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)

30. Chapter 30

And in comes chapter three of the weekly lightning round! Time to get our very last Core component... What challenges could await? We'll find out after reviews are replied too!

Greenswitch: If you think that's a lot of Arkeyans, just wait until you see what's coming in next! And to be honest, I had a lot of fun working with Double Trouble for this chapter, so I'm glad you enjoyed it too!

Ohma flame: Well, Kaos doesn't exactly have the best naming sense, so to speak~! And yes, I have plans for all five of the other main games and more, but that's all I can say for now!

Watch Seeker: Good to hear I could at least make your week a little better! And I'm glad I pulled the part with the judges off well, because I honestly spent a lot of time editing and analyzing that part to make it just right!

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Within the confines of a quaint, kind of lonely village, all was peaceful and quiet as the chilling winds of autumn rustled through the trees, whisked their leaves away to unknown lands and sent drafts through vacant houses… Then finally, the quaint, quiet atmosphere of the town was completely disrupted as a gigantic, white blast of light rained down from the heavens and slammed right into the heart of the town square!

"Man, this mission couldn't have come at a better time!" Dark Spyro cried as the light faded just enough to unveil his, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's forms, "I've been practicing a new shadow-dashing technique with Cynder, and I can't wait to test it out on something!"

Dark Spyro chuckled to himself as the last of the light beam devolved into faint, rainbow-tinted sparkles, but his grin faded a little as he peered up at Double Trouble. After all, Double Trouble didn't seem nearly as confident as Dark was, given the way he fiddled with the feathers on his staff and frowned, almost like there was something he was worrying about…

"You're still worried, Double Trouble?" Dark Spyro asked as he circled around Double Trouble and grinned, "I mean, it's just a couple of giga-boars, right? They're a pain, but it's not like it's anything we can't handle!"

Double Trouble raised an eyebrow at Dark Spyro, then frowned as he said something and pointed to himself and Wrecking Ball.

"What, you think it's weird they made such a big deal about you two specifically needing to come here?" Dark Spyro shrugged his wings and turned around, "That's nothing to worry about!"

Double Trouble's brows clenched further as he spoke with a bit more aggressive a tone, then held his staff out and pointed to the buildings around. As he turned back to Dark Spyro and hummed, Dark himself just raised a brow of his own.

"Okay, yeah, I guess it's a bit weird that this place looks perfectly fine even though there was a rampage."

Dark Spyro frowned as he lowered his gaze to the ground, where the stone pavement was perfectly intact and free of hoofprints… Or any sort of footprints aside from his own, really. And for that matter, the houses were perfectly intact and free of any damage, no debris or other trademarks of a rampage littered the streets, nor any signs of life. Even the apple trees planted around the square stood perfectly intact!

In fact, Wrecking Ball had tried his hardest to wrap his tongue around one tree's branch and get closer to the apples, but every time he tried, his tongue would just slip and slide right off! As he failed for the tenth time, Wrecking Ball huffed and tried to grab on once more, but a sharp glare from Double Trouble immediately stopped any further attempts.

"But, it's still not that weird! Maybe those boars are just further away!" Dark Spyro shouted as he lifted his head and grinned, "In fact…"

Dark's eyes trailed towards a shadow cast by one of the houses above, and his grin stretched even wider as he jumped inside.

"I'll go check it out now!"

The house's shadow rippled as Dark Spyro jumped in, then a vaguely draconic face formed in its murky darkness and winked at Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball just before it had vanished from view. Double Trouble just sighed as he scratched his head with his staff, then floated after Dark Spyro's traveling shadow form…

"HELP! PLEASE! IT'S AWFUL!"

But just before he could tail Dark Spyro down the alleyways, the cries of distress that echoed across the winds caught his attention instead! He and Wrecking Ball both whipped around the faint, terrified cries of someone with a kind of hoarse voice intermingled with the sound of squealing pig noises and destruction just over the horizons!

Double Trouble gasped, then gripped his staff tight as he spat something out to Wrecking Ball.

"You've got that right!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he bounced up and down with the widest grin on his face he could muster, "Now let's go, let's go! I wanna beat those piggies up too!"

Double Trouble grinned, then with a simple wave of his staff, the two of them were enveloped in shimmering light and completely vanished from the town square in the blink of an eye! While that shimmering light enveloped the space they once stood in, a burning comet dashed out from its spherical form and streaked across the town square!

In no time at all it had left behind the familiar stones and empty houses of the town square for the vast fields of grass and trees with such force it made the grass below shudder and quake, then finally that comet shrieked to a stop at the top of one hill! With it finally stopped, the comet burst into sparkles and dropped Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball onto the grass! Though, the two of them were so disoriented, they hadn't even realized it at first. All they could down was stumble to and fro across the grassy surface while their eyes spun in circles, then finally Wrecking Ball took an unfortunate trip and crashed right into Double Trouble! With a cry of shock from Double Trouble, the two of them crashed down the hill and bowled down the hill!

