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)

25. Chapter 25

And twenty-five is finally here! Before I start addressing reviews, I just want to note that a few days ago, CHS passed ten thousand views! I'm honestly blown away thinking about how it seemed like just yesterday I posted the first chapter here, and now we've all come so far... So thank you everyone for your support!

Greenswitch: All I'll have to say with Darklight Crypt is that your question will be answered soon, perhaps even sooner than you think! Also, the board game world being Truth or Dare meets Dungeons and Dragons is a very interesting guess! Truth be told, I didn't have any specific influences in mind when plotting it out—I was going more for a general concept of a board game brought to life since I wanted to do something more interesting than a generic fight, and just kind of ran wild with it, hah! As for the variants question, I have plans for some of them, but not all of them, and not all are planned for this installment. That's all I can say without spoiling anything~

Watch Seeker: Thank you for the kind words, these past two chapters were definitely ones that I spent a lot of time working on! I wouldn't say that the holographic Eon is evil per say, but I can't say much else other than that. Also, you're welcome!

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Chihiro shuddered as she dove out the way of a particularly sharp lance's swipe and winced. Geez, of all the scenarios she could get trapped in, she just had to get the massive war, didn't she? With another wince, she flung a card-created shield while the holographic Eon attempted to jab her with its lance.

"Don't try to escape, child!" The holographic Eon warned as it thrust its lance at Chihiro, then snarled as a shield intercepted it yet again, "That tower's gold will belong to my army by the end of this match, I swear by my sword!"

Chihiro didn't bother to entertain it with an answer—she just kept putting up her shield and prayed this would come to an end soon! After all, she had burned through most of her cards… What was she supposed to do now? Chihiro winced as she narrowly avoided another jab, then ducked under the safety of her shield.

However, that holographic Eon just wasn't going to give up! With every dodge, every dash, every duck she did, it just became more furious and more quick to attack! Chihiro gasped and leaned away as the hologram swung for her once more, then staggered back and fell to the ground as the holographic Eon dashed forward! She winced as she grappled for another shield, then…

"Somebody, please, help!"

Chihiro gasped as she turned towards the grassy fields beside her that were thankfully free of combat. She was sure she heard a voice come from there just now crying for help! She had to check it out! Well that is, if she could get out of here. Chihiro grabbed her shield and threw it up once more just before the holographic Eon could strike, then turned back around right as Gill Grunt and Terrafin blew each other away with a mighty cannon blast… Which created an opening in the battlefield in the process! Yes, she had a chance!

So, Chihiro grabbed a card with an hourglass on it and rubbed it, then it spiraled out of her hand while its magic filtered through the air and painted everything in grayscale, all while the world around her became slower and slower in motion. Once everything finally drew to a cold stop, Chihiro grinned, whipped out another card and rubbed it. As it got ready to dissolve into magical mist, Chihiro dropped it on the ground, leaped off ahead and rolled underneath the clopping hooves of a horse, then poked her head behind and caught her breath.

There, right in the place she once stood, sat a copy of her that was near identical save for its blank, dull eyes and the emotionless smile its face held. Hopefully that magical dummy would keep that creepy holograph occupied once this time spell let up…

Chihiro chirped and lifted her head as faint, dull colors started to pop out from the foliage around, then winced and jumped to her feet. Speaking of, she needed to get going—this time spell was already starting to let up! As Chihiro dashed into the forest and well away from battle's prying eyes, the world around her flickered back into full colors.

"Please, anyone!"

Yes, that was the voice she had heard earlier! Now that she thought about it, it kind of sounded like… Wrecking Ball? Chihiro frowned as she followed the voice's cries for help, then skidded short as she found that it was indeed Wrecking Ball himself!

This time, he was dressed in old, kind of dirty-looking clothes that vaguely reminded Chihiro of the stuff peasants wore in her textbook's entries on medieval history, and he was shaking something awful as he paced back and forth in front of a cavern's entrance.

"Hey, it's alright! I'm here to help!" Chihiro shouted as she ran up to Wrecking Ball and knelt down. "What's wrong?"

Wrecking Ball gasped, then shook his head and looked back at the caverns.

"When this big fight started, my friend Trig and I tried to get out of the battle… But then he tripped and rolled into the mines!" Wrecking Ball whimpered as tiny tears formed in his eyes, "I wanna go find him, but everyone says there's a big, scary monster in there! And nothing can hurt it, not even magic!"

Wait, Trig... Did he mean Trigger Happy? Ah, that was just like Trigger Happy, always getting himself into some kind of trouble... Chihiro's eyes went wide for a moment, then she shook her head and lifted it right as Wrecking Ball's whimpers and sniffles turned to full on sobs!

"I'm scared!" Wrecking Ball whimpered as his legs began to shake, "I should have never taken us to play here!"

As Wrecking Ball sobbed further, Chihiro's own heartstrings started to tug—poor Wrecks, he was so worried! And heck, she was pretty worried about Trigger Happy herself... But, she couldn't let that show, not when Wrecking Ball was this scared. It would only make him feel worse, after all! So, Chihiro knelt down and wrapped him in a tight hug, then gently wiped away his tears and let go as he perked up.

"Don't worry, little guy!" Chihiro said as she gave him a thumbs up, "I'll go in there and get your friend back!"

Wrecking Ball gasped, and his frown turned to a smile almost instantly. "Really?"

Chihiro nodded, then turned around and dashed into the cave without a moment's hesitation. Forget that battle, she had to save Trigger Happy before it was too late!

The moment she stepped foot inside, everything turned cold and dark around her, all while low growls and snores just faintly echoed around the caverns—surely, that had to be whatever monster laid within the caves. She'd have to be as quiet as she could.

So, Chihiro tip-toed across the hard, stone cavern floors, all while the cold sent shudders through her entire body… But she clenched her teeth to avoid chattering, just to be safe. If that monster really was immune to magic, then cards or no cards, she was screwed if it woke up!

Speaking of cards, this cave was so dark, Chihiro could barely see a thing! As she tip-toed a few steps forward, Chihiro instinctively reached for her pocket... But just then, a flash of pink light stretched across her face! Chihiro pulled her head up, then beamed as her gaze fell on groups of colorful, glowing crystal formations that cropped up here and there across the path and gave her enough light to navigate around! Talk about convenient.

Chihiro dropped her feet down on the ground and went to take another step, but the growing volume of snoring forced her back on her tip-toes. Now that she was growing closer, surely Trigger Happy would be anywhere now. Maybe she should try calling for him?

"Hey, Trig?" Chihiro whispered as she wandered through the caves, "Trig, where are you? I'm here to rescue you!"

Actually, that was no good. She could only barely hear her whispers as they echoed around the cavern walls, and even those made her flinch as they reached her ears! Can't take any chances and all. Chihiro sighed, then rubbed her hand against her chin as she tried to think of something else…

"Hello? Is someone there?" Somebody else barely whispered back in a voice kind of shrill and young-sounding.

Wait, a voice! That wasn't here own, anyways! Chihiro grinned and turned around.

"Yes, I am! Your friend asked me to rescue you, Trig!" Chihiro shouted, "Now, where are you, buddy?"

A soft whimper echoed around the halls, then finally the tiny voice perked up just enough to be heard, but not enough to bring attention. "I'm behind these orange crystals!"

Chihiro frowned, then peered over towards a particularly tall pillar of orange crystals with a tiny shadow beside it that was just barely visible against all this darkness. She crept behind the crystal pillar… And sure enough, behind it was a cowering Trigger Happy dressed in medieval clothes! Though he shuddered for a moment, his eyes brightened the moment they fell on Chihiro!

"Chihiro!" Trigger Happy beamed as he hopped up and down, "Funny we'd find each other here again!

"I know, right?" Chihiro whispered as she held out her hand, "Now, let's get out of here and get back to Wrecking Ball!"

Trig grinned as he leaped into Chihiro's arms, and with him safe in her grip, Chihiro crept out from behind the crystal pillar… Then stumbled back as a flaming purple blast screeched forward and narrowly grazed her!

"Where did that come from?" Chihiro exclaimed as she whipped her head around before she gasped and slammed her hand over her mouth.

"So you thought you could sneak away, did you, child?"

Down in her arms, Trigger Happy whimpered and tugged on his ears while his eyes went wide, and Chihiro's own eyes went just as big! That voice, it couldn't be! Chihiro careened her head back around the crystal pillar she hid behind and found that sure enough, that holographic Eon had tailed her in! It seemed awfully angry as it glared her down, all while it held a firecracker-shaped wand that crackled with purple flames... Wait, it threw that?! Crap, it must not know about the monster!

"What are you talking about?" Chihiro whispered as she took a step back and squeezed Trigger Happy tighter, "I was getting Trig out of these mines!"—Chihiro narrowed her eyes and gestured towards the wand—"And don't shoot that thing in here! There's a huge monster sleeping in these caves, and if you wake it up, we're all toast!"

"Likely story!" The holographic Eon hissed as it swung its wand around, "You and your little accomplice thought you were so clever, trying to sneak the gold out from under my nose!"

With every swing of the wand, the holographic Eon sent even more of those purple flame blasts her way! Chihiro gasped and rushed out of the way as one slammed into the crystal pillar she and Trigger Happy hid behind, then she dove under another crystal pillar... But that one got blown to bits by another blast! As she and Trigger Happy flew off from the impact, Chihiro twisted herself around and grunted as she took the full force of the landing, then grimaced as she pushed herself up with one hand.

"Dude, quit it!" Chihiro hissed as she sat up and wrapped an arm around a trembling Trigger Happy, "That monster's immune to magic too, you know! There's no way any of us could beat it if it wakes up, so knock it off with the fireworks!"

"Quit trying to deceive me, child!" The holographic Eon cried as it swiped its wand again, "On my honor as a portal master and guardian of Skylands, I will not let some snot-nosed brat pull the wool over my eyes!"

Right as Chihiro pushed herself back to her feet, another purple magic blast zoomed forward with its path set towards her! Luckily she jumped out of the way just in time, but it was clear she couldn't stay and bicker.

"Hold on, Trig," Chihiro said as she smiled at Trigger Happy, "We're gonna have to book it!"

However, Trigger Happy didn't seem nearly as enthusiastic about their great escape as she was! His eyes turned tiny as he blabbered out nonsense and jabbed behind her, all while his tiny body shuddered like a scared chihuahua!

Chihiro tilted her head in confusion, then shuddered herself as warm breath brushed against her back and the sound of low, guttural growling echoed around the cavern mixed with sounds that vaguely sounded like slobbering? Wait, growling and slobbering? Warm breath against her back? Chihiro's blood turned cold as that warm breath continue to crawl against her spine. Please don't let that mean what she thought it did...

Chihiro gulped as chills crept down her back, then turned around and found… Flynn? Well, Flynn if he was a gigantic, hulking monster that was! His clothes were torn, his eyes were blank, and gigantic fangs jutted out of a mouth rife with drool while his paws were accented by sharp claws. He laid on all fours while his body turned bulky and muscular… And worse yet, he looked ready to kill!

Chihiro screamed as she narrowly dodged getting slashed by the monster, then she squeezed Trigger Happy as tight as she could and dashed back down the way to the cavern's entrance! But, man, all this running around and fighting from earlier had really taken its toll on her, and now it was starting to show! Her whole body ached with exhaustion, as if taking even one more step further would cause her to burst! Her running slowed to a walk, then to a trudge, then finally Chihiro paused and caught her breath for a moment as she leaned against a wall... But a mighty roar from the monster scared her back into running!

Chihiro winced as the monster made haste behind her, then dove her free hand into her pockets. Surely she probably has a good card or two to hold that monster off… But as she shuffled her hand around, her hand touched nothing but fabric—she had no cards whatsoever! Dang it, she must have used them all in that battle earlier! So Chihiro just gulped and went back to running as fast as her aching feet could carry her, but as she passed the holographic Eon, however, she couldn't help but stop and frown.

It didn't seem nearly as concerned as she did, for rather it just raised its firecracker wand high and snarled!

"Didn't you hear me?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she glared back at the holographic Eon, "That thing's immune to magic! You can't do anything against it!"

The holographic Eon, however, just scoffed and turned its attention back to the snarling monster.

"Halt, foul beast!" The holographic Eon cried as it readied another blast and fired, "TAKE THIS AND GO BACK TO THE LANDS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!"

The magic blast burned as bright as the lights in the holograph's eyes as it watched its blast hurtle towards the monster… But the monster just extinguished the magic blast with a smack of its massive paw!

"My magic! It didn't work?!" The holographic Eon gasped as it stumbled backwards from shock. Its wand slipped out of its grip and disappeared, but the holographic Eon thought nothing of its loss as it clenched its teeth and whipped out another card!

"Very well then, try this light spell one for size!"

With a simple rub from the holographic Eon, the card exploded into bursts of light that scattered in fifty different directions, and that included where Chihiro was headed! Chihiro screamed and rolled behind a tall pillar of glowing green crystal with her grip around Trigger Happy tightened, then threw an arm over her eyes as the light spell exploded behind her.

A bright, burning white light encased the entire tunnel for seconds, then when it faded its darkness had been replaced by bright light that unveiled the massive amounts of warn brown stone shaped to look like a tunnel. That light spell had definitely illuminated the world around, pun fully intended, but did it do anything about that monster?

A scream resounded through the tunnels and made Chihiro's blood run cold, so she peeked around the crystal... And her heart completely dropped.

The holographic Eon fell to its knees and shook like a leaf as the monster loomed over it, then it screamed as the monster swatted it into the wall with one strike from a massive paw! The holographic Eon let out one last, pained cry as it slammed into the rocks, then groaned and collapsed to the floor.

Chihiro gasped and trembled, for she almost couldn't believe what she saw. Even with the holographic-ness of it all, the holographic Eon just got smacked away like it was nothing! As the monster roared and hulked over the holographic Eon like it was about to strike again, Chihiro rushed over, grabbed the holographic Eon's hand with her free hand, then dashed off. She couldn't stand around here, she had to get going before they all became a monster meal!

"It's catching up!" Trigger Happy wailed as he looked behind them, then squeaked and clung to Chihiro as the monster roared again, "Can't you do anything?"

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she looked around, for even if she couldn't use cards, surely there had to be another way to stop it… However, it didn't seem like there was anything here other than crystals and rocks and conspicuously loose-looking rocks and crystals just barely attached to the walls around. Wait, conspicuously loose rocks and crystals, that was it! Chihiro stopped over by a pile of crystals, then dropped Trigger Happy and the holographic Eon off and pulled a gigantic rock from the pile. She snarled as the monster ran forward and growled, then tossed the rock right at the monster's face!

The monster snarled as it rushed towards Chihiro, but its run was cut short as the rock slammed it right in the face and tossed it backwards! It cried in pain as it stumbled down to the floor, and for a moment, Chihiro winced. It stung a bit, having to hurt Flynn like this, but she had no other options.

"Trig, pull as many rocks out from the walls as possible!" Chihiro shouted as she turned back to Trigger Happy, "I'll keep this dude occupied!"

