hats…

"Wait, what would I use a hat for in a time like this?" Chihiro asked aloud as she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at the cards! She continued to shuffle through the cards as the sound of running horses became a faint noise in the distance…

"GET AWAY FROM US, YOU FIENDS!" Flynn cried in the distance.

Crap! In her haste to find the perfect card, Chihiro had completely forgotten about the issue at hand! She turned back around, and once again the bandits had Flynn, Cali and Hugo backed into a corner! She went to run, but then turned around as the sounds of tunneling reached her ears. Tunneling, who would be tunneling here?

The holographic Eon, apparently! It stormed forwards on rocket-powered boots, ready to swoop in and steal the win!

Chihiro winced as her gaze bounced between the holographic Eon and the bandits, then finally settled on her cards. What was she supposed to do? If she stopped it, she might not be able to save Hugo, Flynn and Cali in time, but if she went after them then surely that stupid holograph would beat her to the punch! Chihiro winced as she glazed over her cards once more… There were hat cards, bubble cards, brick wall spell cards…

Wait, a brick wall spell? Chihiro plucked that card out from the deck and raised an eyebrow, then turned her attention to a wand card a few cards away from where the wall once sat in her deck. She gingerly plucked the wand card out as well, then paused and held it up to eye level.

"'When used in tandem with another card,'" Chihiro read, "'This card expands the first card's effect to an entire five-mile radius.'"

Chihiro dashed up to the bandits and held the cards tight. This was just what she needed!

"Hey, you guys! Over here!" Chihiro shouted as she waved her armored hands in the air, "Bet'cha can't get me!"

The bandits all turned around from harassing Flynn, Cali and Hugo, then looked back to Chihiro and glared. They whipped out their marshmallow guns and stormed right towards her… But as they ran, they were completely oblivious to Chihiro's subtle rub of the cards in her hand!

Right as they were within range, a gigantic brick wall formed around them and completely walled them off from everyone outside! And on top of that, a soft thunk could be heard from outside followed by some grumbles. Seems as though that holograph would be no problem here!

The bandits all looked around in shock, then shot a glare towards Chihiro as they whipped out their marshmallow guns, but Chihiro just grinned and puffed out her chest!

They shot out all the marshmallows their guns had to offer, but before they could hit her Chihiro whipped out a shield from the back of her armor suit and threw it in front of her person!

The marshmallows bounced off the shield and ricocheted right back at the bandits with such force that it flung them right into the brick wall! They grunted as they slid down, but they didn't seem any worse for wear given that they jumped back up immediately and whipped out their guns once more!

"That trick, again?" Chihiro asked as she flung the marshmallows back at them with her shield, "You guys really are one-trick ponies, huh?"

Chihiro scoffed as they rammed back into their spots in the walls, but they were oddly persistent! Every time she slammed them back, they just jumped back into the fray and got back to shooting! And now that she looked back, those dents they had formed into the wall were getting oddly big…

"Bandit McBanditson," Zap groaned as he held a webbed paw over his head, "Are you sure this is a good plan? My head's hurting…"

"You're supposed to address me as your fearless leader!" Trigger Happy shot back, "And it's a perfect escape plan! Bandit number two thinks so!"—Trigger Happy turned back to Wrecking Ball and grinned—"Right, bandit number two?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Wrecking Ball replied as he bounced up and down, "Destroying things is fun!"

"Wait, plan?!" Chihiro shouted as she looked back to Trigger Happy, who looked just as shocked as she did.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he slapped his furry hands over his mouth, "Morget I maid manything, mhere's no plan mhere!"

Chihiro winced as her eyes trailed over the large cracks that had formed in her brick wall, some of which had already crumbled and beamed out soft sunlight. That's it, she needed a change of plans… But what? Her cards don't really have many good effects. Chihiro winced and dodged a marshmallow as she skimmed over her current selection. Wizard hat, no, speed boots, nada, bubble potion… The bubble potion, yes!

Chihiro grinned as she sneaked that card out and held it tight within her grasp, then turned her attention back to the bandits, who had whipped out their marshmallow guns and scowled. As they fired another round of marshmallows at her, Chihiro whipped out her shield and swatted the marshmallows away like baseballs! Not only that, but the wind she created was so intense that it didn't just blow away those marshmallows —it blew the bandits right into the wall once again!

As they slunk down and groaned, Chihiro ran up to them and withdrew the bubble potion card. With a few quick finger rubs on her end, that card had vanished into a puff of light and was replaced with a simple glass potion bottle which held an ocean blue liquid that bubbled and popped with every swish. Oh yes, she had a very good idea on what to use this for!

Chihiro gingerly uncorked the bottle, then leaned forward and poured it right on top of the bandits' head! Of course, this sudden splash of water was enough to immediately bring them back to their senses, but that wouldn't really matter right now!

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, "I'm not gonna be late for bandit school, I swear!"

Trigger Happy blinked for a few moments, paused and pulled his hat off. He took a sniff, then frowned as he spun his hat around in his hands. "Why does my hat smell like soap?"

POP!

Right before Trigger Happy could get an answer, a gigantic bubble appeared out of nowhere and snapped him right up! And not just him, either. Zap and Wrecking Ball were completely caught too! Trigger Happy gasped, then pounded his fists against the bubble, but it was no use! It was too strong for him to break! He could only shout in inaudible confusion and pout as he, Zap and Wrecking Ball flew across the horizon…

"Sorry for this, guys!" Chihiro shouted as she waved to them, "It's just to get you out of this game!"