This time, that mysterious person's cries and screams weren't the only thing in the air!

Rather, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball had joined in as they tumbled across bumpy, grassy ground, then finally flew off the side of the hill and crashed at its foot! Both of them grunted as they slammed face-first into the ground below, but thankfully aside from some nasty bumps and Double Trouble's mask turning crooked, they hadn't been injured at all!

"Normally I like rolling around…" Wrecking Ball groaned as he heaved himself up and sat down, all while he fruitlessly tried to push down the bump on his head with his tongue, "But that hurt a lot!"—Wrecking Ball's eyes watered as his tongue retracted into his body—"Owie, owie, owie…"

Double Trouble grunted and adjusted his mask back to his proper place with one single twist, complete with a crack like he was cracking his neck, then mumbled something to himself as he grabbed his staff off the ground and wiped the dirt from its crystal.

"You there!" Cried a panicked voice not unlike the one that called over the horizons not moments earlier, "You're Skylanders, right?"

Double Trouble's feathers twitched as the sound of snorting hit the air, then he whipped around and gasped!

There ahead of them, a stout, mabu man dressed in ragged shepherd's clothes with a half-broken shepherd's crook in paw winced and bit his lip as he glazed over Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball. His brown eyes were bright with panic, though oddly enough they seemed… Kind of glassy? But, nobody had any time to get closer and linger, because the sounds of snorting and crashing up ahead drove everyone's attention away!

"You bet'cha!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he jumped to all four feet, his earlier pain now completely forgotten, "We're Skylanders through and through and through!"

"Good timing, 'cause I really need your help!" The mabu exclaimed. His eyes narrowed for a bit as he thrust his crook towards the west while its hook finally snapped off, "Those giga-boars over there have been giving us a run for our money for days now! Unfortunately, nobody here's strong enough to take them down…"

Double Trouble smiled and spoke as he polished the crystal on his staff with his magic staff, but his cool and reassured aura turned a bit more cold as he turned his attention to the cave. He raised his wand and got ready to wave it, almost as if he was going to teleport… But in the end, he didn't need to!

A couple snorts echoed from the cave's hollow insides, followed by scuffling and squealing and crashing, then before anyone knew it a mass of squealing, pink monsters burst out of the cave and stampeded down the cave's hilltop!

The mabu man screamed and scrambled backwards, and his screams only grew more intense as Wrecking Ball dashed behind him and yanked him by the collar of his shirt!

"Where are you taking me?!" The mabu demanded as he tried to struggle out of Wrecking Ball's grasp.

Wrecking Ball just giggled, no attention paid to the mabu's question as he wheeled over to a nearby tree, then he gingerly stuck the mabu to one of the tree branch's through a hole in the back of the mabu's shirt before he rolled off once more!

"Just stay there!" Wrecking Ball shouted as he wheeled back to Double Trouble's side, "We'll take care of these weird boars faster than you can say pork soda!"

The mabu, however, just grimaced as he wiped the slobber off of his clothes.

And while he was busy cleaning himself off, Wrecking Ball leaped forward and landed right by Double Trouble's side with a wide grin, but that brief moment of glee was forgotten as they both glared down the monsters that had accosted them.

With their house-sized bodies, large, chipped white tusks that were stained with crimson blood and mangy pink fur, there was no denying that the monsters they faced now were giga-boars! There had to be about nine or ten in total, and their tiny black eyes were bloodshot as they huffed and snorted with such rage that it blew down the grass below them. They scraped their chipped, ragged hooves against the ground as they got ready to charge…

But before they could, Double Trouble waved his wand and shot a burst of magic right in front of the giga-boars!

The giga-boars all squealed and rushed back in full anticipation of an attack, though instead of hitting them, that magic blast just stopped short and exploded into a trio of Double Trouble clones! So taken aback by shock, all the giga-boars could do was sit there and watched as the clones giggled and blew raspberries at the boars… Then finally, the giga-boars growled and squealed as they made chase after the Double Trouble clones!

One clone diverted to the north while the other two dashed south, both with a boar on their tails, but what those boars didn't realize was that they had been lead into a trap! As the three clones came dangerously close to crashing into each other, they giggled and disappeared while the boars that tailed them crashed head-first into each other!

As those three boars groaned and collapsed onto the grass, Double Trouble grinned and wiped his hands with a wide, pleased grin on his face. Then, a warm, powerful wind brushed down his back and sent chills down his spine! Double Trouble gripped his staff tight, whipped around and shot a massive blast of magic right towards the giga-boars that had sneaked up behind him!