Trigger Happy nodded, then shook his head and dashed to the walls. For such a small little thing, he was incredibly fast as he pulled out every stone, every pebble, everything that he could possibly grab, even though some of them seemed way too heavy for such a small gremlin... But then again, he did heave a lot of heavy gold stuff around on a daily basis...

Chihiro tilted her head as she pondered just how strong Trigger Happy was for a moment, then a loud roar nearly blew her off her feet! She winced as she stomped down and turned back to the monster, while had finally recovered and pulled itself back to full height. It heaved heavy breathes that shook its entire body as it scraped its paws against the cavern floor and kicked dust everywhere. Then, right as it charged, Chihiro kicked up a cloud of dust from the floors below and right into its face!

The dust flew into the monster's eyes and made them water so badly that it yowled and scratched at its face just to make it stop! But, that wasn't the end of Chihiro's attack, for while it reeled back and cried, she grabbed a bunch of crystals and rocks from the pile Trigger Happy had accumulated and tossed them at the monster! It snarled and yelped in pain as each stone bonked it on the head in succession, but she wasn't going to let up… Not yet, at least!

Chihiro lifted up her arms and got ready to grab another rock, but before she could, the entire cave began to rumble! She turned her head upwards, and the whole ceiling shuddered above her as crumbs of rock and dust rained down. Looks like Trigger Happy had done it! Chihiro raced backed and sighed as she looked over the still-unconscious holographic Eon, then grabbed its holographic hand, ran forward and yanked Trigger Happy out with her other free hand! With one last stride, the three of them burst into the open just before the whole cave, well, caved in and sealed the entrance shut with rocks!

Chihiro and Trigger Happy paused and caught their breath as the monster growled and scratched at the other side, though all that fuss did little to actually break the monster free. Finally, the monster just let out a soft whimper paired with the faint thunk of heavy footsteps. Looks like they wouldn't be worrying about that guy anytime soon!

"Trig!" Wrecking Ball cried as he burst forward and nearly tackled down Trigger Happy, "You're alright!"

Trigger Happy gasped with glee as he jumped up, then he and Wrecking Ball burst into relieved laughing fits as they spun each other around all across the grassy plains. Thank goodness, everything had worked out!

Chihiro breathed another sigh of relief, then scoffed as she watched as the unconscious holographic Eon lay on the grass. Served that dude right for causing all this mess! Chihiro clicked her tongue and shook her head, then smiled as she looked back to Wrecking Ball and Trigger Happy.

"Thank you!" Wrecking Ball cried as he leaped into Chihiro's arms, "Thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, it's no problem!" Chihiro chirped as she gently put Wrecking Ball down on the ground and let him roll back up to Trigger Happy, "I'm just glad you're alright!"

Trigger Happy and Wrecking Ball both beamed, then turned around and whispered something to each other in voices so faint Chihiro definitely couldn't hear them. As their conversation ended with a nod, Trigger Happy pulled something from his pocket and turned around.

"Here, take this!" Trigger Happy said as he presented Chihiro with a simple, clay charm shaped like a flower, "It's our greatest treasure!"

Chihiro gasped, then gently smiled as she took the charm from Trigger Happy and held it tight.

"Thank you!" Chihiro replied as she pressed her hands against her heart, "I'll take good care of it!"

Trigger Happy and Wrecking Ball both beamed and waved to Chihiro before running off, and for a moment everything felt peaceful… Until the whole area was washed in a wave of golden light!

"SIMULATION… COMPLETE!"

Before Chihiro could even comprehend what had happened, the treasure hunt had ended and both she and the holographic Eon were back in the board game world, each as equally confused as the other!

"Did, did you win?" The holographic Eon sputtered as it sat on the board game's tile floor while its eyes spun around in its skull. Seems as though it hadn't fully come to yet.

"I guess?" Chihiro replied with a shrug.

The holographic Eon shook its head, then its eyes fluttered as it jumped up and took a step back.

"How… How did you win the scenario? Wasn't the treasure the gold in the building itself?" The holographic Eon's face fell as its eyes gazed upon the clay charm in Chihiro's hands, "Don't tell me…"

"Uh, I don't really know, to be honest!" Chihiro smiled as she looked down at the charm and rubbed her thumb against its smooth surface, "I just helped them and they gave me this as thanks!"—Chihiro looked aside and shrugged again—"I wasn't even looking for a reward, to be honest, I just wanted to help…"

"So you did win?"

The holographic Eon gave Chihiro a discerning frown as she nodded, then its clenched brows let up slightly as it pursed its lips.

"But more importantly..." Chihiro huffed as she pointed a finger right between the holographic Eon's eyes, "What were you thinking, waking up that monster and taking it on like that?! If I hadn't gotten lucky, that monster would've eaten us all alive!"

The holographic Eon gasped and drew backwards just a bit, while its mouth stammered from the sheer shock of Chihiro's outburst. "I, I had no idea there was a monster there, though!"

"That's why I tried to warn you!" Chihiro narrowed her eyes as she drew back her hand, "If you had just listened to me, this whole thing could have been avoided!"—Chihiro scoffed and turned away as she placed her hands on her hips—"But you were so worried about getting the treasure that you put Trigger Happy in serious danger and nearly got him killed, not to mention what it would've done if it got loose! For someone who claims to be a protector of Skylands, you really didn't act like it!"

The holographic Eon pursed its lips, and for a moment it seemed as though it went to retort once more... But then it nodded and hung its head, all while something like shame resounded in its holographic eyes.

"You... Are right. I was so worried about getting the treasure, I endangered an innocent life. It was uncouth of me as a protector of Skylands to act in such a manner."

The dice manifested in the holographic Eon's hands, but instead of taking its roll, it pushed them into Chihiro's palms. "Why don't you roll first?"

Chihiro perked up as she rubbed her fingers against the dice, but then clasped them tight and nodded.

"Er, alright then," Chihiro said as she tossed the dice ahead… Then grinned as they fell onto a sixteen. "Nice!"

Chihiro smiled and skipped along, but only for a few spaces before she paused and looked back at the holographic Eon, who in turn just looked it her with a kind of pensiveness in its eyes. Just what was it thinking? Well, it was no use lingering on it, so she turned around and went further ahead.

§

KA-BLAM!

"DARK SPYROOOOOOOOOOOO!" Cried everyone currently in the mess hall as a mass of berry-splattered pancake batter flooded out the door and into the island's heart!

Dark Spyro slapped his knees as he cackled so hard it made his sides hurt. This was it, this was his masterpiece of pranking! The looks on everyone's faces when those pancake bombs exploded the moment they stuck a fork in them couldn't possibly be matched!

"Holy crap!" Dark howled between strained gasps for air as he opened an eye bleary with tears of joy, "You should see the looks on your faces right now, it's priceless!"

And when he said that, he really meant it! After all, everyone's jaws dropped as the pancake batter slipped from their faces, while their eyes were so wide they'd practically pop out of their skulls!

Dark Spyro let out another round of cackles, then he grinned as he turned back to Sunburn with an expectant smile. After all, he did do this to show Sunburn the glory of a true prank! The guy was pretty new, after all, and when Dark heard that Sunburn had only ever done small-scale pranks before, he was determined to show Sunburn the glory of a large-scale gaff! Surely, he'd be just as happy as Dark was!

"Right, Sunburn?"

Dark smiled even wider, but then his smile faded as he looked back to Sunburn—because Sunburn didn't seem happy at all! He looked just as shocked and horrified as the rest of the Skylanders did!

"This was your idea of a prank?" Sunburn exclaimed as he stepped back.

Dark chuckled and made a hapless shrug. "Well, yeah! You know what they say, go big or go home!"

Sunburn blinked a few more times in quiet shock, then his gaped beak turned to a snarl as he lowered his head.

"Dude, this isn't funny at all!"

Eh? Dark Spyro blinked and shook his head a bit, just to make sure he wasn't seeing or hearing things, but nope! Sunburn was still furious as his feathers glowed with a warm light that heated up everything in the room.

"Pranks are just supposed to be for good fun, not stuff that's actually dangerous!" Sunburn exclaimed as he stepped forward, "You could've gotten someone hurt!"

"What, what are you talking about, Sunburn, old buddy, old pal?" Dark Spyro chuckled as he backed off, all while his eyes darted in fifty million directions, "This is fun!"—Dark's grinned stretched from horn to horn as he looked back to the others—"Right guys?"

"NO!" Everyone else cried as they trudged their way through the batter flood.

"Sunburn's right, you know!" Spyro cried as he flew up to Dark and stuck a claw in Dark's face, "What if someone had actually eaten one of those things? You'd have killed them!"

Dark Spyro sniffed as he looked aside and pouted. "But I didn't!"

"That doesn't matter!" Ghost Roaster exclaimed as he yanked his ball and chain out of a patch of melted blueberry, "Look at this mess! It'll take us all week to clean up!"

"Oh, who cares? It's just a little batter!"

"Of course you'd say that!" Ghost Roaster snarled as he tore through the batter, "You're not the one who has to stick around and clean it up!"

"Yeah, Dark!" Spyro added as his eyebrows dug so far down in his face it practically hid his eyes, "I swear, if I knew I'd end up dealing with stuff like this on a daily basis, I wouldn't have let you come here at all!"

Dark Spyro's pout turned to a snarl as he looked aside and crossed his front legs.

"You guys just don't get me, that's all!" Dark Spyro proclaimed as he flew towards the open kitchen doors, "All I wanted to do was have a little fun! If you want to be sticks in the mud, you can do it without me!"

Dark Spyro snorted out a bit of smoke, but before he left the mess hall, he grinned and turned back to Sunburn. "Come on, Sunburn, let's ditch these guys!"

"Actually…" Sunburn said as he shook his head and walked away, "I think I'm going to stay around here and clean up."

Sunburn snorted out some fire of his own as he glared back at Dark, then huffed as he flew over the pancake batter mess. What was Sunburn doing? He was Dark's buddy, his partner in pranking crime, right?

"Sunburn?…" Dark shook his head and frowned as he flew up to Sunburn and tugged on Sunburn's wing, "Why are you taking their side? I thought you said I was cool and funny!"

"I did…" Sunburn flapped his wing with such force that it broke Dark's grip on it, "But that was before I saw how much of a jerk you are!"—Sunburn snarled as he looked away from Dark—"If you're going to tear this place apart and get people busted up, do it without me!"

And just like that, Dark's heart cracked in two. Why would Sunburn say something like that? Dark was just trying to have a little fun and lighten things up, how did that make him a jerk? It's not like he was trying to kill anyone, he was just doing what he felt like, and what he felt like was making pancake bombs! Before he even knew it, tears poured down Dark's eyes as he sniffled and dashed for the door.

"FINE THEN!" Dark cried as he zoomed outside and slammed the door shut, "I DON'T NEED YOU ANYWAYS!"

Dark Spyro sniffed a few more times, then finally he fell down to the ground and sniffled as he wiped his tears away. He hadn't really felt this weird, gut-punching feeling in a while, but it hurt just as much as it did the last time he felt it! He hate, hate, hated it! As his tears started to dry, Dark Spyro sulked and swatted away a pebble as he trudged around the island's heart. All around him, the rest of the Skylanders gave him dirty looks and scorning frowns that sent chills down his spine, but he didn't bother to give them the attention they desired. So, instead, he camped under the shade of a particularly large tree.

"What's with everyone, anyways?" Dark lamented as he massages his temples, "I mean sure, I played a couple pranks, broke a few things, got Eruptor laid up in the infirmary for a few days, but it wasn't that big a deal! I'm sure pancake batter isn't that hard to clean off kitchen walls!"

"Yeah it is!" Shouted someone in the distance.

Dark Spyro promptly stuck his tongue out at this mystery person, then as he caught sight of everyone's glances he winced and turned around. A kind of lonely pit opened up in his heart and sucked away the frustration he felt, then with a sigh he sat back down and groaned. After all, it was just all for laughs, right? He got a kick out of it, so why didn't they laugh along with him? He might've caused some trouble, but it was all for kicks and giggles and that's all that mattered! They just didn't get him and his sense of humor!

Well, that's what he told himself, but it didn't necessarily make Dark feel any better. After all, no amount of surprise bombs and dumping ice-cold water buckets on people's heads could ease the pain of isolation.

"What on Skylands do they have against me, anyways?" Dark asked aloud, "It's always 'Dark, stop that!' and 'Dark, no!' and 'Dark, get out of my hair!'"

Tiny stinging pains hit Dark Spyro's eyes yet again as he sniffed and laid down. "I mean, I'm a Skylander too! They said I could stay on their island cause Kaos kicked me out and everything! Why can't they just give me a break?"

"Well, you haven't exactly given them a reason to," pointed out a harsh, raspy voice that seemingly came out of nowhere!

Dark jumped to his paws and whipped his head around.

"Who's there?" Dark asked, before he veered his head right just as a violet and red dragoness stepped out from the shadows.

Now that he thought about it, he was sure that he saw her around the island before, lurking in the shadows like she did now, but he couldn't remember her name for the life of him. Nevertheless…

"What are you doing here?" Dark asked as he scrambled back and scowled, "Did you come here to yell at me to?"

"I'm just passing through, nothing more." The dragoness shook her head, "I heard your question, and gave you an answer."

The dragoness turned around as if she was leaving, but for some reason he didn't want her to leave just yet…

"Well, can you answer my other questions, then?" Dark asked as he jumped to his feet.

The dragoness tilted her head, then sat down on the grass and raised an eyebrow. "If you're willing to listen."

"I am!"

The dragoness nodded, and Dark in response sat down and looked aside.

"What do you mean by not giving them a reason?" Dark tilted his head and frowned. "I mean, what's wrong with a little prank here and there?"

"That's the thing, with you, it's not here and there…" The dragoness flicked her tail, "It's all the time! And it's not just kind of annoying harmless things, either... If it's not secret bombs, it's poison ivy in the potted plants or pitfalls that drop you six feet under, the kind of stuff that gets people actually hurt! With how often you're pulling the stunts you are, we might as well be on a battlefield!"

Dark Spyro just froze and stumbled back. The dragoness's words pierced through his heart like a knife, and yet, something couldn't let him bring himself to turn away. He never really thought of it that way... All he thought about was how funny it would be to see people fall for it.

"The fact of the matter is, you don't care at all about how your actions affect others, and if you do, you don't show it. All you care about is what you want." The dragoness glared him down, "And that hardly gives any of them reason to enjoy your company."

Dark winced and looked aside as he opened and clasped his paws, all while a searing, burning feeling scorched his heart. It's not that he didn't care about people, he did! He enjoyed being with Sunburn, well, before Sunburn ditched him anyways, and he liked it when the others seemed to kind of tolerate him... He was just doing what he always did! In all the time since Kaos created him, it was practically his nature to pulls his pranks and liven things up, it's not like he was doing it to be mean or anything!

"But I can't help it!" Dark Spyro spat out without even realizing as he flared his wings, "That's just how—"

"You've always been, right? Born from chaos, created to cause trouble and all?"

Dark Spyro crept back and stood up tall. How could she had know what he was going to say?