Chihiro frowned as they flew out of her sight, then perked up and turned around as the sound of something receding into the ground hit her ears. While she was busy apologizing, her wall spell had completely dropped, and Flynn, Cali and Hugo had all ran up to her!

"Thank you kindly for saving us," Cali said as she grabbed Chihiro's hand and went to shake it, only to yelp and let go from its hot touch, "Yeowch, that's one scorching suit!"

"Yeah, armor suits aren't really made for places like these," Chihiro chuckled as she scratched her head, then shook it and beamed back at Cali, "But, it's no problem! It's just what I do!"

"Nevertheless, we can't let you just go empty-handed when you saved us like you did," Hugo said as he pulled out something shiny and gold from his pocket, "Here, take this! Consider it a token of our thanks!"

Chihiro gasped as Hugo urged for her to kneel, so she did… And then perked her head up as a small weight drooped around her neck! She looked down, and hung from her neck was a shiny, gold medallion with a beautiful teardrop-shaped sapphire in its center! Chihiro beamed as she stood up and gently toyed with the medallion, only for a faint dinging noise to echo across the desert sands!

"SIMULATION… COMPLETE!" Beeped the mechanical announcer as a bright, golden light poured through the old desert town… Then as it lifted, the western world around had relented in favor of the board game world before!

Chihiro grinned as she fiddled with her amulet, then turned around to the holographic Eon and beamed.

"See? I'm catching up!" Chihiro proclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

But, the holographic Eon didn't seem particularly impressed. It just rolled the dice and passed Chihiro by.

"Don't get too cocky, child," the holographic Eon warned as he stepped on a treasure space and received a card from Dino-Rang, then shot Chihiro a glare, "The real fight has just begun, after all."

Chihiro made a wary frown as the dice manifested back in her hand, but nonetheless she rolled them and moved on forward.

§

Sonic Boom panted as she bolted forwards, then finally flopped down the grass and breathed a sigh of relief as the sounds of screaming and combat became nothing more than a faint echo in the distance.

"Those guards are long gone," She said as she took a few more breathes then stood up, "We should be safe now."

Sonic Boom gave the path behind them a bit of a concerned stare, then for a moment she began to walk back… Only to stop as Sunburn laid a wing on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine, Sonic. He seems like a tough guy," Sunburn reassured as Sonic Boom looked up at him. "Besides, if we're gonna do anything for him right now, we need to get the Eternal Undead Source and fix this place."

Sonic Boom seemed a little hesitant still, but the oddly kind look in Sunburn's eyes reassured her enough to go forwards. So, she flew ahead and lead them all through the Crystal Falls, or at least, what they thought were the Crystal Falls.

Becayse, in all honesty it really did not live up to the name. The water was a gungy purplish-green in color and sputtered out like sewage while bones and waste floated in the depths, the grass was completely dead with only gray stone underfoot, and worse of all, parts of skeletons poked out from the ground, paired with dead tumbleweeds and rotted flowers! The whole place looked like a nightmare brought to life! But at the same time, its appearance brought more sorrow than fear. Surely, it used to be so beautiful…

Sonic Boom frowned as she examined the fields, only to look away as something shook against her heart with such intensity that it ruffled her feathers.

"It's alright, dears…" Sonic Boom cooed as she stroked her shaking eggs, "Don't worry, mom's right here, there's nothing to be scared of."

However, Sonic Boom's kind smile faded fairly quickly, as if the words she just spoke didn't reassure her any more than they did her still-shaking chicks. She sighed as she continued to stroke them… Then she flicked her ears and looked aside.

"I can hear sizzling," Sonic Boom whispered as she narrowed her eyes, "Someone's here!"

Right as Sonic Boom said that, a gigantic bomb soared over the horizon with a fuse that was just inches away from blowing and taking them all with it! Sonic Boom leaned forward and got ready to fly… But before she did, Lightning Rod soared up and sent the bomb flying across the horizon with one strong punch!

"Who threw that? Show yourself this instant!" Lightning Rod demanded as his whole body crackled with static, while his hair flew it just enough to make him seem more intimidating…

At least, to anyone who wasn't the bomb's owner! They heard no cries for mercy or begs or pleas—instead, all they heard was giggling from the cliff's shadows, which they all fixed their eyes on. The giggling grew louder and louder… Then out from those shadows came a gremlin ghost flanked by an entire colony of skeletal dragonets!

"Looks like we've got company!" Dark Spyro shouted as he grinned and lowered his horns, "Guess that means it's time for me to lead the charge!"

The dragons turned their eyes to Dark Spyro, who in turn eyed Sonic Boom. The two of them shared a nod, then Sonic Boon let out an intense screech loud enough to make the dragonets shudder in place in mere seconds…

And when they opened their eyes, Dark Spyro was completely gone! They both looked at each other and buzzed in confusion, then turned around and shrieked as Dark Spyro leaped out from one dragonet's shadow and blew them all down with dark fire!

The dragonets smacked into the ground as they twitched and burned with bright purple fire for moments. But with a hiss, they pulled themselves back up and sent flaming stingers towards the Skylanders!