The giga-boars soared through the air as they flailed their stubby legs, then squealed in pain as Wrecking Ball slammed into one boar's side and shot it into another boar beside it! As the two of them slammed into each other, they skidded across the ground and slammed into a row of boars behind them with such force it sent all the boars falling down like dominoes! The boars grunted and snorted as they flailed around and tried their hardest to get back up, but they weren't going to get that chance! Not on Wrecking Ball's watch, at least!

"Here I go!" Wrecking Ball cried as he scampered towards the tree where the mabu shepherd dangled away! As the tree's branches came closer and closer in sight, Wrecking Ball grinned and licked his lips. "You're gonna get wrecked!"

And with that, Wrecking Ball cackled and flung his tongue towards one of the branches, the very same one he had hung the mabu shepherd from, in fact! The shepherd screamed and leaned back as Wrecking Ball's tongue wrapped around the branch, but his panicked screams came to a standstill as Wrecking Ball swung around the branch like it was a gymnastics bar! With every swing he made, Wrecking Ball grew faster and faster, until he was little more than a blue blur to the naked eye! With one last swing he shot off of the branch and slammed right into the boars with such force that it scattered them all across the plains!

The boars all squealed in pain as they flailed their legs around, but it only lasted for a moment before they finally fell unconscious—closed eyes, lolling tongues and all!

"Ta-dah!" Wrecking Ball cried as he fell to the ground and hopped up to Double Trouble, "All done!"

"AAAAAAAAAAA!"

Wrecking Ball flinched as a something crashed behind him, then turned around and giggled as the mabu shepherd grunted and crawled out from underneath the now firmly broken tree branch.

"Whoopsies, guess I forgot something."

Double Trouble stifled a chuckle as he turned his attention back to the unconscious boars, then waved his staff towards them and gestured to Wrecking Ball.

"Yeah, yeah, I wanna herd them up!" Wrecking Ball giggled as he bounced up and down, "I even practiced how to bark like a sheep puppy, too!"—Wrecking Ball made a very cheeky grin towards Double Trouble—"It's really good, so I'll do it now!"

Wrecking Ball took a deep breath in, out, then cleared his throat as the sun above crept up the sky and shone down its light like a comet… And in that moment, what left Wrecking Ball's mouth wasn't a howl or a bark, but a gasp!

For as the sunlight shone over the plains and brightened the natural world with its colors, those boars started to shudder and flicker while their bodies became more translucent, almost as if they were holograms or perhaps even effigies!

Double Trouble gasped, then yanked Wrecking Ball by the paw and tried to dash away, but before either of them could escape, bars made entirely of shimmering, pink magic energy erupted from the ground and formed a open-ceiling cage around their arena! Double Trouble snarled and whipped out his staff, then shouted out as its crystal glowed with a bright, rainbow light and completely faded immediately afterwards! While he gasped and examined his crystal, Wrecking Ball shot out from beside him and slammed into the cage… But all that achieved was getting him electrocuted.

"OWIEEEEEEE!" Cried a static-charged Wrecking Ball as he bounced off the magic cage, then shook off the clinging electricity and charged once more, "AGAIN!"

But, his next attempt was just as unsuccessful as his first, because once again he was completely electrocuted and tossed aside! Wrecking Ball wasn't fazed in the slightest, for he just kept slamming into the cage, getting shocked and bouncing off in a never-ending cycle…

"Oh, knock the act off, you stupid worm! That cage isn't going down no matter how many times you charge it!"

As Wrecking Ball bounced back for what was probably the fifteenth time, Double Trouble winced and turned around, for that voice was nothing like any of them had heard before! It was full of malice and sinister tone, and it sounded strikingly similar to Voodood's voice! But, Voodood wasn't with them at all!

In fact, the only ones there were Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball themselves, and that mabu shepherd who chuckled as he crept towards the two of them with his hands behind his back… Then as the sunlight hit his body, that body completely shuddered and flickered while his eyes turned blank!

"You've walked right into a trap!"

And just like that, the mabu's body flickered between its regular appearance and several other shapes entirely, then finally solidified into a purple clone of Voodood right as it phased through the cage!

Double Trouble gasped and sputtered as he pointed his staff towards the Voodood clone, but it only cackled and pushed the staff down with a satisfied grin on its face.

"It is I, the Evil Orc Warrior, indeed!" The Evil Orc Warrior crooned as it turned to its side, "But, I can hardly take credit for this ploy in its entirety."

A warbling sound echoed throughout the cage as reality itself bubbled and rippled beside the Evil Orc Warrior, then out from nowhere manifested a purple clone of Double Trouble with that same evil aura and blank eyes.