"Listen, I get it! Of all dragons, I'd be a hypocrite if I got on your case for what you were made for or where you came from." The dragoness turned around, "But you shouldn't use it as an excuse. In the end, your actions are entirely your own—you were the one who chose to do those things. You gave into your impulses and did what you pleased, even if it got people hurt or worse. And that doesn't earn you points in anyone's books."

The dragoness flapped her wings and prepared to fly off. "If you really want them to appreciate your company, then stop making excuses for yourself and do better."

Dark Spyro just frowned as he watched the strange purple dragoness leave. By all accounts, he should've been enraged that she chewed him out like that, but at the same time… He couldn't help but get an itching feeling that she was right. If anything, it was less like rage and more like a solemn contemplation.

Now that he thought about it, he was sure he heard something like that somewhere else… But where?

That's it, you no-good dragonfly! Kaos cried from within the confines of Dark Spyro's memories, I've had it up to here with you and your nonstop ego! What good is an evil minion who only does what he pleases and doesn't listen to his evil overlord? Get out!

That's right, now he remembered! Kaos let him go for that exact same reason, and now, if he didn't shape up… The Skylanders would probably do the same as well! Dark Spyro bit his lip in panic. Once they finally got fed up and kicked him to the curb, he'd have nowhere else to go! But, what was he supposed to do now? It's not like they'd listen to him if he apologized, he had already gotten on their bad sides so many times… Dark Spyro frowned and beat his tail against the dirt, then his eyes lit up.

He'd just ask that dragoness! Surely she'd know the answer! So, he traced the path he was sure she had gone down, until the sound of flapping wings confirmed his suspicions.

"Hey, hey, don't go yet!" Dark Spyro shouted as he bolted down the path.

From around the bend, he caught that purple dragoness right as she flew off… Then stopped in her path, sat down and turned around.

"What is it?" She asked.

"You, you said that I needed to do better, right?" Dark asked as he bit his lip and looked aside, "Well, how do I do that, then?"

"Well, making up for your mistakes is a good place to start." The dragoness flicked her wings, "And not just giving a half-hearted apology, either. Try actually fixing the problems you make and helping out the people you hurt. Actions speak louder than words."

Dark had wanted to ask the dragoness more, he really did! But before he could open his mouth and speak, she had already dashed her way into the shadows. So instead, he just sat there in a sort of silent thought spell. He was never fond of cleaning things up, and didn't really see the purpose in fixing things… But, if that's what it would take, then he supposed it was worth a shot.

So, Dark Spyro flew out of the dreary woods he had followed her into and back to the heart of the island. He was quick to find the mess hall, for it still had the pancake batter stains from his latest mishap—though at least the batter mass had been cleaned up to the point where the door could be closed. But, as he flew towards the mess hall's door, Dark couldn't help but slow down. Would they really want his help after all he had done? Dark Spyro looked down and hesitated for a moment, but nonetheless flew up to the doors and gently pushed them open.

Unsurprisingly, a good number of their forces were still inside and worked hard as they wiped off pancake batter, shoveled away gum and scrubbed particularly stubborn berry stains from the walls—which, now that Dark looked at them, definitely seemed bigger than when the mixed berry pancake bombs had exploded earlier. All eyes immediately turned on Dark as everyone gasped and dropped what they were doing, surely fully prepared for another prank or careless gesture…

But, Dark wasn't here to do that, and he would show them! So, he grabbed a wet rag nearby and gently scrubbed the berry stains off of the floors. They were stubborn, true, and he was sure this would be easier if he actually had mastery of the Water Element and could manipulate water to the fullest… But, he did want to help, so he just continued scrubbing in silence.

Slowly, the gazes of shock and panic from those around Dark Spyro turned to more gentle, awestruck look, kind of like if they had seen a pig fly or a chompy sing karaoke. They all seemed a bit hesitant to approach him, but finally, Spyro himself took the first step as he dropped the shovel he was holding and padded over.

"Hey, Dark?" Spyro asked as he tilted his head, "Just what are you doing?"

"Cleaning!" Dark Spyro proclaimed maybe a bit too mechanically as he jumped to all four paws, then sighed and scratched his head, "I, well..."—Dark Spyro heaved a sigh as he gazed around the room—"I just wanted to make it up to you guys for messing things up earlier."

For a while all went silent again, but finally the quiet was broken by Ghost Roaster scoffing and crossing his arms.

"Dark Spyro? Actually wanting to do something nice for once?" Ghost Roaster snarled, "Are you sure you don't have anything up those wings of yours?"

Ghost Roaster then promptly let out a pained cry as Gill Grunt elbowed him and shot him a glare. While Ghost Roaster crossed his arms and withdrew, Gill Grunt turned a gaze warm and sweet like honey towards Dark Spyro.

"Good on you for wanting to make it up to us, kiddo!" Gill Grunt said as he grabbed a water bucket and dropped it off next to Dark Spyro, a moment of pause taken to gently ruffle Dark's head, "Now, we've still got a lot of work to do, so…"

"I'm on it!" Dark chirped as he went back to scrubbing, as did everyone else.

Though they were all silent as they scraped hardened pancake batter and gum off the walls or scrubbed berry stains off the floors, something about them seemed warmer and friendlier than the usual air of coldness they seemed to have around Dark. It almost made him forget what he was doing as his eyes fell on Spyro and Gill Grunt smiling at each other while Gill Grunt used his water cannons to hose down the floors, or Ghost Roaster grumbling to himself while he jumped up towards a patch of batter that had gotten itself particularly high up... Wait, Dark could handle that!

"Let me get that, Ghost Roaster!" Dark chirped as he flew above Ghost Roaster.

Dark dug his claws into a part of the batter patch that was still gooey and loose, then grunted as he yanked it off and dropped it on the floor beside Ghost Roaster! Ghost Roaster looked up at Dark while his skeletal jaw dropped, but Dark just grinned and flew off.

As he patrolled the... Well, lack of skies, Dark's eyes fell on Spyro as Spyro unsuccessfully tried to scrape off a large wad of batter from the table. Maybe, just maybe, Dark could help with that too? So, Dark swept down beside Spyro, then cleared his throat and shot a fireball right at the batter wad!

The flames hardened the batter until it was hard and cracked like a rock, then those flames vanished just as quickly as they came!

"Now try it!" Dark chirped as he wagged his tail.

Spyro raised a wary, eyebrow, then grabbed hold of his shovel and smashed it against the hardened batter rock... And grinned as it smashed into a bunch of itty-bitty pieces! Yep, it definitely worked!

"Thanks, Dark!" Spyro said as he grinned back at Dark.

Dark himself chuckled back, then flapped his wings and took back to the skies. After all, he had promised to work, so work was what he would do! Dark's flight brought him over to a corner of the kitchen that was still coated in pancake batter and busted berries and... Oh.

There was Sunburn, right at the heart of it all as he tried fruitlessly to shovel the batter away. Just the sight of his bright, burning orange feathers was all Dark needed to know that Sunburn was still mad, and for a moment that pit opened up in Dark's heart and made him want to turn tail and run... But, he did say he wanted to help everyone, and that definitely included Sunburn.

So, Dark landed beside Sunburn, much to Sunburn's shock as he turned around and dropped his beak wide open. For a moment, Sunburn scowled as if he was about ready to chew Dark out again.

"If you burn the batter," Dark said as he turned back to the still goopy batter that dripped down from the ceiling, "It gets harder and easier to break."

Dark breathed in, then exhaled and unleashed a torrent of purple fire across the batter until it turned dark and hard like rock, all while cracks formed in its surface. With his job done, Dark grinned and turned back to Sunburn.

"Try it!"

Sunburn frowned, then grabbed his shovel and smashed its head right into the center of the hardened batter where the most cracks resided. Like a wall with its keystone removed, all the other cracks in the batter grew bigger and more massive before the entire batter covering shattered and unveiled a perfectly normal kitchen wall! Well, perfectly normal save for the remaining berry stains that is.

Sunburn beamed as he looked back at the freed wall, but Dark didn't have time to linger, not when he had things to do! So, Dark grinned as he went back to flying around the mess halls and looking for things to do.

And for a moment… Dark really did feel like he had a place where he belonged, even if he had to spend hours scrubbing berry stains with aching legs to get it! Everyone else's tense faces had grown smiley and happy as Dark cracked goofy puns, scrubbed out tough berry stains and got some of the hard-to-reach places taken care of. Even Ghost Roaster, who surely had Dark at the top of his mortal enemies list with all the times Dark had messed up the kitchen, gave a tiny nod of approval as Dark helped him mop up gooey batter!

And better yet, most of that pancake batter was gone! And man, talk about a pain it was to get out. He scrubbed so much his legs had started to ache from all the scrubbing he had done, and even then there was still more work to do. But, before he did…

"Hey, hey guys?" Dark sputtered as he lowered his head and scratched his neck, "I, I… I'm su, su, sor, sur…"—Dark Spyro grimaced and shook his head—"I'm sorry for making such a mess with those pancake bombs earlier!"

All eyes turned to Dark Spyro, and with the floor being his, Dark's hesitation melted away.

"And everything else too. I was more concerned with having fun, that… I guess I didn't think about whether or not anyone else was having fun!" Dark forced a smile and looked aside, "So, I'll try to stick to stuff that everyone can laugh at, alright?"

Everyone stayed as frozen as they did when Dark first announced his change of heart, but this time it was a simple pat on the back that earned Dark's attention!

"Well, I don't know what started this, but…" Spyro said as Dark looked into his eyes, which seemed a bit friendlier than the usual scorn Spyro gave Dark, "Seeing as how you did come back and fix up this place, I'd be glad to accept your apology!"

Dark gasped, then a familiar warmth crept down his back. Dark lifted up his head, and found that now, it was Sunburn who stood beside Dark with a smile on his beak and a warm look in his eyes.

"Same here," Sunburn said as he wrapped his wing around Dark Spyro's back.

Dark let out a soft, excited gasp as he beamed back up at Sunburn, then a cough brought his gaze over to Ghost Roaster and Gill Grunt. Though Gill Grunt beamed and waved back at Dark, Ghost Roaster couldn't meet Dark's gaze—instead, he just hung his head and crossed his arms.

"Now, you've still got a long way to go before I can let go of you ruining the kitchen five times in a week," Ghost Roaster said before he heaved a sigh, "But... It's a start. I suppose I can forgive you for this."

Dark sputtered a bit, for he was so overjoyed and also so shocked that he could barely make any words. That dragoness's advice had worked! They had actually forgiven him, and they actually seemed to accept him for once, too! And that... That made him feel better than any prank ever could!

"Th, tha, er…" Dark sputtered and winced as he looked aside, then his eyes fixed on an empty bucket on the floor. Yes, the perfect diversion!

"Oh, looks like this bucket needs more water!" Dark shouted as he swept down and yanked the bucket off the floor, "I'll go fill…"

Right as Dark Spyro flew off, though, he caught someone watching him from the corner of the kitchen—that violet dragoness from earlier! She jolted up and tensed as Dark locked eyes with her, but loosened up as Dark beamed right back.

"Hey!" Dark Spyro called as he flew over to her side, "Thanks!"

The dragoness frowned, then took a step back and folded her wings.

"For what?" She asked as she looked back at Dark.

"Your advice! It really worked!" Dark Spyro grinned and tilted his head, then chuckled and looked aside, "Seriously though, you… You really helped me out so, thu, thanks?"

"You don't need to thank me." The dragoness looked aside, "I was just telling it how it was."

"But you were the first one to hear me out!" Dark Spyro flew closer until his face was thrust into the dragoness's, "Why is that?"—Dark Spyro pursed his lips and looked aside—"I mean, everyone else just kind of gets mad or yells at me, but… You didn't do that. Why?"

The dragoness made a low mumble as she looked aside, then just barely shrugged.

"I guess I just, kind of understood what place you were in." The dragoness flapped her wings and took off, "I need to go, now."

"Wait, before you go!" Dark Spyro crossed the skies and followed after her, "What's your name, anyways? I haven't really seen you around all that much."

The dragoness paused in mid-air, then turned around and looked back at Dark Spyro.

"It's…"

"Cynder," Dark Spyro whispered as his eyes gently drifted open.

Had he been dreaming? For a moment, he could've sworn he was back in Ancient's Peak, all that time ago… Hah, thinking about it made him a bit warm in the face. To think, they met way back then… But, Dark couldn't reminiscence on the past, he had to figure out where he was!

And just like that, his vision cleared and showed that he was lying on a worn, rotted wood bench in a stone room with silver bars that blocked off the outside world, almost like a dungeon cell. Wait, a dungeon cell? When exactly did he get in a dungeon cell, had he done something to pi—Oh. As a faint memory of his earlier fight with those creepy minions of Kaos's came to mind, Dark Spyro snarled and pounded his paws against the cell bars.

"Hey, let me outta this thing!" Dark Spyro demanded as loud as he could, "I'm not gonna stick around here, you know! If you don't, I'll, I'll burn the cell bars down! No, this whole place! And I'll, I'll—"

"Shut your yap! You could wake the dead with all that noise!"

Out of nowhere, several deathly-looking dragon guards all flanked the dungeon cell that Dark Spyro sat in, their blank eyes trained in him and ready to kill!

"Actually…" Dark Spyro crept away from the cell bars and winced, "Forget all I say about burning the place down, I'll—"

"If you wanted out, you could've said so earlier!"

One of the dragon guards yanked a badge from their armor and held it up to the side of the outer wall, and in response the cell bars immediately sank into the floors!

"His Majesty wanted an audience with you as soon as you came to," the dragon guard explained as they stowed their badge away and turned around with a slight nudge of their head, "Follow me."

Well, that was convenient. Admittedly, an audience with a power-hungry evil overlord probably would've sounded like a bad idea to most people, but after dealing with Kaos for most of his formative months of existence, Dark Spyro was sure he was prepared for anything at this point. So, he crept after that very creepy-looking dragon guard and winced as he tried to avoid the weird looks the other guards shot him.

Dark Spyro was lead down endless corridors and alleyways, winding roads and paths, up a few stairs, down some more, through a janitorial closet by accident… All of which were painted in the same shade of dull, stained bluish-green stone that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. It was so gloomy and tiring that he couldn't help but nearly fall asleep! His head nodded off as he stumbled forward, then he jolted back awake as he bumped into the guard's leg.

"We're here."

Dark Spyro shook himself awake and grinned as he examined the room around, which had none of the dreariness of earlier! It was all marble statues and fancy pillars and withered vines that, admittedly, stuck out like sore thumbs compared to the rest of the decorations… But the crown jewel was a massive, gold and sapphire throne with bright, amethyst wings carved behind it! It probably would've looked more impressive if not for how empty it was. Where was this guy he was supposed to meet, anyways? Dark Spyro tilted his head as he walked up to the throne, then rolled back down as a puff of blue smoke manifested from the throne's seat!

"So this is the Skylander born of malevolence?" Hissed a snakelike as a pair of beady, cyan eyes poked out from the smoke.

Dark Spyro shook his head and shuddered like a chill had blown through the area, but the dragon guard was hardly fazed as they knelt down and shot a glare at Dark Spyro.

"Bow, you lizard!" The dragon guard hissed, "You're in the presence of the great king Vathek!"