Sonic Boom and Dark Spyro both flew out the way, while Lightning Rod was quick to duck as well. However, Sunburn didn't seem nearly as concerned as he watched the stingers miss and crash into the ground below.

"Maybe we should fight fire with fire!" Sunburn remarked as he flared his wings and shot a fireball directly at one of the dragonets!

All at once, the dragonets locked eyes on Sunburn and flew towards him while hissing like mad, but right before they could get him, Sunburn teleported behind them and tackled them while coated in flames! The extra fire not only looked pretty as it spread to the dragonets and burned bright, but it completely incinerated their bony bodies! With all those burns, all they could do was fall back down and twitch in pain!

Sunburn settled back down and casually rolled the dragonets aside with a grin and a push of his wing, then jolted up and teleported away as a bomb shot down and exploded where he once stood!

That ghostly gremlin was still around in the shadows and cackled ever-so-contently as it juggled its spectral bombs. And worse yet, right behind it was another stream of dragonets!

"Whoops, forgot about that thing," Sunburn hissed as he reappeared beside Sonic Boom and Dark Spyro… Then pursed his beak as Lightning Rod flew ahead and grinned.

The gremlin immediately launched its bombs at Lightning Rod, but Lightning Rod just crafted a gigantic lightning bolt and gripped it like a baseball bat!

"Time to play ball!" Lightning Rod proclaimed as the bombs soared towards him!

With his grip held tight around his lightning baseball bat, Lightning Rod swung away at the bombs and sent them flying back at the ghostly gremlin! Or so it seemed. The gremlin immediately ducked in full anticipation of an explosion… Then perked up and look around as it realized that the bombs hadn't hit it! It jeered and stuck its tongue out at Lightning Rod, only to be tossed forward as something exploded behind it!

The gremlin grunted as it looked back to find the charred, twitching remains of the dragonet swarm behind it, then gasped and let out panicked gibberish as it reached for its bombs. However, it received nothing but thin air!

As Lightning Rod bellowed out proud laughter, the gremlin grimaced and ran off… But every which way it ran, it was completely cornered by Sonic Boom's hatchlings!

"Alright, kids!" Sonic Boom smirked, "Just like we rehearsed!"

"Alright, mom!" The griffin chicks chirped back with the most mischievous grins on their faces!

The gremlin fell down and scurried away, but by then it was too late!

Sonic Boom had unleashed a mighty screech which was only amplified by the shrill shrieks of her children, and it was so intense that it blew all their foes away! The gremlin took a nosedive into the gungy waterfall beside them, while the dragonets left scattered from Lightning Rod's earlier spat crashed into walls, fell off cliffs, soared through the skies… Before they knew it, the entire area had been completely cleansed of foes!

"Seems like our work here is done," Sonic Boom remarked as she wiped off her paws, "Let's get—"

But before Sonic Boom could finish speaking, the entire island rumbled and shook with such intensity that it completely drowned out her words! The cold ground shuddered and crackled, the rivers splashed with a new kind of anger… Whatever was coming, it was going to be a doozy!

"Mom, look over there!" The griffin chicks cried as they looked across the horizon, then shuddered and popped back into their eggs.

Sonic Boom rushed over and swept the eggs under her wing, then looked to the skies above and gasped!

Right over the horizon, a swarm of skeletal dragonets so large it practically painted out the sky was coming their way! And with how many dragonets there were, there was no way they could fight them off in time—they were all completely outmatched!

"We need to get out of here, fast!" Sonic Boom shouted towards Sunburn, Dark Spyro and Lightning Rod.

"But how?" Sunburn shot back as his eyebrows tensed.

They both looked up to the skies and grimaced, then Lightning Rod rushed past them and forced their attention back to the ground.

"Over here, my comrades!" Lightning Rod shouted as he slammed both his palms against the surface of an Air Element Gate and watched it unfold!

Lightning Rod dashed through the open gateway, while Sonic Boom, Sunburn and Dark Spyro tailed behind him right before the gate itself reformed! They paused and looked behind as the sound of something smacking against the gate sounded off a hundred times at least… Then breathed a sigh of relief as those sounds became that of confused buzzing and flying away. Good, at least that was one less thing to worry about.

After taking a few more breaths, they all sat up and got a quick scan of their surroundings. It seemed they'd landed themselves in… An obstacle course? The grass underneath them was lush and green unlike the world outside, wooden poles stuck out from crystal clear lakes and there were ledges with suspicious holes and pillars everywhere you looked!

They all walked up to a grassy ledge in front of them, then stumbled back as spikes shoot up from the ground! But, spikes aren't really much of an issue when you can fly, so they all just took to the skies and floated onto the beginning of a large pillar row. They all hopped across the pillars one-by-one, then paused and stretched as they reached the grassy ledge on the other side. A quick turn aside showed a gigantic row of blocks walled off the rest of the path…

"But how do we take it down?" Sonic Boom asked as she flew up and examined the block wall. She ran her paw against it, then flew back with a jolt as her chicks popped out of their eggs without even being prompted!

"Over there! I see something!" Shouted one of the chicks as they all flew across to a pillar with a suspicious bump on its top.

They all sat on that bump, then with a swoosh both the bump and the gate receded!