"I have to admit," the Double Trouble clone remarked as it fiddled with the feathers on its staff, "That has to be some of my finest illusion work to date! And that no-sell spell's pretty great too~"

Double Trouble snarled as his clone shot him one of those smug glares and spat out something towards it with so much vitriol it caught Wrecking Ball's attention!

Wrecking Ball had paused in the midst of his attempt to give himself a concussion, then turned around and squeaked as it caught sight of the evil clones!

"Evil Orc Dude, Evil Tiki Man guy! What're you doing here?!" Wrecking Ball cried as he scrambled back!

Wrecking Ball snarled, then curled into a ball and slammed into the ground with such force that it tossed him well above the cage's empty top... But just before he could make a grand escape, however, something beaned Wrecking Ball in the head and shot him right back into the cage's wiring! As Wrecking Ball cried out in pain from the electrocution, Double Trouble gasped and yanked him from the cage's electrical grasp!

"Owie, that really hurt!" Wrecking Ball cried as tiny tears of pain formed in his eyes, "You big meanie!"

As Wrecking Ball spoke, yet another purple clone, one in the shape of Wrecking Ball himself, landed to the Evil Orc Warrior's right and scoffed.

"Oh, stop acting like an impetuous child, you whelp!" Scoffed the Wrecking Ball clone, who would have surely rolled its eyes were they not completely blank.

Wrecking Ball, however, just sniffled before he finally burst into tears. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND BIG WORDS!"

"I can't believe that's what I came from." The Wrecking Ball clone huffed and turned away, "Surely, if you didn't realize that you had walked right into a trap, you would be too simple to understand anything!"—The Wrecking Ball clone smirked and licked its lips—"After all, didn't you find anything suspicious about how you two specifically were asked to come here, or how pristine the town looked in spite of it being the site of a rampage?"

Wrecking Ball whimpered and wiped his tears with his tongue as he hopped out of Double Trouble's arms, but Double Trouble didn't even notice as his jaw gaped down from shock without him realizing! For a moment he stood in stunned silence, but he quickly shook it off as he glared down the evil minions and spat out raw, angry words.

"Why did we do this? Why would you ask such an obvious question?" The Evil Tiki Man crooned before it shook its head, "Well, I suppose you wouldn't know about Lord Kaos finding the Eternal Magic Source's location!"

Wrecking Ball let out a sharp gasp, then bounced up and down with wide eyes.

"We, we, nobody knows where the Eternal Magic Source is! We don't have a map or anything that we were gonna take to it!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed, then winced as Double Trouble glared and scolded him, "And, and, even if we did, we wouldn't tell you!"

"You don't need to, you stupid worm!" The Evil Tiki Man grinned as it fiddled with its staff, "One of our cohorts attached a spy-fly to a buddy of yours during a prior mission, and it told Lord Kaos everything!"

"Yeah!" Chimed in the Evil Orc Warrior as it whipped out its axe, "And once we get you out of the picture, we're going there and getting the Eternal Magic Source ourselves!"

Double Trouble spat out something as he whipped out his staff, all while its crystal crackled with magic lightning! He broke into a grin as the lightning surged and sparked all around the crystal's smooth, round surface… But that grin of his quickly faded as the lightning fizzled out like a dead candle!

"Oh, how quickly do you forget~" The Evil Tiki Man Crooned as it flew inches away from Double Trouble's face and hovered back, "My barrier here completely nullifies all your magic attacks! You're a sitting duck here!"

Double Trouble winced, but that brief moment of fear faded as he tossed his arms aside and stormed right for the Evil Tiki Man…

Then gasped and jumped back as the Evil Orc Warrior jumped in front of him and slashed the ground with its ax! It cackled as it lurched up and rushed towards Double Trouble, but before it could slice him, Double Trouble intercepted the blow with his staff! The two of them pushed and shoved against each other, ax versus staff as both parties struggled to come out victorious. But as they pushed against each other, nobody noticed a third party enter the fray—the Wrecking Ball clone!

While Double Trouble and the Evil Orc Warrior rallied against each other, the Wrecking Ball clone beaned Double Trouble on the head and sent crashing backwards into Wrecking Ball! Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble cried out as they collapsed onto the grass, but while they grunted and lurched up, bright pink magical rope swirled around them and bound them tight together! The two of them gasped as their eyes fell on the rope's pink glow and tried to squirm their way out, but it was no use—the rope was too tightly bound to allow escape!

The Evil Tiki Man cackled as it admired its work, then with that same smug grin on its face, it turned back to the Wrecking Ball clone.

"Shall we go, Evil Grub Worm?" The Evil Tiki Man asked as it twirled its staff.

The Evil Grub Worm nodded with an almost offsetting giggle, then it stood frozen still as the Evil Tiki Man waved its staff and turned them both into perfect clones of Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball in the blink of an eye!