Dark Spyro winced and warily bowed, then as the smoke cleared, he poked his head up and clenched his teeth—because god, this Vathek dude was creepy! And if this was coming from Dark Spyro, that was saying something.

This Vathek dragon, he looked like a wyvern of some kind, or more accurately the withered corpse of one! His scales were black or maybe just a really dark blue, with the lack of light it was kind of hard to tell, and holes have been torn in his body and wings at every angle. His cold as ice cyan eyes were blank, and the large gaps in his body glowed silver with no sign of bones or organs while sickly silver fog beamed out the gaps and cast a thin layer of mist around the area.

"Thank you for your service, guard," Vathek hissed as he nodded towards the guard, "You may be dismissed now."

The guard nodded and flew back down the stairs, which left just Dark Spyro and Vathek in the entire open space of this weird throne room… And for a moment, Dark Spyro understood what it was like to be a sheep trapped in a den of lions. Just the sight of Vathek made him sick to his stomach! It was like staring death in the face! Wait, feeling sick to his stomach, plus that silvery light and that sickly undead energy that poured from Vathek's body… Wasn't that what happened when people who weren't undead were around the Eternal Undead Source? Could it be?

Dark Spyro cringed and collapsed as Vathek stepped off the throne and examined him, and for a moment he really did feel like he was on death's door… But Vathek didn't attack or do anything.

"Stop panicking on the floor and face me," Vathek replied as he raised his head, "I have no intention of hurting you, after all."

"You don't?" Dark Spyro asked as he poked his head up to Vathek.

"No, it's the exact opposite!" Vathek grinned and unveiled jaws with a stunning lack of teeth, "I've been quite interested in you, after all!"

Dark Spyro warily pulled himself back to all four paws and stood in silence as Vathek paced back and forth, all paired with dramatic wing gestures.

"To think, another dragon such as myself would be within the Skylanders' ranks—"

"Can it, buddy!" Dark Spyro spat up as he leaned down and flared his wings, "I'm nothing like you!"

But even thought Dark Spyro put on his most intimidating front, Vathek just cackled like Dark was nothing more than a dragonbunny!

"Are you sure?" Vathek leaned down and looked at Dark Spyro with those creepy glass eyes and equally-creepy grin, "After all, I can sense the level of malevolent magic oozing out of you! You and I, we were both born within its grasp!"—Vathek's smile turned to a frown as he raised himself to full height—"And surely, we were both outcast for it as well."

Vathek hung his head as he bit his lip, and for a moment Dark Spyro could've sworn he saw misty tears leak out of Vathek's eyes.

"When I was young like you, my dragon peers shunned me for wanting to explore my birthright, for wanting to better understand myself and to know more about the malevolent magic that would make me more powerful…" Vathek lifted his head and looked back at Dark Spyro with those same teary eyes, "Surely, you understand the pain of isolation and mistreatment as well?"

For a moment, Dark Spyro's heart stung as the sight of his fellow Skylanders' piercing glares and snarls flared into the front of his memories, but Dark Spyro shook his head and stood his ground. Vathek was definitely trying to manipulate him, he couldn't let his guard down!

"Ah, as you do!" Vathek remarked, "You keep lying and telling yourself that surely they'll understand one day, but in the end…"—Vathek frowned and looked aside, his eyes now filled with some kind of contempt—"They'll just abandon you at the drop of a hat! You know why?"

Vathek crept up to Dark Spyro and lifted up Dark's chin with his claws, and for a moment those suspicious chills ran down Dark's spine.

"Your so-called friends don't understand you like I do! We're born allies, cut from the same cloth! If you work with me, we can leave them all behind and rule this place together!"

Vathek grinned as he placed his wings beneath his back and walked back to his throne. "Of course, I won't force you if you don't wish to work with me. The decision is entirely yours."

Dark Spyro gulped and bit his lip as the sweat dripped down his back. His head was dizzy from all that strange, undead energy, and yet he still couldn't bring himself to look away from Vathek—or more specifically, that strange, ghastly glow that surrounded Vathek.

"So, what'll it be? Will you join me and rule… Or go crawling back to those that want nothing more than your ruin?"

§

Chihiro cringed as she shook the dice, then tossed it onto the board and peeped her eyes open. Hopefully she had gotten a good roll…

"Eleven, nice!" Chihiro shouted as she ran across the board two spaces at a time, then stopped and glazed over the very last space. A treasure space! Nice, she could finally get this over with!

Chihiro beamed as she hopped onto the treasure space, then stood silent as the world around was soaked in golden light that unveiled what would hopefully be the sight of her final challenge.

This time, she had found herself in some kind of old-looking building with wooden halls coated in cobwebs and dusty, long-forgotten decor like antique clocks and matted curtains. But, despite the creepy looks, this odd place seemed free of any odd traps or enemies! The only strange-looking thing was a dusty, but still readable, sign to Chihiro's left that said only one phrase.

"Beware the traveling castle."

Well, that wasn't ominous at all. There had to be a drawback here, but what? Chihiro clasped her hands as she tried to analyze further, but was quickly pulled out of her thoughts by the familiar whoosh of the cards' magic!

Whatever tricks this place had, she had to find them out later, because the holographic Eon had already summoned a treasure map and went on its merry way!
Chihiro gasped, then yanked out another one of those speed shoes cards and activated it! As the speed shoes manifested on her feet, Chihiro dashed down the halls, flung open every door she could and ransacked the rooms around for any sort of object that vaguely resembled any sort of treasure… But, to little luck.

"Is it here?" Chihiro asked as she ran into a bedroom, flipped over the bed and flung open the doors, "Maybe here?"

Chihiro then turned her attention to a nearby dusty dresser, yanked out all its drawers and tossed out all the clothes—from fancy jackets and shirts to leggings and even heart-print boxers—but still, nothing showed! So, she left behind that room and whipped open the door to another, but that was just a heavily-stuffed broom closet! Chihiro squeaked and jumped out of the way as all the cleaning supplies toppled down into a dusty pile, then poked her head inside the closet. But still, there was no treasure to be found!

"Ugh, this is taking too long!"

Chihiro clenched her teeth, then darted away and bounced through the rest of the doors—but to no avail still.

"Here?" Chihiro asked as she poked her head into another door, then slammed it shut as a monstrous roar nearly blew her away, "Nope!"

Chihiro dashed over to the next door and slammed it opened, then frantically closed it as a terrified screech sounded from within. "Definitely not!"

Chihiro sighed as her eyes fell on a rusted steel door aside from her.

"In there?"

Chihiro opened up the door and peered inside to find an old kitchen setup, then licked her lips as the smell of cinnamon wafted in the air. But, just before she dashed in, Chihiro shook her head and slammed the door shut. No, the sweet allure of food could wait! She had to find this artifact! So, she rushed aside and peered through another door, then sighed and closed it as she caught sight of nothing but a dark void.

Soon, two doors became four as she rifled through the halls, then those four doors became eight, then sixteen and twenty… Actually, Chihiro had lost count by then, but none of that mattered because it didn't seem like there was a single treasure in this whole darn building! But, the simulation wouldn't have dropped her here if there wasn't a treasure, right? Unless there was a glitch or something… Could magic board games worlds even have glitches? Chihiro whimpered and bit her lip as she scanned over the halls, then perked up as the sound of light footsteps echoed behind her. Crap, that holograph's catching up, she'd better get going!

Chihiro leaned forward and tried to run off, but before she could, she lost her balance and fell flat on her face!

"Be careful where you're going, child," the holographic Eon warned as it floated over her and went down the halls. Strange, it seemed a bit less harsh than it usually did, with that sad glimmer in its eyes that shone for a moment…

Chihiro leaned back up and raced down after it, then froze and jumped aside as the ground below her creaked. With a soft whimper, she gently tapped the floors, then grimaced as the wooden planks below bent under the weight of her foot and... Slid back into the walls, all while a low groan bellow from below? Was she seeing things? Chihiro shook her head and hopped over the newborn hole in the floor, then perked up as light poured from a small passageway down below.

Chihiro knelt down and crawled through the passageway's short, rotted wooden path… Then popped out to find herself at a room filled with nothing but cobwebs and a pedestal that contained an amulet!

"Nice, so it was a shortcut!" Chihiro chirped as she stood up and reached out for the amulet, then froze.

She, she heard something, like a spinning rope on one of those rope wheel thingies! And off sounds were never a good thing in a situation like this. Chihiro turned around, then gasped and leaned back as a grappling hook jumped out from the doorway behind her with its sights set on the amulet!

"Oh no you don't!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pulled out a card that depicted a gigantic hand and rubbed it!

The hand card manifested in the form of a gigantic, gloved hand that immediately yanked away the grappling hook and tossed it aside. The gloved hand zoomed back into the halls and went for the kill… Then got punched back by a pair of magical, hovering boxing gloves! The magic hand slammed into Chihiro and the amulet's pedestal before she could react, then vanished as the pedestal fell to the ground. Chihiro herself grunted as the impact tossed her on her rear, then turned around and raised her eyes. The amulet was right behind her!

"I'll be taking that amulet, thank you very much," the holographic Eon remarked as it strode inside and hovered over to the amulet!

It had that sort of slow, smug aura to it, like it was taking its sweet time because it knew it would win… But then it froze and its hand faltered just as it hovered over the amulet, almost as if it was wavering in decision.

"Can I really call this a victory, though?" The holographic Eon whispered at just barely enough volume for Chihiro to hear.

Wait, it was hesitating, now was her chance! Chihiro gasped and tried to reach forward, then winced as her leg seared with pain. Guess that fall was nastier than she thought. She grimaced as she reached for the cards in her pocket and tried to find something, anything that could stop the holographic Eon… But before she could, the entire floor rumbled and shook her so badly that all her cards dropped out of her hand!

Chihiro gasped and collected her cards off the ground, then turned to the holographic Eon as it pulled itself back off the ground.

"Just what was that?" The holographic Eon panted, "An earthquake?"

An earthquake? In a castle as fragile as this? Crap, she'd need to get that amulet quick! Chihiro reached out for the amulet and went to grab it, but she was too late, for the moment she reached for the amulet the entire floor creaked and caved in!

The sound of crashing wood and shattering glass echoed everywhere as not only this floor, but all the floors below completely buckled and fell into a massive void of wreckage below, with only a couple stone ledges and platforms outstanding sights among it all.

Chihiro herself was quick to grab onto one of those stone ledges and pull herself up on its stable, flat surface, thankfully… But just where was that holographic Eon? Chihiro knelt down and scanned the area, then turned her gaze to the left and winced. She had found it alright, and it wasn't pretty! Its grip was held tight onto the point of a slim stone ledge that looked like it would crumble anytime now, and it was trying miserably to pull itself up… But it was clear it wouldn't last for long!

Chihiro bit her lip as she watched it struggle, but then, a glimmer of red caught her eye and directed her to the ground underneath her ledge. There underneath her was the amulet, which rested peacefully on a part of the ledge large enough for her to jump down and take it! Chihiro winced as her gaze trailed down to the amulet, and then back to the holographic Master Eon as it held on for dear life. That amulet was the last treasure she needed to beat this game, but… The holographic Eon was in trouble! It couldn't possibly hold on for much longer, and even if it was a holograph a fall from that height would surely hurt!

But, with everything falling apart at the seams, there was no way she could get both! What was she supposed to do?

§

"Ugh…" Sonic Boom groaned as she got back to her paws and shook her head, which still throbbed from the aftermath of that battle.

Though the memories of it only came back to her in vague flashes, the way her body ached told her enough. She grunted as she lifted up her wing and gently nudged her eggs, then made a weak smile as they rattled in response. Good, at least her kids were safe... But, now that she got a look at herself, her amulet now glowed with a faint, milky white glow? Was it starting to run out of power?

Sonic Boom lifted her head to find Sunburn and Lightning Rod on the ground beside her, both fast asleep and near-unconscious like she herself was while their own amulets glowed with a similar faint light. Wait, just those two? But, that couldn't be right, she definitely knew that Dark Spyro was with them, so where'd he go? For that matter, those minions were gone as well...

"Alright, you creeps," Sunburn murmured as he twitched and lifted his head in sleep, "Where'd you go, you're not gonna get away from—"

"Er, Sunburn?" Sonic Boom flew over to Sunburn and gently nudged his shoulder, "I'm afraid they already did."

Sunburn popped his eyes open and frowned as he craned his head around. "Huh? What was I—"

Sunburn and Sonic Boom both winced as a monstrous snore rang around the islands, then sighed as they turned to a still-sleeping Lightning Rod. Sonic Boom flew over and tried to urge him awake as well… But he just twitched his nose and rolled over.

"Come on, Lightning Rod, wake up!" Sonic Boom whispered as he tossed and turned in his sleep yet again, "This isn't time for a nap!"

"Why, yes, I'll happily accept the golden cup, Your Majesty…" Lightning Rod mumbled with the most giddy grin on his sleeping face.

Sonic Boom just sighed and drooped her ears. "Seems as though we'll have to do things the hard way."

So, she breathed in, breathed out, then interrupted the relatively tranquil surroundings with the loudest screech she could muster!

"LIGHTNING ROD, WAKE UP!" Sonic Boom screamed as a flock of skeletal birds flew off in the distance.

Lightning Rod scrunched his face and frowned, then with a slow grumble his green eyes popped open and he jumped back to his cloudy feet!

"Say, when did I get here?" Lightning Rod remarked as he scratched his beard, "Last I recall, I was accepting the champion cup at the two hundredth Storm Olympics!"

"In your dreams, Lightning Rod." Sonic Boom frowned as she swooshed her tail, "But here in the real world, we've got a problem! Those undead minions escaped, and I'm pretty sure they took Dark with them!"

"They did?" Sunburn gasped as he jumped to all fours, "Where?"

"I don't know!" Sonic Boom spat as she looked around, "They must have taken him while we were knocked out… But where?"

All three of them twisted their heads around, then winced as they caught no sight of Dark's trademark onyx-black scales or purple fire, not even a more dragon-like shadow among the ones that stretched across the ground. With no sort of clues as to where he went, he could possibly be anywhere! And the suspicious way their amulets glowed told them that they didn't have all day to find him…

Wait, unless… Now that Sonic thought about it, those minions were working for Vathek, right? Maybe, just maybe, they had brought Dark to him?

"Hey, you're one short!" Announced a kind of goofy-sounding voice as the sight of crimson scales surrounded them.

"That voice…" Sunburn whispered as he looked down.

A mighty gust blustered towards Lightning Rod, Sunburn and Sonic Boom and forced them to practically dig into the ground just to keep from getting blown away! But, once the winds receded, they all lifted themselves up and beamed.

Flavius had landed right beside them, and aside from some noticeable bumps on his head, he was in perfect shape!

"Flavius!" Sunburn exclaimed as he looked up at Flavius, "What happened? Weren't you fighting those guards?"

"Well, I was," Flavius replied as he rubbed his aching head, "But then they all just got up and flew off for some reason! I tried to follow them…"—Flavius winced and held his head—"But I ended up hitting a few rocks on the way and lost their tail."

"You couldn't have come at a better time!" Sonic Boom exclaimed as she flew up to Vathek, "Dark Spyro's been kidnapped!"