Sunburn, Dark Spyro, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all dashed up the gate, then as they all made it across Sonic Boom grinned and watched as her kids flew up to her.

"Good thinking, kids!" Sonic Boom chirped as she tucked themselves back under her wing and transformed back into eggs. A bit of sorrow fell over her face as she gently stroked the eggs with her wing, but she shook it off as they all walked down the ledge.

As they drew further away from the obstacle course and down the slope it lead to, the grass slowly withered and died away until finally there was no more. All that remained was same cold, rocky ground that plagued the rest of the area. Seems like they finally gotten back to the rest of the Peak…

"Hey, what do you think you're—"

Wait, were those voices? Sonic Boom lunged down and flicked her ears, while Sunburn, Lightning Rod and Dark Spyro all stopped in their tracks.

"In case you can't tell, I—"

Yes, no mistaking it—they had definitely heard voices! Familiar voices too… In fact, they kind of sounded like… Ghost Roaster and Hex? With a frown, all four Skylanders dashed up the side of the slope, then as they reached the top they skidded to a stop and gasped!

There, right on the top of the slope were none other than the Evil Elf Witch, Skeleton Knight and Skull Imp! And judging by the way they turned around and gasped, it seems as though those evil three had noticed them as well!

"SKYLANDERS?" Cried the Evil Elf Witch, Skeleton Knight and Skull Imp in perfect harmony.

§

"Yes, twenty-four more spaces!" Chihiro hooted as she looked down at the quadruple dice she had rolled, then smiled as their card vanished into thin air. She hummed a tune as she skipped halfway through… Then paused and spun around to look at the holographic Eon.

"Hey, if you don't wanna lose you'd better catch up!" Chihiro teased before she shook her head and turned around, "Actually, don't catch up cause then you'll win and we'll all be stuck in this creepy place forever and…"—Chihiro hung her head—"Yeah."

Chihiro chuckled as she set her sights on the rest of the path before her. She had to admit, she didn't think she'd have this much fun playing for the rescue of all her friends. Heck, it was like all her worries and troubles had blown away, and all that was left was the light, joyful feeling that rested there now.

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…" With a small twirl, Chihiro giggled and hopped onto the very last square allotted to her, "Twenty-four!"

"TREASURE HUNT SCENARIO, ACTIVATED!"

Chihiro screamed and stumbled back as the announcer's voice boomed across the entire field, then as golden light poured out behind her she looked down and smiled. Seemed as thought she stepped on a treasure tile! Chihiro closed her eyes, then stretched out her arms as the golden light enveloped the battlefield around.

What kind of scenario would she get now, she wondered? Would she have to rescue a charming prince from forces of evil, with Spyro cast in the prince's role? She made a soft chuckle to herself as she imagined Spyro as a helpless gentledragon in distress, held tight to her as she pulled him from the grip of evil—the role didn't exactly suit him, to be honest. Maybe she'd be spelunking in a cave for buried treasure, or rescuing townspeople from the clutches of an evil monster?

As the light's glow faded around her and a bone-chilling draft rustled her eyes open, Chihiro frowned and bit her lip. Yeah, this definitely wasn't what she had in mind.

Rather than the daring, heroic adventure Chihiro had cooked up, she found herself within the confines of a cold, stone tower, with a strange machine that vaguely resembled a plasma ball tower, except it had an iridescent crystalline dragon head locked into its center. Surely, that had to be the treasure she was seeking!

"Fear me, foolish mortals!" Proclaimed a booming voice from above as a bolt of magical lightning struck down right in front of the machine and morphed into a body's shape, "With this machine, I'll siphon all the magic in Skylands and become THE MOST POWERFUL WIZARD OVERLORD IN ALL SKYLANDS!"

Chihiro shrieked and flung her arms in front of her face as the lightning sparked, then as its light faded she relented her barrier to find… Voodood? It looked like him at least. Well, except for the fact that his normally-green skin was tinted purple, he was decked to the nines in tacky, red and purple evil sorcerer garbs and his eyes were bloodshot like he hadn't slept for days. But either way, it seemed as though he was her opponent for now!

"With this machine, I'll convert the undying strength of the undead into raw power to absorb all Skylands' magic!" Voodood summoned an ax-like staff and gestured towards a wall nearby, "And I've already found quite a few good candidates~"

Chihiro winced as she looked back to the wall… Then gasped!

There, held up with magical, glowing chains were none other than Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster! Their clothes were tattered and worn, and they grimaced and cried in pain with every bright glow of the chains. They might not last long if she doesn't do something soon… And just the very sight of them made Chihiro's heart clench again.

"These past couple days really haven't been my day, have they?" Cynder groaned as she hung her head, "First I lose my sandwich, then I trip over a rock, now I'm plucked from my ghost town and captured by an evil sorcerer."

"Sorry about that, Cyn!" Chihiro shouted back, "I'll figure something out, don't worry!"

Chihiro frowned, then yanked out her card deck and skimmed through. All she'd need to do was use that bubblegum spell she had gotten earlier with her wand spell, and Voodood would be stuck, literally! She grinned as she continued shuffling through her deck… Then her frown deepened as she reached the end! But there was no wand card in sight, where did it—Oh.

"That's right, I used it a few spaces ago to beef up that wall!" Chihiro thought she shook off her worries, though the sweat that beaded down her head said otherwise, "Well, that's only one card, I've got plenty more!"