The real Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball sat in shocked silence as they gazed over their now-identical clones, and their shock only grew as a small, blue pager levitated out from under Double Trouble's mask and found its way into the Evil Tiki Man's hand!

The Evil Tiki Man smirked as it pressed the button, then its smirk faded into something more serious as it glared back at the Evil Orc Warrior.

"You! Report back to Lord Kaos for us!" The Evil Tiki Man demanded as it clenched the pager.

"Wait, I don't get to go?" The Evil Orc Warrior pouted as it wrung the handle of its ax. It sniffed as it turned away from the Evil Tiki Man, but the glare that the Evil Tiki Man shot it gave it an immediate change of attitude as it whimpered and stumbled back. "Alright, alright, I'll do it!"

And just like that, the Evil Orc Warrior tapped the communicator on its wrist and whispered something into its speaker, then vanished in a flash of bright light!

While the Evil Orc Warrior's light faded into faint sparkles that just barely shone against the bright afternoon light, however, the Evil Tiki Man just grinned and stuck its tongue out at Double Trouble.

"See you, suckers!" The Evil Tiki Man cried as it and the Evil Grub Worm disappeared in a similar flash of light!

Double Trouble snarled as the Evil Tiki Man vanished within the light and tried to struggle against the ropes once more, but once again it seemed as though they had kept him tight! So, Double Trouble did the next best thing and shouted at the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm right as they disappeared!

Though this seemed like a futile display of anger, the winds picked up on Double Trouble's screams and carried them across to the town square, which wavered and shimmered in the growing afternoon light…

Not that Dark Spyro noticed as he popped out the door of another empty house and sighed.

"That's strange, I've checked everyone house, like, a billion times now, but nobody's here!" Dark cried as he swished his tail, "What's up with this place?"

Dark frowned as a wavering, warbling sound echoed around him, then grunted and lifted his head right as the entire town turned shimmering and translucent! He screamed and backed right into the house he had just exited, but it just disappeared into thin air and lead him to fall on his back! Except, he didn't hit the solid stone or wood floors of the village, but rather soft grass, for the entire village had disappeared and left only endless grassy plains behind!

"The heck?!" Dark cried as he jumped back to all four paws and swerved his head around, "What's going…"

As Double Trouble's faint cries hit his ears, Dark froze and bit his lip. "Double Trouble?"

While the cries continued on in the distance, Dark Spyro jumped up and flew down the hills of endless, eerily peaceful grass.

"Yeah, something's definitely up!"

Dark dashed down the hill all the cries grew louder and more intense, then as he flew about halfway down, his already-grim look soured further as he caught sight of the cage's bright, pink top!

"A cage? What's that doing here?" Dark whispered as he finally hit the bottom of the hill.

Dark frowned as he dropped down onto the grass, then narrowed his eyes as he crept closer and closer to the cage, all while Double Trouble's cries and shouts grew louder and more prominent…

"Double Trouble? Wrecking Ball?" Dark whispered as his eyes went wide. He flew over to cage, frowned and held up a claw to the bars, then yelped and stumbled back as static electricity surged through his body!

"So much for charging in." Dark smiled as his eyes fell to the shadows below, "Guess I'll just have to take the backdoor!"

So, Dark Spyro leaped into the shadows and slunk right past the magic cage, then popped inside to find that he was right! There before him sat Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, all tied up together with nowhere to go! Double Trouble grinned and shouted towards Dark Spyro, but Dark wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as he glanced down Double Trouble.

"Double Trouble, something's not right here!" Dark exclaimed as he looked around, "That village just completely disappeared!"

Double Trouble, meanwhile, sighed and rolled his eyes as he shot back at Dark Spyro, a smart remark that Dark returned with a huff.

"Yeah, yeah, you were right, whatever." Dark rolled his eyes with a scoff, then frowned again, "Hey, how'd you guys get all tied up, anyways?"

Double Trouble cleared his throat and seemingly went to explain… But the moment he opened his mouth, his eyes went wide with realization! With a shake of his head, he barked out something towards Dark Spyro and nudged his chin towards the ropes.

"Just get you out of here?" Dark repeated as he tilted his head. With a shrug, an almost devilish grin crept across Dark's muzzle as he got up and flew behind Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball. "Alright!"

Double Trouble seemed pleased as he rambled along to Dark Spyro, but that ramble was quickly cut short as Dark yanked them by the ropes and flew higher and higher above ground! Double Trouble's cheerful speech turned to concerned sputters as Dark Spyro flew just high enough that he reached the top of the cage…

"Alley-oop!" Dark cried as he swung around and tossed Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball right over the cage!