"What?!" Flavius stumbled back as absolute horror flashed through his eyes, "That's awful!"—Flavius then blinked and shook his head—"Quick question, which one was Dark Spyro again?"

"Y'know, little black and silver dragon, one of our buddies?" Sunburn replied as he frowned and raised an eyebrow at Flavius.

Flavius just hummed and pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Oh, that one!"

"Exactly!" Sonic Boom replied as she looked aside, "We think Vathek's forces kidnapped him, but we don't know where he is or what to do next…"

Flavius paused and tapped his foot while his tail gently swept against the earth, then finally he made a firm snort.

"If he was taken by Vathek's goons, they probably put him in the dungeons!" Flavius's eyes lit up as he beamed, "Which, lucky for us, is right by the throne room!"—Flavius then turned around and sat down—"Hop on, I'll fly you there!"

Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all shot each other wary glances, but nonetheless hopped onto Flavius's back and held on tight as he took off… And surprisingly for it being Flavius, it was a pretty smooth ride! There were no bumps, no sudden dips or turns, just the sounds of flapping wings as a gentle harmony that complemented the, well, lack of a breeze.

"Isn't flying the only way to, er, fly?" Flavius asked as he turned around and grinned at Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod mid-flight… Then cried out in pain as he slammed face-first into a rock.

Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod screamed with him as they grabbed onto Flavius's back spines in some desperate attempt to not fall into the abyss, then quickly crawled back up Flavius's back.

"Ugh…" Flavius groaned as he shook his head and went back to flying, "I was sure this path didn't have this many rocks…"

Flavius then grimaced as he just narrowly avoided slamming into another gigantic rock! He winced and stopped mid-flight as he watched the rock pass them all by, then gulped as he looked towards the path ahead.

"Flavius, what's the holdup?" Sunburn asked as he crawled up Flavius's shoulder and pursed his beak, "Oh."

Well, Sunburn had found the holdup alright, as did Sonic Boom as she crawled up to see what the commotion was about.

Just ahead, the entire path was littered with tons of gigantic rocks, some of which were just as big or even bigger than Flavius himself! They all just peacefully drifted like stars in the night sky, and with so many clustered together it would be pretty hard to maneuver, especially for someone as big as Flavius…

"Welp, looks like we're in for a bumpy ride!" Flavius shouted as he leaned in, "You might wanna hold on, Skylanders!"

Flavius swooped down, then with a few flaps of his wings he dashed and swerved through the rocks, all while Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod screamed and clung on for dear life! But, even with all this flying Flavius's flight was going to be far from easy, for as he passed forward the rocks became more tightly-packed… Until he flew right towards a gigantic rock at such a fast speed that he couldn't brake at all!

Flavius grimaced, then spun around and barrel-rolled through the rocks as flames shot out from his mouth! These flames completely engulfed Flavius and transformed him from a dragon to a gigantic fireball that crashed straight through the rocks! With all these flames surrounding them and heating things up, it was like he was a comet that dashed through the rock fields and smashed them to bits!

But on the bright side, they had burst past the rock field and into clear skies once more! And better yet, there was another island close by, with an elaborate structure placed on the top that was just barely visible past Flavius's flames—this had to be the throne room they sought!

"Incoming island!" Flavius cried as he flared out his wings. In one last burst of fire, Flavius crashed onto the island grounds with such force that it dug a trench in the rotted earth!

As the flames petered out and Flavius returned back to normal with a groan, Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all jumped off Flavius's back.

"Thanks for the ride, Flavius!" Sonic Boom chirped with a grin.

Flavius looked back, then shook his head and grinned back at Sonic Boom.

"You're welcome, Skylander!" Flavius said, but his happy look turned much more solemn as he directed his gaze towards the building above them, with all its bright white pillars covered in dead vines, "That should be where the throne room is,"—Flavius turned to the Sunburn, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom and flared his wings—"You ready to kick Vathek's butt?"

"You bet!" They all shouted back!

So, they all took to the skies and flew up to the building. The cold, chilling undead wind brushed against Sonic Boom's feathers and chilled her down to the bone, even moreso than the usual cold winds, and on impulse Sonic Boom peer down at her amulet, which still glowed with a milky white, strong glow. Something about it egged at the back of her mind, as if it was an indicator of something bad to come... But, hopefully she could find Dark and get the Eternal Undead Source back before it gave out on her.

So, she steeled her gaze and nodded as they all swooped down towards the throne room!

"Alright, Vathek! The game's time is cooked and its goose is over!… Or however the saying goes," Flavius demanded as he crashed into the throne room and snorted bright orange flames out his nostrils, "Give the throne back to Ramses!"

"And give back the Eternal Undead Source, too!" Sunburn and Sonic Boom ordered as they flew in with Lightning Rod by their side.

The throne room was much unlike the dead, withered undead world around them, with its polished floors that depicted intricate murals of powerful dragons and the massive pillars that surrounded them, but that wasn't the most shocking thing! Rather, what sent chills through all their hearts was what rested on the massive, jewel-encrusted throne on a ledge above!

There, seated atop the throne, was a black wyvern whose body was so withered it was almost a corpse, with tattered wings and gigantic slashes through their chest that glowed with a bright cyan energy. Their eyes glowed the same cyan as their body, and a ghastly aura radiated around their body. They matched up perfectly with Flavius's description, so there was no mistaking it—this had to be Vathek!

"Don't you insolents know how to knock?" Vathek snarled, though his teeth had all rotted out and made his snarl less intimidating, "After all, you have no business crashing into my throne room when you're far too weak to defeat me!"

Vathek's snarl turned into a smirk as he gestured to the opening behind him. "In fact, your ally was wise enough to understand this!"

Ally? What in Skylands was Vathek talking about? All four of them fixed their eyes on the opening, then gasped as none other than Dark Spyro stepped out from the opening! Dark himself said no words, but merely sat at Vathek's side and stared down at them all with an uncharacteristically cold look... But, no, this couldn't be him, this couldn't possibly be his doing, right? Dark Spyro, for as impulsive and as much of a troublemaker as he was, he'd never turn to the side of evil so quickly, right?

What could have happened to him? Sonic Boom had a couple ideas, and none of them were entirely good. In fact, they were so bad that she could only stand there, eyes wide and beak dropped as Vathek's cackles resounded in her ears…

§

As the room behind her crashed and crumbled, Chihiro winced while her eyes drifted over the holographic Eon as it clung to the ledge it hung from for dear life, then her eyes drifted down to the amulet that rested below her. On one hand, she had a win right before her eyes, so easy she could just snatch it up. On the other hand, even if it was just a holograph, could she really live with herself if she let someone get seriously hurt or even worse right before her eyes?

Chihiro frowned as she clasped her hands, then her eyes fell on the holographic Eon, who paid no mind to her as it looked down at the massive fall below and winced. The ledge it hung from had started to crumble, and it let out a terrified cry as it tried to scramble higher... But it just ended up slipping further down and just barely gripping on! It would fall any second now!

And just the sight of it made Chihiro shake her head and stand tall.

"What am I thinking?" Chihiro asked herself as she walked down the ledge and whipped out her cards, "Protecting others always come first!"

Chihiro looked down the ledge and winced as a couple pebbles broke off from it and fell to the ground below, then shook her head and kept her grasp on her cards tight. Hopefully she could pull this off in time…

"Alright, Chihiro," Chihiro whispered as she stepped off the ledge and nodded, "Let's go!"

The entire ledge crumbled off and sent Chihiro free-falling with her last step, but despite the alarming velocity at which the ground drew her in, Chihiro just whipped out a card with a cloud on it. She rubbed the card a few times… Then grinned as a gigantic, puffy cloud formed right underneath her feet! Chihiro paused to sit down and rub her hands against the soft, comforting texture of the cloud's puffy surface, then a grin broke out on her face. Oh, it just felt so good!

"Help!" The holographic Eon cried as it tried to pull itself up from the crumbling ledge it hung from.

That's right, she had a mission at hand! Chihiro gently patted the side of her cloud, and with a car's beep it zoomed over to the holographic Eon and caught it right as the ledge fractured and collapsed behind them!

"You alright?" Chihiro asked, then clenched her teeth as the sound of splitting rocks sounded off dangerously close by, "Actually, save the questions for later! We need to get out of here!"

The holographic Eon said no words, it just looked at Chihiro with a slightly gaped jaw as she revved her cloud up like a car and zoomed out of the commencing rockslide! All around them, the castle's remains crumbled to bits and became dusty waterfalls that tossed huge chunks of stone and broken pieces of furniture at her… But compared to what she had faced before, this was nothing!

Chihiro swerved out the way of a large slab of rock, then soared straight through a hole within another particularly large slab of granite! But, that wouldn't be the biggest obstacle they faced! Just above them, the castle itself had started to crumble and topple in on itself! If they didn't get out of here soon, they were toast!

"HANG ON!" Chihiro shouted as she slapped the side of her cloud car!

The cloud car reeled back and whinnied like a horse, then it zoomed off at the speed of light and darted to safety under the shade of a tall willow tree right as the castle completely collapsed! The screams and crashing sounds of destruction sounded off behind Chihiro, but it was white noise at most. If anything, she was just glad that she managed to pull that off!

"Phew, that was close," Chihiro remarked as she wiped her forehead and helped the holographic Eon down from the cloud, "Now, are you alright?"

"I… I suppose I am," the holographic Eon replied as it let go of Chihiro's hand, then took a few shaky steps forward.

Right before them, the castle they had scrounged through was in an amorphous pile of dust with a few rocks poked through. Surely that amulet was gone now, but if it was, then why hadn't the simulation ended yet? Perhaps... The two of them rushed down the hill Chihiro had parked on, then skidded to a stop as they drew closer to the castle's ruins. The garbage left from the castle's remains was still nothing more than a ruined pile of dust and rocks, but Chihiro could've sworn she spied a shimmer of gold among the wreckage. So, she rushed over to the wreckage, then parted the dust and rocks around to find...

"The amulet!" Chihiro cried, "It's still here!"

Chihiro beamed as her reflection shone in the amulet's jewel—talk about lucky! The amulet had not only survived that intensive crash, but it seemed to be in one piece too, to boot! Chihiro grinned as she reached for the amulet once more... But right as she did, the whole area started shaking and rumbling with such intensity that it flung Chihiro on her back!

Chihiro grunted as she tried to pushed herself back to her feet, but everything around her quaked and shuddered so badly that just sitting up was enough of a struggle! So, she gritted her teeth and crawled away as the rumbling grew more intense, then screamed as a massive wind whipped up behind her and tossed her across the ground! Pain surged through Chihiro's body as she pushed herself up, then rolled on her back and gasped as another burst of powerful wind lashed back at her!

Chihiro flung her arms in front of her face as she tried to shield herself from the wind, but even that was fruitless, for the winds were so mighty that they stung her eyes and dragged her across the floor! Chihiro dug her hands and heels into the earth, but even that only caused her to dig a trail into the earth before she was swept up in the wind's grip!

Before she knew it, Chihiro's whole body went weightless as she was pulled closer and closer towards the castle's ruins, except it was a castle no longer! Rather, out of nowhere a massive tornado had manifested over the ruins' site and swept up everything, from dust and gravel and rock to stray wooden boards and treasures… And with how strong these winds were, Chihiro herself would be soon to follow at this rate!

Chihiro screamed as she flailed her arms and kicked her legs in some attempt to escape, but all that did was exhaust her further as the winds kept dragging her in, and for a moment her vision started to fade… But before Chihiro could fall unconscious, a large lasso shot out of nowhere and grabbed her by the hand, then yanked her out of the tornado's grip! Chihiro shook her head and blinked away her blurriness, then grinned as her eyes fell towards the earth!

There below her, the holographic Eon stood over a massive stone shield and held the rope tight as it pulled her back in! It had saved her, right when she least expected it!

Chihiro beamed and held out her arms as it pulled her behind the shield with one last yank, then fell right into its grip while it took cover behind the shield. For a holograph, its body was surprisingly solid, and it felt warm and fuzzy like she was hugging a ball of light… Just like when she was with Master Eon.

"Are you alright, child?" The holographic Eon asked as it looked down at Chihiro.

"Thanks to you," Chihiro replied as she nodded her head, then poked her head over the shield and frowned as the tornado raged on and expanded, "Just what is that thing?"

The holographic Eon frowned as it joined Chihiro in eyeing the storm, then winced and ducked back down as a large gust of wind burst forward and rattled the shield.

"I'm not sure!" The holographic Eon cried over the raging sounds of fierce, howling wind, "I had believed this was just an ordinary treasure hunt simulation!"

Chihiro winced, then clenched her teeth as her eyes fell back on the raging tornado, which only grew bigger by the second as it absorbed more and more of the castle's ruins… Wait a second. Chihiro narrowed her eyes as she glazed over the tornado, which, now that she got a closer look at it, almost appeared to take some kind of vague form?

Yes, it seemed almost like a bulky, humanoid form had been born from the tornado's raging winds and masses of junk and destruction! But, why? Why would it take a form like that? A monstrous cry rang through the area with such force that it made the tree leaves around shudder and quake, and with one last blast, the winds ceded and the tornado completely dispersed to reveal the answer! That tornado was no ordinary tornado, but rather the veil for some kind of transformation!

In the place where the castle's ruins once stood laid a massive monster the height of a skyscraper and the size of an island, with its head made of brick with a pointed roof for a hat and two windows for eyes. Its jaw was fanged and gaped out a tongue made of solid rock, and its whole body was bulky and made of solid brick and wood with all sorts of manor-like decor—strings of flags wrapped around its neck like a scarf, bright, shiny steel bands were clasped around its ankles and knees, and a massive drawbridge sat in its beefy chest!

Well, that solved that question, but it brought up a new one.

"What is that thing?!" The holographic Eon cried as its eyes went wide from the mere sight of the monster!

Chihiro, however, just kept quiet as she studied the monster, which just listlessly swung from side to side as its head careened around the forest, almost as if it was looking for something. Now that she thought about it, when she entered the castle, didn't she see a sign warning about a moving manor? Chihiro bit her lip as she racked her brain, then her eyes lit up as the memory struck her!

"'Beware the traveling castle,'" Chihiro whispered as she clenched her hands tight around the shield's rim, "Could that be what that sign was talking about?"

Whatever it was, that monster seemed a lot less slow and tired the moment it looked at its stone feet! The monster let out a couple booming, kind of boorish-sounded laughs as it knelt down and lifted something gold and shiny off the ground… Wait a second!

"That thing's taking the amulet!" Chihiro cried as she leaped on top of the shield and vaulted off, "Hold it right there!"

Chihiro grunted as she sprinted across the floor and kicked up dust everywhere, but despite her enthusiasm, the monster didn't even seem to notice her!

Rather, it just continued to laugh as it admired the way the amulet shone in the little sunlight the world around had to offer, then dropped the amulet on top of its rooftop hat and let out a mighty roar!