Chihiro winced as she shuffled through her cards once more, but none of them seemed particularly apt to the situation at hand. Bubble potion? Guy's got lightning powers. Speed shoes? Unless she was running away, those would do nothing. Gigantic strawberries? Not like anybody was particularly hungry…

Chihiro grimaced and poked her eyes off of her card deck, then screamed and jumped out of the way as a trio of magic orbs shot right towards her! While the magic orbs slammed and harmlessly exploded against the stone walls, Chihiro shot Voodood a glare.

"Voodood, watch where you're shooting those things!" Chihiro scolded, "I'm trying to get us out of here, you know!"

"Voodood? Who are you talking about, child?" The sorcerer exclaimed as it shot back Chihiro's glare and held up its hand, "I am none other than the great ORCNIFEROUS!"

The lightning outside crashed in tandem with "Orcniferous" proclaiming his name, but the sights did little to concern Chihiro, who only sighed and shook her head. That's right, she forgot this game completely made them forget who they were… Chihiro yelped as a bolt of magical, multi-color lightning shot towards her feet and made her jump in the air, then gasped as her cards all fell on the ground! Chihiro knelt down and swept them back up, then paused to count them over—wait a second… As her eyes glazed over a shield card and a pair of diamond claw gloves, Chihiro grinned. She had an idea at last!

Well, that was the good news, but the bad news was there was only one card each of both! So, if she pulled it out, she'd only be able to get the artifact or save Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster. What was more important?…

Chihiro frowned and racked her brain as she looked between Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster as they stayed shackled on the walls or the machine Voodoo—excuse her, Orcniferous had set up. As she dodged another magic orb from Orcniferous, Chihiro winced and sucked on her lip. Just what was she supposed to do?

While she was busy contemplating, however, something blasted a hole in the wall! Chihiro winced as the cold breeze fluttered in from the blow, then as the dust cleared she could've sworn she could make out the vague silhouette of…

"Cease your evildoing now, foul wizard!" The holographic Eon proclaimed as it held out a hand cannon!

Crap! That holograph was here, and it had its eyes on the prize! Now she really had to hurry up and decide! She needed that artifact to get out, true, but, she couldn't possibly leave Cynder and Hex and Roaster like this even if it was just a game! She couldn't stand to see them suffering like this! Chihiro took one last glance at the machine, then looked back at Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster as they writhed in pain… Then nodded. Looks like she knew what she had to do.

So, Chihiro rubbed the shield card, then tossed it aside and watched as a trio of shields levitated around her! That should protect her from Orcniferous's blows… Not that it mattered given that the holographic Eon clone had his full attention at the moment.

So, she dashed across the stone floors and towards where Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster laid prisoner, then rubbed the card with the diamond claws and watched as its magic manifested on her hands! Now equipped with bona-fide gigantic diamond claws, Chihiro slashed the chains that bound them and watched as they all fell to the floor.

"Come on, everyone!" Chihiro said as she grabbed Cynder's paw and tried to yank her away, "We've gotta get out of here!"

But, Cynder would barely budge! It seemed like whenever Chihiro pulled her, she just stayed stuck and still sick-looking! Chihiro winced and looked across to find… Wires! A bunch of wires, plugged into weird round thingies on Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster's backs! Seems her work wasn't done yet. Chihiro made a claw shape with her hands, then immediately started slashing through the wires plugged into Cynder, but, it wasn't easy! These things were tough as nails, and there were a lot of them. Chihiro paused and took a quick breather as she got halfway through Cynder, then sighed and wiped her forehead.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU RELEASE MY PRISONERS?!" Orcniferous demanded as he turned around and looked at Chihiro!

Chihiro jolted up and screamed as a bolt of magical lightning raced towards her, but before it could make contact a shield flew in front of her and shouldered the blow! Heh, looks like she forgot about that shield card. But, that was hardly the only blow Orcniferous threw her way!

As magic orbs, lightning and blasts rocketed towards her, Chihiro rushed back to Cynder and slashed away at the wires with a little more frantic energy than before. She wasn't sure how long those shields were going to hold out, but either way she'd better make this quick! Chihiro slashed Cynder out of the wires' grasp, then turned around right in time to see the shields' shattered remains fall to the ground and vanish. So much for that…

Thankfully, though, it seemed as if for the moment, the Eon clone had Orcniferous's full attention, for every time Orniferous tried to shoot, the holographic Eon would hit him with cannon blasts! Orcniferous snarled as he shot back with magic lightning, but the lightning bolts were quickly nullified with holographic Eon's blasts!

That bought her some time, at least, but she probably would need to speed things up a little. So, Chihiro whipped out the speed shoes card, rubbed it a bit, then grinned as her boots transformed into lightning bolt-print sneakers! They looked a little tacky, but if it got the job done then so be it! Chihiro slashed through the wires plugged into Hex with twice the speed of before, then grinned as the last wire was slashed in half!

Chihiro yanked Hex away and rushed towards Ghost Roaster, but before she could begin slashing the wires that bound him, a bright light shone beside her! She winced and covered her face with her hands… But that probably wasn't the best idea since she was wearing diamond claws the only amplified the light. Chihiro screeched as her eyes burned from the light, then panted and looked aside.