The two of them screamed as they went crashing down like heavy stones towards the ground, then finally a thump and an audible groan alerted Dark Spyro that they had arrived! So, Dark grinned and swept back down, then popped back up and tossed Double Trouble's staff over the cage as well!

Double Trouble cried out as his staff bonked him on the head, then scoffed and shot Dark Spyro a glare as Dark floated down and beamed.

"Hey, I did get you out of there!" Dark retorted as he raised a paw.

Double Trouble rolled his eyes as he shot back at Dark Spyro, then fixed those eyes back on his staff. As he glared down that simple staff, it glowed with a bright light, then it hovered above the ground and waved itself like it had come to life! With that simple wave, the ropes that bound him and Wrecking Ball magically came undone, and once again they were freed!

Wrecking Ball grinned as he rolled to and fro across the plains and cheered, but Double Trouble was far less carefree! Rather, he dashed over to Dark Spyro's side and whispered in Dark's ear, then winced and floated back as Dark Spyro jumped backwards.

"They're WHAT?!" Dark Spyro exclaimed as he yanked out his pager and slammed the button as rapidly as he could, "We gotta get back there and stop them!"

Double Trouble nodded as he held out his hand and summoned his staff back to his side, then Wrecking Ball balled over and squealed as he jumped on Dark Spyro's back!

"Yeah, yeah, we're definitely gonna stop those meanies!" Wrecking Ball proclaimed as he pattered his feet on Dark Spyro's back, then froze and tilted his head, "What are we stopping them for, again?"

But, Wrecking Ball didn't get his answer, because all three of them were immediately swept up in a pillar of light and whisked away from the island's grassy plains…

§

Though it was a beautiful day all around them, it seemed that Spyro couldn't find it in himself to enjoy it as he peered over the cliffs that loomed over Ancient's Peak's beach, or rather, the oceans where the Weapon Master rested. A tense aura had formed around them, one that almost seemed to damper the cheer of the autumn leaves' colors as they rained down from the trees ahead, or the sheer excitement that surrounded the area as everyone discussed the events to come.

"Can you believe it? We're so close to getting the Eternal Magic Source!"

"I'll be happy about it when we actually get it."

"Do you think they can get it?"

"Oh, I'm sure they can! I'd help if I could, but I've got missions coming up…"

And as everyone talked, Spyro couldn't help but glance behind and wince, all while a dull gray rain cloud manifested above his head without even thinking and poured rain down on his crest. And yet, despite the intense rain, Spyro hardly even noticed it was there as he moved those golden eyes back on the Weapon Master.

"That's the guy who's supposed to take us to the Eternal Magic Source?" Spyro asked as he peered back up at Chihiro with a swift swish of his tail.

"Yep" Chihiro chirped as she nodded and brushed the rain cloud away from Spyro's head, "We just need to give him the word and we'll get our prize!"—Chihiro grinned as she punched the skies—"And believe me, we're gonna get it!"

Chihiro's grin stretched even wider as she placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, all while she held the Eternal Magic Source's mechanical map in her hands. Even with the oncoming mission, she shone so cheerful and bright...

"After all, we've been on a winning streak lately! We got everything but this last thing for the core, Kaos's empire is practically nothing at this point, and most importantly…" Chihiro giggled as she pointed a thumb at herself, "I finished my last portal master exam! Once we get the Core fixed and I get my fancy graduation ceremony, I'll be a full-fledged portal master!"

Chihiro giggled in some sort of proud, optimistic haze as she rubbed a fist against her chest, her optimism so bright it practically radiated around her. That is, until a tense air wafted through and turned her smile to a frown.

Beside her, Spyro didn't seem nearly as confident as she did while he pawed at the ground and swished his tail back and forth. His golden eyes were trained on the Weapon Master like it was a threat, a bomb waiting to explode… Or perhaps, that was just Spyro himself? Well, if that wasn't evident enough, the mass of storm clouds that formed above him as his eyes flashed blue were definitely a clue. Spyro sighed as the storm clouds rumbled, then as the rain hit his scales he yelped and vanquished them all away in an instant.

"Something up, Golden Boy?" Chihiro asked as she bent down to Spyro's height and laid a hand on his shoulders, "It seems like something's raining on your parade… So to speak."

Spyro yanked his head up in a bit of alarm, wide eyes and all, but the moment he turned and locked eyes on Chihiro that tension seemed to lift just a little. As his brows loosened up, he forced a laugh and looked aside.

"Well, yeah, I guess you could say that," Spyro admitted as he rested a paw against his cheek, "It's just… Well, to start with, we're super understaffed,"—Spyro peered up at Chihiro and folded his wings against his back—"With everyone else on missions, it's just the two of us and Drill Sergeant once he finishes patrolling the island."