Chihiro dug her heels in and tried to stand her ground as the roars shook the world around, but once again she was blown backwards! As she went flying through the skies, she just barely caught sight of the monster storming towards an open forest path and grappled out for it, then grunted as she crashed onto the floor. Chihiro huffed as she sat up and dusted off her sleeves, then squeaked as a gust of wind blew right beside her!

"Hop on!" The holographic Eon cried as a holographic hand appeared beside Chihiro, "We can't let that monster escape!"

Chihiro perked up, then beamed as she caught sight of the holographic Eon! It gave her a firm look as it sat on top of a gold and violet flying carpet woven with an intricate and very squiggly design… And yet, a smile stretched across its face, one gentle and earnest and completely unlike the cold and snide ones it held before.

Chihiro nodded, then grabbed onto the holographic Eon's hand and leaped on the carpet without a second thought! As she sat on her knees and got settled, the carpet zoomed off with such speed that Chihiro had to clutched the carpet as tight as she could to avoid falling off!

"After that monster!" Chihiro and the holographic Eon cried in unison as they pointed towards the forest path!

The carpet bunched its back up and revved like a car for a few minutes, then a trail of magical exhaust streamed beside it as it zipped off even faster than before!

Chihiro winced and clutched on the carpet even tighter than before, then lifted her head and chuckled as the holographic Eon just raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're not going to fall off, you know," the holographic Eon said as it gently pulled Chihiro's hands from clutching the carpet, "This carpet won't drop you off until you're ready to leave."

"Oh…" Chihiro replied. She giggled and ruffled her hair for a few moments, then shook the embarrassment off as her eyes fixed on the castle monster.

For as big and heavy as it looked, that monster was ridiculously fast! With every leap and bound it took, it disappeared further and further from view until it was little more than a blob in distance… At this rate, they'd be left in the dust!

"Can't this thing go any faster?" The holographic Eon mumbled as he tugged on the carpet's corner.

The carpet bunched up again and zoomed off a little faster than before, but even with the added speed it still wasn't enough to catch up with that monster's trail!… But it was, however, fast enough to hurtle them towards a thick and very inconveniently placed tree branch!

"Duck!" Chihiro cried as she hit the carpet!

The holographic Eon immediately ducked underneath the branch just moments before it could get slapped in its holographic face, then it lifted its head and snarled back at the branch. It grimaced as it turned its head back to the path, then narrowed its eyes and winced.

"That thing's too fast for its own good!" The holographic Eon cried as it pointed towards the monster, which by now was nearly out of their sights, "There's no way we'll be able to catch up at this rate! If only I had something that could make this carpet go faster…"

Go faster? Chihiro frowned as she dove into her pocket and pulled out her card deck. That reminded her, didn't she have something like that in her deck? Chihiro hummed and casually swung her head out the way of another tree branch as she shuffled through the cards in her hand…

"A-ha!" Chihiro cried as she pulled out a card that depicted a pair of thrusters, "You might not have anything…"—Chihiro rubbed the card with her thumb, then slapped it against the carpet's fabric and beamed as the card started to beam with light—"But I do!"

Right as Chihiro said this, the card's magic seeped into the carpet's threads and caused it to glow with pastel rainbow light for moments, then a pair of thrusters manifested at the very back of the carpet and clamped onto its tail! Though they looked ridiculously out of place with their shiny metal coat and spherical bodies, that was hardly a concern of Chihiro's! After all, the moment they flared up, the carpet's speed doubled!

Chihiro blinked, and next thing she knew she had zoomed halfway across the forest floor… But more importantly, they had caught up with the castle monster! The monster grunted as it sprinted ahead with such force that it shook the entire world with each step, but it didn't seem like it was going particularly faster than before. It must not have noticed them yet, which meant they had the perfect chance to snatch the amulet back!

The holographic Eon slammed his hands on the carpet's surface, and with that simple slap the carpet immediately zoomed up to the castle monster's head and rushed in for the kill!

As the carpet drew closer and closer towards the monster, Chihiro grinned. Just across from her, she could spy that faint shimmer of gold that indicated the amulet and reached out to grab it… Then fell face-first into the carpet as the monster ran faster and with such strength that it shook the world around!

Chihiro grunted and rubbed her eyes as she sat back up, then frowned as she looked back up at the holographic Eon.

"That stupid thing!" Chihiro exclaimed as she gestured back at the castle monster, "We almost had it!"

"Forget about the amulet, look!" The holographic Eon cried as it pointed a finger ahead, "Over there!"

Chihiro hummed as she leaned forward, just enough to peer over the castle monster's shoulder while it happily stomped along… Then she let out a sharp gasp!

There, over the hill they flew over now and right on the castle monster's path was a village, a small and quaint one that could be seen perfectly from their position! It looked so small and quaint, in fact, that Chihiro highly doubted it could survive a giant monster attack…

"If that monster arrives at the village, it'll be finished!" The holographic Eon exclaimed as it gritted its teeth and clenched the fabric of its carpet, "We have to think of something!"

Chihiro frowned as the holographic Eon muttered to itself, then dug through her pocket and pulled out her collection of cards. A soft hum escaped her lips as she glazed back and forth over her card collection… Then she lifted her head and grinned as her eyes fell on two identical pine tries that flanked both sides of the path ahead!

"I've got an idea, but I'm gonna need your help!" Chihiro exclaimed as she showed the cards to the holographic Eon. Chihiro leaned closer and whispered in its ear, then drew back and clenched her brows. "Think you can keep it occupied?"

The holographic Eon stayed quiet as it glanced down at Chihiro, but finally it withdrew a card with a plus sign and a two on it and nodded.

"I can try."

The holographic Eon rubbed its fingers against the card and dropped it against the carpet right as the card exploded into light, then that light seeped into the carpet and split it into two identical copies—one ridden by Chihiro, and one ridden by the holographic Eon!

The holographic Eon immediately flew off towards the castle monster, then a burst of light flared from its carpet as it summoned a brightly-lit orb and shot it right at the castle monster's roof hat!

"Halt, foul beast!" The holographic Eon cried as the sphere of light returned back to its hands, "Don't take a step further!"

With another flare of light, the holographic Eon summoned a sword and placed the light orb to his side, then charged at the castle monster with a mighty cry of battle! The castle monster, in response, turned around and screeched as it went to attack the holographic Eon. Yep, looks like they'd be busy for a while!

So, Chihiro zipped back over to those two pine trees, then withdrew her aces from up her sleeve—a rubber band card, a card with multiple plus signs printed onto its surface, and one of those wand cards. She rubbed her thumb across the cards' surface, then they all exploded into bursts of light… And manifested back in her hands as four rubber bands long enough to stretch across an entire yard and back!

Chihiro kept one in her hands, then dropped the other three on her carpet. The sound of screams and roars and wails flooded into her ears, but she just shook it off and dashed over to the first tree—time was of the essence here, and if she lingered too long it could cost them everything! With a hup, Chihiro tossed the first rubber band around the top of the first tree, then rushed forward and grabbed its other side as it slunk down across the tree trunk. The second side held tight in her her grip, Chihiro dashed over to the second tree and lifted the rubber band onto its trunk, then flew back and examined her work.

The rubber band had turned to a functional tripwire, one that stretched well across the entrance… But at the same time, only one wouldn't be enough.

Chihiro cringed as another loud crash sounded from behind, then she grabbed the second rubber band and fixed it to the trunks at just a few feet lower than the first. After she flicked both rubber bands to make sure they were on tight, Chihiro repeated the process with the third rubber band and fixed it another few feet down… But as she reached for the final rubber band, the sound of splintering trees and crashing ripped through the area and sent chills down Chihiro's spine!

She turned back around, then winced as the castle monster pushed itself up from a pile of crushed trees and roared with such force it nearly blew the holographic Eon off its carpet!

"I hate to interrupt your work," the holographic Eon cried as it flew above the castle monster just before the castle monster could crash into it, "But, have you finished yet? I don't believe I can hold this beast off for much longer!"

"Almost done!" Chihiro cried as she peered down at the last massive rubber band in her hands, "Just hang in there!"

The castle monster froze as Chihiro's voice hit the air, then it turned around, locked eyes with the village below… And it let out a mighty roar as it slapped the holographic Eon aside and bolted forward!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as her hands started to shudder, "I've gotta make this quick!"

Chihiro zipped over to the first tree and hastily tossed the rubber band around its trunk, then grabbed it as tight as she could before she rushed towards the other tree's trunk! The screams and thundering noises beside her shook her to her core, and for a moment her hands started to fumble and let the rubber band slip… But then, Chihiro shook her head and clasped its end tight! She couldn't get distracted now, she had to hurry!

So, Chihiro zipped over to the other tree's trunk and dropped the rubber band around it, then zipped back down the path right as the monster bolted towards the rubber band-laden entrance!

Chihiro's eyes narrowed as the holographic Eon crashed down from the skies above with its flying carpet quick to follow! Right before the holographic Eon could hit the ground, though, Chihiro zipped underneath it and caught it right on her own carpet!

The holographic Eon's eyes fluttered open and shut for a moment, then finally it breathed a sigh of relief as it sat up… And now that Chihiro looked at it, it clutched something round and shiny in its arms, too? Whatever it was, Chihiro didn't exactly get a good look at it before the holographic Eon's carpet stopped right by her own carpet! Chihiro could only tilt her head and frowned as the holographic Eon hopped back onto its carpet and zoomed off.

"Just what was that?" Chihiro asked.

She frowned and scratched her chin as she tried to figure out what it could be—an unused attack or something? A card that was accidentally activated? Chihiro wasn't sure, but she didn't exactly get much time to think about it, because a massive crash and the mighty gust that followed nearly blew her out of the skies! Chihiro screamed as she grabbed on tight to her carpet, but thankfully the gust receded quickly enough for her to regain her footing. Chihiro settled her carpet and sat back down as the mighty winds turned to gentle breezes, then blinked and flew back ahead.

What was that crashing noise just then? Could it be? Chihiro zoomed back over to where she had set up her rubber band trap… Except it was no longer visible, for it had been blocked off by a massive pile of soot, gravel and broken furniture and bricks! Yes, it had worked—that castle monster was good as gone now! At least, she thought so. Chihiro swept down towards the ruins of the castle and paused for a moment as she glared them down, just to make sure they wouldn't sweep themselves off the ground and turn into a gigantic monster again… Then sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow as it stayed perfectly still and stagnant. Phew, no more monsters here!

Now, all she had to worry about was getting that amulet! So, Chihiro hopped off of the carpet and dug her hands into the masses of gravel and dust, then pushed through it and grunted. There was no sight of the amulet there, but hey, this wreckage was pretty massive… Maybe it was further in? Chihiro sighed as she shook off her hands, then dug her hands in and pushed more and more gravel and soot and all other sorts of grime aside until a small patch of green grass had cleared, but even that carried nothing!

"Where's that amulet, anyways?" Chihiro remarked as she stood up and shook off her hands. She winced as she looked over her hands, which were still covered in streaks of soot, then her eyes went wide. "Wait, don't tell me…"

"You're looking for the amulet, I presume?"

Chihiro whipped around right as the holographic Eon floated down on its carpet, with that same sparkly round shiny thing still held tight in its grip. Chihiro tilted her head as she crept forward, and a twinkle shone in the holographic Eon's eye as it chuckled at her curiosity.

"Fret not, it is right here," the holographic Eon said as it pushed the balloon towards Chihiro.

Chihiro picked the object up and looked it over, then gasped as she peered into its center. It was actually a sparkly white balloon coated in a thin layer of glitter, and right within the balloon's sparkly rubber body was none other than the amulet! Better yet, it was still shiny and pristine!

"While I was in battle with that monster, I made sure to get the amulet and keep it safe for you." The holographic Eon hopped off the carpet and grinned back at Chihiro, "Go on, take it. It's all yours."

Chihiro gasped, then gently ran her fingers against the balloon. "Is this really okay?"

"I wouldn't give it to you if it wasn't."

Chihiro gasped, then popped the balloon and grinned as the amulet's cool metal landed in her palms. Then, out of nowhere, confetti dropped on Chihiro while a bright spotlight shone down from the heavens and right on her! She was the winner and the game was certain it would make that known.

"Congratulations, Chihiro Hatsuki!" The mechanical announcer exclaimed yet again, "You have collected all three treasures! You truly are Skylands' greatest hero!"

"Congratulations, you've won," the holographic Eon chuckled as it held out its hand, "Now, let's shake on it."

Chihiro turned to the holographic Eon and gave it her best smile, then gripped the holographic Eon's hand tight. The two of them smiled and let out a few chuckles as they shook on their victory, but as the laughter died, the holographic Eon's smile turned to more of an inquisitive look.

"Tell me, child," the holographic Eon asked as it looked down at Chihiro and raised an eyebrow, "Why did you save me and not secure the treasure, back when that castle started to collapse? You had the perfect opportunity to win!"

"Well…" Chihiro bit her lip, then looked up at the holographic Eon with fire in her eyes, "It was only natural! You can get a new treasure or win a new game anytime, but if someone died, well…"—Chihiro shook her head—"You can't just replace them, you know?"

Chihiro paused as the holographic Eon turned away from the amulet and looked back down at her, but not with the scornful or careful, calculating eyes it usually looked at her with. No, this time it gave her a warm, kind glance, like the ones the mentor she knew gave her.

"I wasn't sure about you at first, child. I thought you were loudmouthed, uncouth, reckless and completely unfitting of the gifts the universe gave you, of the very title of portal master… But, it seems as though I was wrong to doubt you."

The holographic Eon let go of Chihiro's hand and nodded.

"Time and again, you prioritized the lives of others over a simple treasure or a passing victory, while I got so caught up in winning that I overlooked everything else. You even saved me in spite of how harsh I had been to you!"

The holographic Eon then took the amulet from Chihiro's still-outstretched hand and gently laid it around her neck. "You've proven that you really do have the heart a portal master should. Therefore, this victory belongs to you."

Chihiro's eyes fluttered with a bit of surprise, but a quick look at the holographic Eon's face showed that it meant every word it said—that warm smile and the gentle look in its eyes couldn't have been anything but genuine.

"Now, go back home and prove me right…" The holographic Eon said as it made a curt nod, "Young Chihiro."

Chihiro gasped, then smiled and nodded as the entire board game world around them exploded into a flurry of candy-colored lights! All that remained was Chihiro herself, the holographic Eon and the white void that was once their battlefield... And now, the place where they reconciled.

"You bet I will!" Chihiro exclaimed as she gave the holographic Eon a smile!

The holographic Eon nodded, then smiled in return as it faded away in a gentle stream of blue light. All was peaceful for a few moments… Then a vortex formed right where the holographic Eon once stood! Surely, this would be the thing that would take them all back home! Well, guess there was no hesitating now.

So, Chihiro gulped and dived right in, but instead, she got swept away and swirled up in its waters! Chihiro screamed as she flailed around in the vortex's grasp, then peered right as an entire brightly-colored amalgamate of board game accessories flew in with her, just before everything went black…

§

Everyone gasped and stepped back as all eyes fell on Dark Spyro, who only winced as he turned away from their shocked, scared gazes.

"You're lying! Dark would never betray us like this!" Sunburn insisted as he stepped forward while his feathers heated up with rage, "You did something to him, didn't you? Let him go!"