Then, the holographic Eon smirked as it watched Orcniferous writhe in pain from being wrapped in the wires of his own machine, then grabbed a card and rubbed its surface. Though, its eyes were fixed on the dragon head in the center of the machine… Wait, what was she doing just looking around?

Chihiro turned back to Ghost Roaster, then slashed through the cables that had him bound in one mighty fell swoop! With one last yank, Chihiro pulled Ghost Roaster away from the wall and watched as he trailed towards Cynder and Hex. Thankfully, the glimmer in their eyes and the way they stood tall spoke enough. Chihiro had managed to get them out just in time!

"You all okay?" Chihiro asked, then grinned and breathed a sigh of relief as they all nodded, "Thank goodness!"

The world around Chihiro began to fade away into light, but she hardly noticed that or the announcer's voice. She just closed her eyes and smiled as the world faded away and she was returned back to the sight of the board game battlefield.

When Chihiro's eyes fluttered open, the first thing that greeted her was the holographic Eon, but it didn't look at her with the scorn it usually had. Rather, it just seemed… Confused, with its pursed lips and tilted head.

"Child, why did you do that?" The holographic Eon asked.

"Do what?" Chihiro asked back as she tilted her own head.

"Why did you save them, instead of grabbing the artifact?" The holographic Eon's lips soured a bit, "Don't you know you'll lose if you don't get them?"

"There'll always be other opportunities!" Chihiro shrugged and turned around, "I couldn't just let them die! My friends are way more important than some hunk of crystal!"

The dice formed in Chihiro's hand, but she wasn't ready to roll just yet.

"I already failed to protect them once." Chihiro squeezed the dice a little tighter as her eyes started to ache, "I couldn't let them down a second time."

Chihiro looked back at the holographic Eon, but it… Didn't necessarily seemed scornful as it looked back at her. Instead, it just gave her an understanding nod as its eyes glittered with awe.

"I… I see," was all it said as it watched her roll.

§

All was silent as the Skylanders gazed over the Evil Undead Minions while the Evil Undead Minions stared back at the Skylanders… That is, until a rapidly-flying pack of skeletal dragonets dove between them and broke the silence with their ear-bleeding buzzes and flapping wings.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Dark Spyro demanded as the dragonets passed by.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Shouted the Evil Undead Minions as the dragonet flock finally flew into the distance.

"I SAID…" Dark's mouth twisted into a smile that bore all his sharp fangs while purple flames burned from his lips, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Sonic Boom added as she joined Dark Spyro, "What are you doing here, and where's the Eternal Undead Source?"

However, the Evil Undead Minions only scoffed as they fixed their eyes on Dark Spyro.

"Well, well, look who it is," The Evil Elf Witch remarked as it floated forwards, "Our little predecessor that Kaos tossed out for placing chili peppers in his cocoa."

"If having more free will meant turning out like you, I'm glad Lord Kaos made us serve him first," The Evil Skeleton Knight scoffed as it sharpened its sword against its shield, "A Skylander, how disgusting…"

"Anyways, why would we tell you what we're doing here?" The Evil Skull Imp asked, "It's not like we lost the Eternal Undead Source to some ferocious beast and got roped into helping him conquer some backwater island so we can get the Source back!"

The Evil Skull Imp winced as the Evil Elf Witch and Evil Skeleton Knight glared it down, then shrank down and looked aside.

"I mean, that totally didn't happen, we totally didn't lose anything and—EEP!" The Evil Skull Imp yipped as the Evil Elf Witch tazed it with an undead orb and groaned, "Forget I said anything…"

"Well, regardless of why you're here…" Sonic Boom started as she flapped her wings.

"You're going down!" Dark Spyro proclaimed as the fires that crackled from his mouth singed the ground below.

Sunburn and Lightning Rod flanked Sonic Boom and Dark's respective sides, then they all jumped out and began the fight!

Sunburn took a deep breath in, then released a gigantic flamethrower that scorched down the ground below!

The Evil Skull Imp and Elf Witch were quick to jump out of the way, but the Evil Skeleton Knight stood its ground and blocked off the flames with its shield! Sunburn's flames relented as he stood there in shock, but that moment of pause gave the Evil Skull Imp enough time to sneak around him from behind, charge into him and send him flying!

Sunburn screeched as he flew through the air, but before he could crash-land something rammed into him and grabbed him by the shoulders. Sunburn let out a faint hack, then looked up and grinned as he saw Sonic Boom fly above him.

"Thanks for that, Sonic!" Sunburn said with a wink. He left her with one last, tender grin, then looked back down at the ground and teleported back on the battlefield in a flash of crimson flames!

Sunburn leaned down as fire scorched the tips of his wings, then dashed towards the Evil Skeleton Knight as the flames completely devoured him! The Evil Skeleton Knight threw up its shield… But the blow it expected never came, as Sunburn dashed up its shield instead!

The Evil Skeleton Knight lowered its shield, then looked around and stomped its foot.

"Hey, get back and face me, you roasted chicken!" The Evil Skeleton Knight demanded as it whipped around, only to get blasted forward by a pillar of flames!

The Evil Skeleton Knight screeched to a stop and breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down and screamed as it realized that its entire body was set on fire! While it screamed and flailed around in some desperate attempt to put out the flames, Sunburn himself reappeared in a burst of fire and chuckled.