Spyro leaned down as he turned his view back towards the Weapon Master, then grabbed a rock off the ground and tossed it into the ocean.

"But, that's not the biggest problem I've got. After all, Kaos has been awfully quiet lately…" Spyro bit his lip as the rock splashed against the ocean waves with a surprising level of force and looked back up to Chihiro, "In fact, he's been, well, too quiet if you know what I mean. Something about this feels wrong!"

Chihiro paused for a moment, then her cheery aura turned gentle as she nodded and ran her hand down Spyro's back.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It almost feels like something bad's just waiting to happen," Chihiro said before she shook her head and lifted up Spyro's own, "But, we can't let worrying stop us now! I mean, look on the bright side!"

Chihiro got up and spun around as she gestured to the Core of Light in its shining, nearly-complete glory.

"The Core of Light's almost done, and we've got a direct link to the Eternal Magic Source's hideout! Kaos is probably so quiet cause he's up to his face in books looking for it!"

Spyro's tension seemed to loosen up a bit as well as he made a small, gentle nod, while his lips loosened and formed a small smile.

"Besides, even if it's just us, with the two of us together we're definitely gonna get this thing!" Chihiro grinned as she shoved her hands in her pockets, "I mean, with my super special portal master talents and your smarts and skills, we make a pretty good team!"

Chihiro lifted a finger out of her pocket and made a finger gun. "In fact, you could say it's pretty magical!"

Spyro placed a paw on his muzzle and stifled a laugh as Chihiro winked, but she definitely noticed it as she fell back down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on, that made you laugh, I know it!" Chihiro chuckled as she poked Spyro's snout, "You don't have to hide it, I know I'm a master of punnery~"

Spyro made a few more stifled chuckles, then finally he lifted his paw away and broke out into pure laughter that was so infectious that it made its way to Chihiro and caused her to burst into laughs too! The two of them just sat there in their own, happy little bubble for moments, their worries completely forgotten as they laughed together… Then Chihiro bolted forward and wrapped Spyro in a tight hug! Spyro blinked for a few moments, but it didn't break his laughter as he nuzzled her cheek just a bit, while those blue eyes of his flashed back to their warm, welcoming gold.

"Excuse me, sirs, but why exactly are you laughing?" Drill Sergeant asked as he rolled up to Spyro and Chihiro.

Spyro and Chihiro's laughter came to a sharp close, then the two of them yanked away from each other and shoved their hands (or paws, in Spyro's case) behind their backs.

"NOTHING!" Spyro and Chihiro both shouted as they looked aside.

As the two of them sighed and regained their composure, Drill Sergeant raised a suspicious eyebrow at Spyro and Chihiro, but finally he made the best shrug a robot of his model could make and beeped.

"Anyways, I have finished my island patrol protocol, sirs." Drill Sergeant's engine whirred as his eyes lit up a brighter shade of yellow than before, "Are you ready to leave for the Eternal Magic Source mission, sirs?"

"I suppose so," Spyro sighed as he turned his head back down to the beach, "Still kinda wish it wasn't just the three of us though, just in ca—"

"WAIT, WAIT, STOP THE BALLOON!" Cried a familiarly shrill voice as leaves tossed everywhere behind Spyro, Chihiro and Drill Sergeant, "DON'T LEAVE US JUST YET!"

Spyro, Drill Sergeant and Chihiro all perked their heads up as they turned back to the voices' source, but their confused looks quickly turned to grins as they found just who it came from!

"Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball!" Spyro shouted as he leaped forward and approached the voices' owners, "You're back this early?"

Sure enough, there in front of Spyro was none other than Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! The two of them seemed awful tired as they leaned down and panted, but the very question Spyro shot them was enough to make them completely freeze with a new sense of alertness! Double Trouble frantically waved his head as he rambled on, while Wrecking Ball hastily nodded and forced a grin as wide as his entire round little body!

"Yeah, yeah, what he said!" Wrecking Ball blabbered, "We, er, we finished our mission early, so we're gonna help get the Magic Source!"

Spyro grinned as his eyes grew large with glee. "That's great! Good timing, too, we were just about to shove off!"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball both grinned as they turned back at each other.

"By the way, how'd that mission go? You're back awfully quick for something as hard as taking down an entire singular of giga-boars… And for that matter, where's Dark?"

The two of them jolted up once more, and those smiles of theirs turned tense and clenched as they grinned back at Spyro.

"Well, er, you see, those giga-boars, they were of absolutely no problem to us!" Wrecking Ball proclaimed as he pattered against the autumn ground, "Though they might have been ravenous, ferocious, absolutely nightmarish mammoths of swine, I took a rolling start and—"—Wrecking Ball cried out in pain as Double Trouble's staff bonked him on the head—"I mean, it was no problem for us, yeah, yeah!"