"I don't know if you brainwashed him or if you're pulling him along," Sonic Boom joined in as she narrowed her eyes and snarled, her voice filled with the rage of a mother whose child had been taken away from her, "But you'll bring him back to us this instant!"

"Or else, well," Lightning Rod warned as he slammed his fists together, his trademark smile replaced with furious scorn, "We'll be forced to take him back!"

"I assure you, this is none of my work!" Vathek's smirk grew wider and more sinister, as if he fed off the others' confusion and rage, "He joined me entirely of his free will! In fact, I'll prove it to you!"

Vathek let out a chuckle, then his smile turned a bit more gentle as he glazed down at Dark Spyro.

"Now," Vathek hissed as he gently nudged Dark with his wing, "Prove your loyalty to me and show those Skylanders what we do to those who challenge us!"

Dark Spyro winced, then as Vathek gave him an odd, almost demanding stare, he clenched his teeth and flew down to the battle, much to the shock of Lightning Rod, Sunburn and Sonic Boom! Their jaws dropped wide open as he spread his wings, then clenched his jaw and looked away from their wide-eyed glances.

"Minions!" Dark and Vathek cried out at once, though Dark's voice sounded more strained and forced, "Attack!"

As they cried out in unison, Vathek's whole body glowed with a ghostly cyan aura, and in response puffs of light cyan smoke erupted across the floors and dissolved into minions! From skeletal knights to zombie dragonets to even a few angry-looking ghost gremlins, all swarmed the area around and fixed their eyes on Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod with the intention to kill.

"Dark…" Sunburn whispered with a hint of pain in his hoarse voice, "Don't tell me he's right!"

But, Dark Spyro didn't say a thing in response! He couldn't even look Sunburn in the eye, he just dashed away and left a few of the skeletal knights to fight Sunburn in his place.

"Dark, get back—" Sunburn lunged forward, then reeled back and spat out burning hot flames as the knights surrounded him.

"Dark, please!" Sonic Boom begged as she blew away the dragonets in front of her and made chase after Dark Spyro, "Just tell us what's going on! We don't want to hurt you!"

Dark Spyro gave Sonic Boom a pained look for a moment, then dove into the shadows of the nearby knights and popped out from Lightning Rod's! Dark paused for a moment and shook his head, then yelped as Lightning Rod grabbed him and pinned him against one of the pillars!

"Dark Spyro, I do not wish to hurt you," Lightning Rod snarled as his eyes narrowed, "But, if you keep up this act, you'll leave me no choice!"

"Lightning Rod, stop!" Sonic Boom exclaimed, then jumped back as a gremlin shot a trio of bombs her way that exploded soon afterwards and wiped out most of the foes surrounding.

"Don't distract me, Sonic Boom! He won't listen any other way!"

Lightning Rod looked away in just that moment, and with him distracted Dark Spyro took the opportunity to escape! Dark wiggled out of Lightning Rod's grip, then leaped into another shadow and slunk out of the fields.

"Quit running away, Dark!" Sunburn spat as he burned away the last of the knights and shot Dark a glare, "Come back here and tell us what's going on! You're one of us, right? So what are you doing working with him?!"

However, Dark Spyro still said no words. He just flew back to Vathek's side and sat down, while Vathek just frowned.

"Oh, hush, you were never allies of his to begin with!" Vathek shouted as he cast an ice-blue glare down at Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod, "And besides, you, don't need allies to crush all those in your way and rule..."—Vathek stomped his foot—"That's what the minions are for!"

And just like that, another series of smoke blasts brought a second wave of minions down for Sunburn, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom to fight!

But while they warred away, Dark Spyro just sat at Vathek's side with a slightly pained face as the dirty looks Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod shot him bored into his heart.

"Dark, I thought you were better than this!"

"Was all this time spent with us a lie? Were you never truly our comrade to begin with?"

"I can't believe I ever considered you a friend!"

Dark made one last grimace as he looked back at them, but then a momentary glance from Vathek forced him to sit firm and upright.

"They're insulting you," Vathek remarked, "Why haven't you gone to stop them?"

"I…" Dark Spyro winced as he clenched his teeth, "I have a plan for them, you'll see soon enough."

Vathek hummed, then looked down to see his wiped-out forces scattered across the floors and snarled.

"And I do as well! It's about time we confronted these Skylanders ourselves!"

Vathek swept down from his throne and slammed down on the ground, while Dark hastily followed after and took a seat next to Vathek.

"You stupid Skylanders may have finished off those useless minions, but you stand no chance against me!" Vathek hissed as he grinned and splayed his wings wide while his chest glowed with a bright silver aura.

"NOW, BASK IN THE RAW POWER OF THE ETERNAL UNDEAD SOURCE AND PERISH!"

Sunburn, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom all leaned back and got ready to fight as beads of sweat dripped down their faces… But before they could, Dark Spyro flew between them and Vathek!

"Actually, I have a better idea!" Dark Spyro announced as he flew in front of Vathek.

Vathek just paused and clasped his jaws. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"This!"

In the blink of an eye, Dark Spyro shot a bright purple fireball straight into Vathek's chest! Vathek screeched like a vulture and stumbled back as the flames ate away at his body, then as the fire faded, his chest completely withered away to reveal… The Eternal Undead Source! Its silver glow shone bright like a star, but even among the light and the faint fog it cast on the battleground, one could still make out the skull that floated in its center. And of course, it radiated with pure, undead energy that made the whole area feel cold and deathly.

"What? What did you do to me?!" Vathek exclaimed as he looked down at his chest then back at Dark Spyro, "I thought we were allies!"

"Hate to break it to you, buddy," Dark Spyro exclaimed as he shrugged with a cool, confident smile on his face and a burning, determined look in his crimson eyes, "But I was never on your side to begin with! I was only playing along to figure out where you had the Eternal Undead Source!"—Dark Spyro narrowed his eyes and dashed forward—"And now that I know where it is, I'm not gonna stop until I get it!"

As Dark Spyro drew just inches away from Vathek, Vathek immediately hissed and slashed away at him, but Dark simply dodged each blow!

"What, what are you talking about? We were comrades, remember?" Vathek spat between slashes and scratches, "Did you forget out little conversation? We were cut from the same cloth, you and I!"

"You can say that all you like," Dark Spyro shot back as he spat another, smaller fireball at Vathek after a quick dodge, "But we're not alike at all!"

Vathek screeched and fell to his knees as the flames hit him and withered his body further, but Dark Spyro just sat down and snarled.

"I may have been created for evil, but I'm not going to let that define who I am!" Dark Spyro proclaimed, then his gaze turned a bit softer as he looked away, "A good friend told me that coming from a bad place or being made for a bad purpose doesn't mean I have to be a bad person!"

Dark's tender gaze narrowed into something harsher and more scorning as he glared down Vathek. "I couldn't possibly be anything like you, when all you do is hurt others for your own gain! All you are is a big jerk!"

But, Vathek didn't retort Dark Spyro's insults and speeches. Instead, he just screeched as his chest near completely crumbled away from the now-extinguished flames and exposed the Eternal Undead Source in full force!

Dark grinned, then shot his head up as the sound of cracking glass resounded behind him! Oh no, that couldn't be! He lowered his head down and gasped as his shattered amulet crumbled to the floor, then whipped his head around, gasped and stumbled back!

Sunburn and Lightning Rod's amulets had completely shattered, and both of them collapsed to the floor with pale faces and stunted breath. Sonic Boom, meanwhile, immediately yanked off her own amulet and stuck it to her eggs before she laid them aside, then collapsed and screeched in agony!

"Sun, Rod, Sonic!" Dark cried as he took a step forward, then grimaced and looked down at himself as a shudder ripped through his body.

Wait a second, his amulet was gone… But he was perfectly fine, give or take a few aches! Why was that? Dark bit his lip in contemplation, then his eyes widened with glee. That's right! He was cloned from a purple dragon, so he was technically multi-elemental… So he could take the brunt a little longer! Dark Spyro grinned, then whipped around and launched himself straight at Vathek!

"Get off of me, you spineless traitor!" Vathek hissed as he clawed and nipped at Dark Spyro, "I'll never let the likes of you have the Eternal Undead Source!"

Dark grunted as Vathek bit onto one of his horns, then snarled and shocked Vathek off with a blast of dark energy! While Vathek reeled back, Dark lunged forward and wrapped his hind legs around what little remained of Vathek's chest, then plunged his front legs right into the depths of Vathek's open chest cavity. It stung really badly, like a really nasty injury, and just the feeling made Dark's eyes water… But as he grappled around something vaguely solid, he grinned and held it tight.

"Hate to say it, Vathek," Dark Spyro exclaimed as he yanked his front paws out, "But you already have!"

Dark Spyro released his hind legs and rolled back, then shook his head and sat up with a grin. The Eternal Undead Source was right in his grasp and ready to be contained! It had worked! So, Dark clasped his paws around it and sealed it within a silver bubble, then dashed up to Flavius.

"Hey, Flavius!" Dark shouted as he pushed the bubble in Flavius's paws, "Take care of this for us, alright?"

"Right!" Flavius replied as he snatched up the Eternal Undead Source and shot a glare at Vathek.

Dark nodded as Flavius clutched the Eternal Undead Source tight in his paws, then smiled as he caught sight of Sonic Boom, Lightning Rod and Sunburn pulling themselves back to full height! Though they still looked kind of bad, they at least had enough fight in them to trudge back up to Dark Spyro and give him weak, but kind smiles.

"Hey, Dark..." Sunburn croaked as he staggered up to Dark Spyro and frowned, "Sorry for doubting you back there."

"Don't worry about it! I think I put on a pretty convincing act!" Dark chirped back as he winked and stuck his tongue out at Sunburn, then his gaze turned more serious as he glared back at Vathek, "Let's just worry about dealing with this creep!"

Vathek snarled as everyone else crowded around the throne room's entrance and stared him down, but despite the major loss of nearly his entire chest, he was still strong enough to fly back up to the throne and sit.

"I may have lost the Eternal Undead Source," Vathek snarled as he was enveloped in a cyan glow, "But I still have the throne, and I won't let you take it away from me!"

Vathek screeched as the cyan glow devoured him whole, then when the light faded, he took a step forward and unveiled that he was now clad from head to toe in shiny, strong-looking silver and cyan armor! His whole body radiated with a new ring of power as he swept back down and glared at Sunburn, Dark Spyro, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom… But they weren't intimidated in the slightest!

"Bring it on, Vathek!" Dark Spyro shouted as he glared down Vathek.

Dark Spyro rushed forward, but the moment his eyes locked on Vathek's, they started to drift open and shut while his legs trembled underneath him, as if they'd give out at any moment! Dark grimaced and clenched his teeth as he tried to force himself to stand strong, but even just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach! Seems as though all that Undead energy was finally starting to wear him down.

Behind Dark Spyro, Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all trudged forward, but despite the fires that burned in their eyes, they winced and shuddered all over. That burst of undead energy must have seriously taken it out of them, and without their amulets they were even more vulnerable...

Vathek snarled as he got ready to blast them, but then his snarl faded into a smile as Dark Spyro, Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod all collapsed to the floor!

"Bold words for those so heavily inflicted by Undead energy!" Vathek crooned. Though he tried his best to suppress his laughter, a chuckle escaped from his mouth nonetheless as he pointed towards them. "You can barely even stand on your own feet! How do you expect to defeat me?!"

Flavius grimaced and pursed his lips as he looked down at the four of them, then yanked his own amulet off his neck and tossed it towards Dark Spyro.

"Catch!" Flavius cried!

Dark grimaced and nodded, then flung out a paw and shot a burst of purple magic right towards the amulet with all the power he could muster! As the purple light wrapped around the amulet and engulfed it until it could be seen no longer, the amulet shrank and split into four copies that landed around Dark Spyro, Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod's necks! And as the amulets landed on their necks, the amulet's power flowed into the four of them and gave them a new burst of life as they all jumped to their feet!

Vathek gasped as his eyes went wide, then he snarled and stretched his neck out as he shot a round of ghastly green fireballs right at Sunburn, Sonic Boom, Dark Spyro and Lightning Rod!

They all stood stagnant as the fireballs screeched towards them, but right before those fireballs could land, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod diverted away to the sides! As they ran, Sunburn and Dark Spyro flew over the fireballs and charged straight towards Vathek!

"Let's say we burn this creep to a crisp, Sun!" Dark shouted as he looked towards Sunburn.

"Right on it, Dark!" Sunburn shouted back as he glanced at Dark Spyro, then glared back up at Vathek, "I can roast n' toast with the best of them!"

The two of them shot out pillars of red and purple flames that soon merged into one flaming spiral that engulfed Vathek in a bonfire so massive his silhouette could only be barely made out… And yet, despite the intensity Vathek made no cries of pain! As the flames vanished, Vathek shook off their embers and glared down at the puddle of molten metal that was once his armor.

"Did you really think a little fire would stop me? Hah!" Vathek shouted as green flames crackled at his lips, "Let's see how you like getting a taste of your own medicine!"

Dark Spyro and Sunburn gasped and jumped away as Vathek shot another green fireball right at them, but that wasn't the end of it! While they ran, Vathek shot fireballs all the way behind them, and these fireballs didn't just vanish when they hit the ground. No, they exploded into gigantic bonfires!

Dark Spyro gasped and jumped away as one fireball set off by his feet, while Sunburn had his claws full as he teleported this way and that in some attempt to escape the unrelenting fire!

Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod both jumped away as another fireball exploded, then finally Lightning Rod twitched his eyebrow and snarled.

"That is it!" Lightning Rod boomed as he clapped his hands, "I've had enough of running!"

Vathek paused for a moment and coughed, then frowned and looked up as thunder roared above him… Right as a giant thunderbolt crashed down on Vathek and shocked him in place! It was so intense, Vathek could only stand there and screeched in agony while the thunder coursed through his body!

"One strike, and you're out!" Lightning Rod grinned as he looked aside and winked.

While Vathek stood and screeched in agony, Sonic Boom stepped forward, breathed in, then blew Vathek into the walls of the throne's pedestal with a mighty sonic screech!

"Ugh…" Vathek groaned as he sat up and shook his dizzy head, then snarled as Sonic Boom's chicks flew over started nipping and pecking at him, "Hey, get off of me, you little brats!"

"I wouldn't be worried about a few birds if I was you, Vathek!" Flavius called from above.

Vathek ceased flailing his wings and looked up, then gasped as he watched Flavius fly down from above and seat himself on the throne.

"No, my throne!" Vathek cried as he leaped to his feet and got ready to take off, "Give it back, it doesn't belong to you! It belongs to me, only me! I'm the only one who deserves—"

Before Vathek could even get his paws off the ground, a gigantic burst of fire, lightning and sonic waves slammed him right in his side! Vathek screeched as he slid back from the blast, but not for long… For as he slid, he was engulfed in a flash of cyan light and emerged from the light a silent, stone statue!

"Serves him right after what he did to Ramses," Flavius scoffed, then lightened up as he looked over Vathek's still state, "Hey, he could make a pretty good garden decoration!"

"Not that there's much of a garden around here…" Sonic Boom remarked as she looked around and frowned.