However, the Evil Elf Witch seemed much less amused as it groaned and seemingly rolled its eyes!

"Evil Skeleton Knight, pull yourself together!" The Evil Elf Witch ordered, "Come to your senses, it's just a bit of fire!"

"Easy for you to say!" The Evil Skeleton Knight shot back, "You're not the one on fire!"

The Evil Elf Witch buried its face in its hands, then pulled itself back up and floated towards the Evil Skeleton Knight. Before it could arrive at the Evil Skeleton Knight's side, however, it froze mid-hover and dashed out the way of a lightning bolt!

"A perfect shot, if I do say so myself!" Lightning Rod bragged as he grinned and rubbed a fist against his pecs.

"You technically missed, you know!" The Evil Elf Witch shouted back.

The Evil Elf Witch summoned a chain of magic orbs and shot them towards Lightning Rod… But as they drew dangerously close to him, Lightning Rod just lit himself up with electricity and fried each one right where it hovered! The Evil Elf Witch gasped and drew back as it watched its orb exploded into puffs of magic smoke, but unfortunately it wasn't paying attention to the right thing! While it stood in shock, Lightning Rod shot it with another lightning bolt and blew it on its back.

The Evil Elf Witch grunted as it fell to the cold, hard ground, then gasped and teleported away as the Evil Skull Imp charged right towards it with Dark Spyro hot on its tail! The two of them clashed and crashed against each other, but it seemed like no matter what blows they traded, neither of them would relent!

"Get back here, bone-breath!" Dark Spyro shouted as he tackled into the Evil Skull Imp.

The Evil Skull Imp tipped over a little bit, then regained its balance and whipped around.

"Whatever you say, you stupid lizard!" The Evil Skull Imp bellowed as it charged right towards Dark Spyro!

Dark snarled and shot a bright purple fireball at the Evil Skull Imp, but it just ate the fireball like a gobstopper and grinned as its flames grew larger and tinted purple! Dark gasped and drew back, but before he could make a getaway the Evil Skull Imp steamrolled him down! Dark grunted as he tried to get up, but before he could the Evil Skull imp slammed him down again and sent him crashing into a nearby wall! Dark groaned as he slunk down from the cold stone wall behind which now had a dragon-shaped impression in it, but while he groaned and twitched, he was completely oblivious to the trouble that was soon to fall…

For the Evil Skeleton Knight had finally shaken off Sunburn's flames and realized that Dark was vulnerable! While Dark grunted and finally over his very bleary eyes, the Evil Skeleton Knight rushed forward and pinned Dark Spyro to the wall with its sword!

"Hah, how I love those looks of pain!" The Evil Skeleton Knight cried as it pressed its sword closer to Dark Spyro's neck, "It reminds me of how pathetic that dragoness looked when I struck her down…"

"Cynder?" Dark Spyro barely even whispered as his eyes shrunk and shuddered.

The Evil Skeleton Knight tilted its head. "I suppose that was her name. That pipsqueak portal master seemed so terrified when I slashed her wing open…"

The Evil Skeleton Knight cackled as it looked aside, but as it turned back to Dark Spyro its joy quickly faded away. After all, Dark's eyes had grown small while he heaved heavy, angry breaths that were so laborious it made Dark hang his head.

"What's your deal, you half-baked clone?" The Evil Skeleton Knight asked as it drew the sword just close enough that it drew a bit of blood from Dark's chin, "What, does that make you angry? Hah, just wait till you hear what else I did to those pathetic comrades of yours!"

But, Dark never did, because he had grown so furious that he lunged forward and tackled the Evil Skeleton Knight across the arena! Dark Spyro snarled as he watched the Evil Skeleton Knight skid across the earth, his eyes practically red with fury as he heaved heavy breaths that shook his entire body from a snarling, fanged mouth. Finally, Dark let out a furious roar as he fixed his eyes on the Evil Skeleton Knight and dashed right towards it!

The Evil Skeleton Knight held up its shield in some faint attempt to ward off Dark, but it was futile, for Dark immediately bit down on the shield and tossed it aside! The Evil Skeleton Knight tried to make a break for its shield, but before it could Dark pinned it down to the cold earth!

"Get off of me, you stupid worm!" The Evil Skeleton Knight cried as it tried to break free…

But no amount of squirming unleashed the Evil Skeleton Knight from Dark Spyro's grasp, so all it could do was watch in horror as Dark lifted up a paw coated with pulsating purple energy and slashed its chest open! The Evil Skeleton Knight let out a bone-chilling scream as Dark Spyro slashed away, all while the gaps in its chest grew larger and spilled purple and gray spheres.

Everybody around stopped and froze in horror as they watched Dark Spyro gore away at the Evil Skeleton Knight, then the Evil Elf Witch and Skeleton Imp quickly came to their senses and dashed after him! The Evil Elf Witch shot an orb at Dark Spyro's side and tossed him off the Evil Skeleton Knight, then as soon as he recovered the Evil Skull Imp tackled him and sent him skidding… And yet, their blows hardly affected him, for he quickly jumped up and tackled right into them!

The Evil Elf Witch and Skull Imp flew through the skies and crashed into a nearby wall, then while they slunk down the shadows reached up and wrapped them tight against it!

Dark Spyro snarled as he opened a mouth full of purple fire… But before he could shoot, a storm of brambles plowed right through him and vaulted him another nearby wall! Dark slunk down and groaned, now too tired to actually get up!

"Dark!" Sonic Boom shouted, then swooped over and helped Dark Spyro down from the wall, "Dark, are you alright?"

Dark groaned and held his head, then wormed out of Sonic Boom's grasp and stumbled back into the fray, though his steps were uneven and he kept swaying from side to side.

"I… I'm fine…" Dark spat, though the disordered way he walked said otherwise, "I, I gotta stop these guys! They're not, they, they won't get away with what they did!"—Dark Spyro let out a few labored, heavy pants and stopped—"Not… Not after they hurt Cynder and stole the Undead Source…"

Dark Spyro groaned, then swayed to his side and collapsed!

"Dark!" Sunburn exclaimed as he flew over to Dark Spyro and tried to shake him awake, but to no use—Dark was completely unconscious!

Sunburn grimaced, then turned back to battlefield right as the evil minions turned tail and bolted towards him. Sunburn jumped forward and flared his wings, as if he was trying to make herself as big as possible so they couldn't reach Dark, but… Instead of attacking, he hesitated as his gaze bounced between all three minions, as if he was trying to piece together which one was going to sneak away and finish off Dark! And that was his biggest mistake, because while he hesitated the Evil Skull Imp slammed him with its chain and sent him tumbling back! Sunburn squawked as he tumbled across the ground, then as he finally landed next to Dark Spyro he groaned and collapsed!

"Sunburn!" Sonic Boom cried as she rushed over and examined Sunburn. Sonic Boom made a pained wince as she nudged his cold body with his wings, only to get tackled away by another bramble storm!

But while Sonic Boom fell unconscious a bit further away from Sunburn and Dark Spyro, Lightning Rod seemed hardly intimidated by their defeats. He just sat there, smiled and crackled his knuckles!

"You may have managed to defeat my comrades…" Lightning Rod remarked as his face turned from cheery to grim, "But believe me, I will not be defeated so easily!"

Lightning Rod grunted as he blew away the Evil Elf Witch's orbs with a round of lightning bolts, then set his whole body alight with electricity right before the Evil Skull Imp could whack him with its chain and shocked it instead!

The evil minions all stepped back and growled, but Lightning Rod just grinned and puffed out his chest as he gave them a million-karat-gold smile.

"Face it, you had no chance of winning against me," Lightning Rod proclaimed, "After all, I've won the Olympics a hundred and ninety-nine times, I've had more busts erected in my name than I can count, have had walls of medals sprawled across my quarters—"

"Geez, do you ever shut up about yourself?" The Evil Skull Imp exclaimed, "If you ask me, you're just full of hot air!"

Lightning Rod gasped, then snarled and shot the Evil Skull Imp a glare.

"Are you suggesting I'm lying about my feats of strength?" Lightning Rod exclaimed as static crackled at his fingertips, "You'll pay for your insolence!"

Lightning Rod wound up his arm like he was getting ready to throw a punch, but before he could the Evil Skeleton Knight conked him on the head and knocked him unconscious!

As he groaned and fell to the ground, the three or them grinned (or presumably grinned, in the Skeleton Knight's case) as they examined the unconscious Skylanders and drew their weapons.

"Now, just what is all this commotion about?" Hissed a deathly voice from above as a shadow fell down the area, their Ss strained and stretched out like they spoke with a snake's voice.

"Oh, it's… Nothing," The Evil Elf Witch said as the shadow drew closer and closer, "The Skylanders tried to cause a fuss, but we've taken care of them plenty."

As the shadow's owner fell to the ground and examined the unconscious Skylanders, the Evil Elf Witch floated up to them and crossed its arms. "We were planning to go ahead and kill them…"

"Actually, that won't be necessary!" The shadow's owner stood tall as it looked down at the Evil Elf Witch with a cold, piercing look, "I have a better idea!"

"You do?" The Evil Elf Witch tilted its head, "Whatever it is, it'd better be quick—we need to be rid of the Skylanders before they awaken and try to steal the Eternal Undead Source from us…"

"Actually," the shadow's owner raised its wings and snarled, "You mean me!"

The Evil Elf Witch, Skeleton Knight and Skull Imp all whipped their heads around, but by then it was far too late—the shadow's owner had struck them with a massive energy blast and blew them to bits!

The shadow's owner grinned as their spheres cascaded down and absorbed into the Skylanders. "Surely all that corrupt energy will drive them to ruin!"

But… Nothing happened. They just laid stagnant on the ground, comatose but still definitely alive and uncorrupted!

The shadow's owner gasped, then snarled and looked down as the Skylanders' amulets flashed with a sickly, silver glow for moments.

"Curses! They had protective amulets!" The shadow's owner snarled and raised their wing, "Seems as though I'll have to finish them off myself…"

With their wing held high, the shadow's owner got ready to strike… But as they looked down at Dark Spyro, a part of them hesitated and lowered their wing. They walked over and gently nudged Dark, then gave him a sniff.

"That energy…" The shadow's owner gasped, before they smirked and grabbed Dark Spyro with their talons, "You're coming with me, Skylander!"

And so, the shadow's owner flew off into the skies once more with Dark Spyro held tight in their grip…