Sonic Boom was right. Even though Vathek was now still as stone (literally), the entire area around had yet to heal from his influence. The ground was still cold and hard, the plants were still dead, the skies were still murky…

"Oh, right!" Flavius chirped, "I'd better fix that!"

So, Flavius closed his eyes, then breathed in and flared his wings while his whole body glowed with a colorful radiance that soon spread to the world around!

This glow lasted for a few moments, then slowly, but surely, the entire area around them perked up and healed itself with the power Flavius lent it!

Everybody sat speechless and open-jawed as the island returned to its former beauty, and honestly who would blame them? The vines above them sprung back to life and bloomed in all sorts of colorful flowers and ripe fruits, the grass below was lively and green, clear blue waterfalls poured down from the throne room… Even the silver mist that had surrounded the island had parted to reveal clear blue skies! It was so, so beautiful…

But ultimately, they were quickly broken out of its trance by the sound of flapping wings.

"You've done well, Sir Flavius," croaked an elderly voice from up above as Ramses floated down and sat next to the throne!

"King Ramses! You're alright!" Flavius exclaimed, then shook his head as he jumped off the throne and bowed, "Your throne awaits you, Your Majesty. And I made sure to keep it nice and warm like you enjoy!"

Ramses, however, just sat there in shock as he examined the empty throne. "You're giving it back?"

"Of course!" Flavius furiously nodded his head, then made a soft, gentle grin, "I can't think of any better king than you, Ramses."

Ramses just chuckled, then hobbled onto the throne and curled up with a smile.

"And I can think of no better dragon to succeed me on this throne."

Flavius gaped his jaw and stared into space for a few moments, then presumably the realization finally hit him as he humbly nodded and turned back to Sunburn, Dark Spyro, Lightning Rod and Sonic Boom.

"Oh, and I'd better give this back to you!" Flavius chirped as he lifted his wings and let the bubbled Eternal Undead Source float back down to Dark Spyro.

Dark grinned as he accepted the Eternal Undead Source, then frowned and gently poked its bubble.

"We should probably find a more stable container for this…" Dark remarked.

"Just leave that to me," Ramses said as he closed his eyes, so content and completely oblivious to the throne's soft glow.

The bubbled Eternal Undead Source glowed as it floated out of Dark Spyro's paws, then in a flash of light it dropped back down not as a bubble, but as an intricate container carved to resembled a fierce dragon!

"Nice!" Dark exclaimed as the container dropped back into his front paws.

Ramses them looked over to Flavius and nodded. "Now, Sir Flavius, please escort our heroes back to their home island, if you will?"

"I will, King Ramses!" Flavius beamed as he sat down, "Hop on, Skylanders!"

And Lightning Rod, Sonic Boom, Sunburn and Dark Spyro did just that as they flew onto Flavius's back and soared their way back home…

§

"Ah-CHOO!" Chihiro sneezed as she opened her eyes… To find that she wasn't in that weird game realm anymore! She was back on Ancient's Peak, in the heart of the island! And more importantly, so was everybody else who got sucked into that weird holographic board game thingie!

"What was that?" Spyro asked as he got up and rubbed his eyes.

"What was what, Spy?" Trigger Happy asked as he jumped up and down, "What? What?"

"I had this really weird dream…" Spyro stretched his front legs and yawned, "We were trapped in this life-sized board game by some guy who looked like Master Eon, and I think I was guarding a treasure pile or something?"

"Huh! I think I had the same dream!" Trigger Happy rubbed his chin and frowned, "'Cept I was this really cool bandit dude who was a mighty terror of the wild west! I had a horse and a cool hat and everything!"

"Yeah, so did I!"

"That was some dream, alright…"

"Talk about weird, who would've guessed that we all had the same dream?"

While everybody dispersed to their remaining chores and activities, Chihiro couldn't help but chuckle. Guess nobody else really remembered what happened except her… Well, that would save them the trouble of explaining things at least!

"Urgh, what happened?…" Hugo groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, his eyes still closed and tired, "I had this strange dream where I was trapped in a board game and got rescued by Chihiro…"—Hugo opened his eyes and blinked as he looked up at Master Eon—"I think I might need to cut down on the candy bars before my afternoon nap."

Master Eon hummed, his light stark and white as he hovered in silent contemplation.

"I believe I had the same dream, Hugo, except I was handing out strange cards to young Chihiro and…" Master Eon said before he stopped short, "Wait, that hologram clone! The last thing I remember before that was it sucking us into some strange vortex…"

Hugo and Master Eon looked towards each other and winced.

"Something tells me that was no dream, Hugo."

"In that case," Hugo replied as he scanned over the crowds, "Where's Chihiro?"

"Right here!" Chihiro shouted as she waved them over.

The two of them blinked for a moment as they turned over to Chihiro, then their eyes glazed over the rest of the confused crowds for a second more before they shrugged.

"Well, it seems as if nobody else know what happened, Hugo," Master Eon remarked as he and Hugo joined Chihiro at her side, "I suppose you wouldn't happen to remember anything, young Chihiro?"

"You bet I do!" Chihiro exclaimed as she scratched the back of her head, "See, that hologram, it sucked us all into this weird living board game and turned you guys into characters for the game! I had to go through the whole game and collect all these treasures to get you all out, but man, it sure was tough! There was this one were Trigger Happy and Zap and Wrecking Ball were bandits, and Spyro was a giant treasure-hoarding dragon..."

Master Eon and Hugo just stood stagnant and wide-eyed as Chihiro recounted the events of her board game adventure, but oddly enough they seemed more shocked than anything as Hugo's eyes went wide and Master Eon's glow turned so pale he was practically see-through.

"You know, I have to admit! That was the most fun I've had on a portal master exam in forever!"

However, Master Eon and Hugo didn't exactly seem reassured by Chihiro's words. Instead, they just made wide, strained grins and equally awkward chuckles, then leaned in closer to whisper… Something about extra maintenance? Chihiro couldn't quite glean what it was, but judging by the way Hugo frantically wrote it down on one of his many lists it seemed important.

Master Eon then cleared his throat and turned back to Chihiro. "Nevertheless, young Chihiro, you did win against my holographic counterpart and freed us all, therefore, you pass!"

"Really?"

Chihiro forced a smile at Master Eon's words, but oddly enough they didn't seem to fill her with the kind of joy she usually got from passing her exams and getting his praise. Just why was that, anyways? She felt like she knew why, but she was still in a bit of a haze from that whole board game incident. Chihiro turned around… Then caught sight of the Core of Light and remembered why.

"That's nice, but…" Chihiro frowned and tugged on her sleeve as she trudged away from Master Eon and Hugo, "I should probably get back to figuring out where the Eternal Undead Source…"—Chihiro froze as a loud thunk resonated throughout the entire island—"Is?"

Chihiro turned back to find some gigantic, red dragon drop a couple other figures off at the island, then wave back to them before flying off itself. However, she was so far away that aside from colors, she could barely make out who those figures were!

"WE'RE BA~CK!" Proclaimed a familiarly raspy voice… Dark Spyro's!

Sure enough, Dark Spyro flew up to them with Sunburn, Sonic Boom and Lightning Rod close by. Just where were they while she was trapped in that game, anyways? Weren't they on patrols before she got sucked in?

"And guess what?" Dark remarked as he flew up with some kind of container held tight in his front paws, "We brought you guys a super cool souvenir from Dragon's Peak!"

Everybody around frowned and mumbled among themselves, but Dark didn't even notice as he shook the container a bit and watched the fog that clouded its front recede.

"The Eternal Undead Source!"

Gasps, shocked whispers and sighs of relief sounded all around as everyone sat stunned, all eyes fixed on Dark Spyro and the Eternal Undead Source. Not that Dark seemed to mind the attention—he just smiled and basked in their light, like a first-place winner brandishing his trophy for all to see.

"Is that really?…" Cynder gasped as she flew over and got a closer look at the Eternal Undead Source, "It is!"

"I told you we'd get it!" Dark Spyro grinned as he pushed the Eternal Undead Source closer in Cynder's view, "And now that we have it, all you have to worry about is getting better!"

"Well, that's not quite the case…" Cynder shook her head, but nonetheless ran a paw over the Eternal Undead Source's container, "How'd you find this in the first place?"

"It's a long story!" Dark Spyro turned around and flew towards the Core, "And I can tell you all about it once we get the Source in the Core!"

"WHAT? DARK SPYRO FOUND THE ETERNAL UNDEAD SOURCE?" Hugo exclaimed as he pushed through the crowds as fast as his tiny mole legs could take him, "IS THIS REAL?"

Hugo rushed over to get a look for himself, but he ended up running too fast and fell over his own feet! He screamed and flailed his arms in some attempt to regain balance, but failed ultimately and toppled over Dark Spyro! And while the two of them grunted and rubbed their heads, the container rolled out of Dark Spyro's paws and popped right open!

"Crap!" Dark Spyro exclaimed with wide eyes.

All around, everybody started to grow weak and sluggish, all held heads and falling to knees and everything! While they groaned in pain, Dark Spyro winced and scrambled over to the container.

"Well, there's my answer," Hugo sighed as he adjusted his glasses, "Now, we should place the Source into the Core!"

So, Dark Spyro handed the container over to Hugo, but Hugo merely shook his paws.

"You hold on to that until I say, alright?" Hugo pulled a book from his hood, flipped through the pages then cleared his throat, "Now, let the ritual begin!"

Dark Spyro held the container so tight it might've broken from pressure had it been someone stronger than him as Hugo chanted, while all breaths were held tight. A couple stepped back as if they were ready to run, just in case things went bad… But still, they kept their eyes fixed on the scene before them, as if they had to know what happened next.

Hugo finished chanting the spell, and in accordance the container rattled and glowed.

"Now!" Hugo shouted as he looked at Dark Spyro.

Dark was quick to react as he unscrewed the container's top, then reeled back as the Eternal Undead Source shot out like a rocket! Everybody watched in faint pain as the Eternal Undead Source flew straight into the Skull Mask… Though soon enough, the pain became awe as the Eternal Undead Source's ghastly presence faded around the area and consolidated into the mask, which resulted in it emitting a bright halo of light!

Everybody around breathed sighs of relief and dispersed into their own groups, but Chihiro couldn't bring herself to look away, not just yet.

"Geez, you cause us a lot of trouble, didn't you?" Chihiro teased as she stuck her tongue out at the skull mask, "Well, at least you're back in your proper place!"

Chihiro let out a gentle sigh, then smiled as she turned around to catch Cynder, Ghost Roaster and Hex as they sat in a circle with Dark Spyro and Sonic Boom! And better yet, they were perfectly fine! Well, aside from the bandages they wore over their injuries, which seemed a bit old given that they probably hadn't been changed out since the morning.

"And that's when I told Vathek to suck it and blasted him with a giant fireball! It had to be the size of the sun!" Dark Spyro proclaimed with the biggest grin on his face, wide leg gestures and all.

"This has to be a joke," Ghost Roaster insisted as he crossed his bony arms, "There's no way you could've gotten the Eternal Undead Source when we failed!"

"I was there, Ghost Roaster," Sonic Boom said as she placed a paw on Dark Spyro's shoulder, "I can confirm that is what happened."

"I guess if you say so…" Ghost Roaster scoffed and rolled his eyes, "This better not go to his head."

Dark, however, paid little mind to Ghost Roaster's coldness. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Cynder in a way that almost seemed like he was begging for her response.

"You know, Dark, you've really grown into this whole Skylander thing," Cynder admitted as she nodded in approval, "It almost makes you kind of cool."

Dark's jaw dropped while his eyes sparkled, then he leaped at least three feet in the air!

"CYNDER SAID I'M COOL!"

As Dark fell back down, he grabbed on to Sonic Boom's legs and shook her with pure glee. "Did you hear that? She said I'm cool!"

"Geez, Dark." Cynder scoffed, though there seemed to be a bit of lightheartedness in her voice, which was a bit of an odd sight for Cynder, admittedly. She got up and stretched her legs, then nodded towards Hex and Ghost Roaster. "Anyways, we'd better get back to the infirmary. I swear, I think I pulled five different muscles in five different places…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Cyn! Leave it to your cool buddy, Dark Spyro!"

"Don't run that into the ground, now."

"I'll try~" Dark Spyro looked at Cynder and winked, "But I can't make any promises."

Dark and Cynder both shared a chuckle with each other, and for a moment, it seemed as though everything was alright again!

And while they all trailed back to the infirmary, Chihiro sighed again as she looked back at the Core of Light, though not out of that same relief she had before. Rather, this time it was melancholy she felt as she sat and basked in the Core of Light's presence.

For a moment she had recalled that morning, when she was so poised to stop everything and go back home. She was so set to give up because she had branded herself a failure in her own mind, someone who was far too unworthy of being a portal master and was surely made one by a fluke, that surely anyone could take her place and do better. But, after her little confrontation with that holograph, Chihiro wasn't so sure if that would be the right thing.

"I thought you were completely unfitting of the gifts the universe gave you, of the very title of portal master…"

"You've proven that you really do have the heart a portal master should."

Chihiro flinched as those words stung her heart, then sighed and shook her head.

Those words from the holograph had gotten her thinking. She had thought that the things she did as a portal master were, for the most part, something anyone could do… But now, she wasn't so certain that was the case. What did the holograph's words really mean? Was being a portal master more than just some dormant ability that anyone could channel?

She had never really placed much thought to it before, because when she first came to Skylands and started training, she didn't know anything about portals and fancy magic, she just knew that she was the one who found the Skylanders and ended up in Skylands and she had to do this because she was the one who got roped into this! So, she threw her everything into training and fighting without asking anything about portal masters at all... But now, her lack of knowledge about portal master stuff was really starting to bug her.

She had thought being a portal master was all about making portals and leading Skylanders and saving the day, but was there more to being one than just that? Was there some special thing about them she didn't know about, something that made her the perfect fit for this role the universe or whatever gave her? If that was the case, she knew she couldn't give up, but…

Why her? Why did the universe see her, Chihiro Hatsuki, the lonely, moody kid from the forest neighborhood with no friends, and decided that she would be the one with all these powers and this important job to save the entire universe? Why not some superhero or some genius in the making, or somebody who would be more better fit to this than her? What did she have that they didn't?

It was just so… Confusing. Everything she thought she had known had been turned on its head all because of those few words, and now she didn't know what to think about herself or her portal master training or anything else she believed about her purpose here in Skylands anymore!

But, there was no use lingering on it for now, so Chihiro just sighed and hung her head as she trudged over to the infirmary. Surely, their patients could use a quick check-up before dinner. As she did, though, she took one last glance at the setting sun as it made the Core of Light shine bright, then sighed and placed her hands in her pockets.

"Universe, if you're out there and can hear me," Chihiro whispered as the sunbeams of evening light dusted her cheeks.

"Please, tell me… What does it really mean to be a portal master, and why am I one?"

---

Easter Egg time! The Vathek fight was partly inspired by Vathek's boss fight in the 3DS version of Spyro's Adventure, better know as the one where you actually, properly fight him instead of getting roped into dealing with his minions.