Spyro clenched his jaw and frowned. "Wrecking Ball, when did you start talking so fancy?"

Wrecking Ball hissed and broke into an even more furious sweat as he walked back, and this time it was Double Trouble who swept in front of him and mediated with a quick explanation!

"Oh, Wrecking Ball got into your potions and Dark's staying behind to check things over?" Spyro repeated before he grinned and rolled his eyes, "Figures."

With a flap of his wings, Spyro took to the skies and soared down the stairs that lead to the beach. "Anyways, we'd better get going! The Eternal Magic Source isn't going to wait all day!"

Chihiro grinned as she tapped Drill Sergeant on the shoulder, and as he turned around, she bolted for the stairs and raced down two at a time.

"Wait for me, Golden Boy!" Chihiro cried as she disappeared down the staircase.

Right as Chihiro vanished, Drill Sergeant made a mechanical noise that vaguely sounded like a gasp, then zoomed over to the top of the staircase!

"Please halt for me as well!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he wheeled a bit forward towards the steps, then winced and wheeled back, "Unfortunately, a robot of my model was not made for traversing stairs…"

Drill Sergeant beeped and sighed yet again as he rolled backwards, then sputtered and squealed as he was lifted off the ground by a cyan glow! He swerved around as he tried to loosen himself from its grasp, then screamed as he soared right down onto the sandy surface of the beach! With a drop so intense it kicked sand everywhere, Drill Sergeant landed on the beach, then beeped and whipped around.

"Chihiro, sir? Was that your doing?"

But, Chihiro wasn't there to answer, because she and Spyro had already darted over to the shoreline! Chihiro grinned and snapped her fingers as a magical raft made entirely of translucent cyan logs poofed into existence and landed in the water with a splash.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and waved, then hopped on the raft herself, "We'll leave you behind if you don't~!"

"We're not actually gonna leave anyone behind, Chi!" Spyro shouted back as he hopped on the raft and took a seat.

Drill Sergeant's eyes went wide as his blaster popped out of his head without him even realizing, then it slammed back down as he dashed across the sands with such fury that an entire wave of sand stormed up behind him and crashed against the cliffside!

"PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME BEHIND, SIRS!" Drill Sergeant as he bolted towards the raft!

Spyro and Chihiro both gasped and leaned back as Drill Sergeant screeched onto the raft and hit the breaks maybe a little too fast, given that it had leaned the raft down into the ocean! As the ocean waters lapped against their feet, the two of them scrambled up and pushed the other half of the raft down… And in the process, sent Drill Sergeant sliding towards the deep blue! Drill Sergeant beeped as he slid down, then the moment his eyes locked on the seas, he screeched and tried his best to wheel his way back up.

"NO, NOT THE WATER!" Drill Sergeant cried as the ocean waves splashed dangerously close to his wheels, "I AM MANY THINGS, BUT NOT WATERPROOF!"

CRACK! Drill Sergeant froze as the raft bobbed back down onto the water and breathed a sigh of relief, then beeped as water caressed his wheels.

"Is it just me, or is it somewhat wet, beep boop?"

The three of them turned their eyes back down at the center of the raft, then screamed as a pillar of water emerged from a massive hole in the heart of the raft!

"NO, STAY AWAY, YOU AWFUL WATER!" Drill Sergeant cried as he spun around in place while rapid beeps and boops and all sorts of panicked, mechanical noises emitted around him, "I AM NEITHER WATERPROOF OR BUOYANT! I DO NOT WISH TO BE TRAPPED IN YOUR DEPTHS OR TO MEET DAVY JONES IN HIS LOCKER, OR ANYONE ELSE'S LOCKER! I WAS ALREADY LOCKED IN THE EARTH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, I—"

"Drill Sergeant, calm down!" Spyro cried as he grabbed Drill Sergeant's shoulder and gestured to the center of the raft, "Chihiro's already taken care of it!"

Drill Sergeant froze, then beeped as he whipped around to find that Spyro was right! At the center of the raft, Chihiro smoothed down a magical bandage, then lifted her head up and gave Drill Sergeant a thumbs up.

"Er, nevermind, beep boop!"

Spyro sighed and shook his head as Drill Sergeant let out a series of reluctant beeps and whistles, but Chihiro only giggled as she patted Drill Sergeant on the head.

And while they were basking in the moment, Double Trouble manifested onto the raft with a pop while Wrecking Ball leaped on the raft with such force, it dipped the raft into the ocean with another splash that made Drill Sergeant beep in panic!

"Alright, looks like everyone's on board!" Chihiro cried as she summoned a magical paddle and dipped it into the water, "Now…"

Chihiro cleared her throat and grinned as she pointed across the ocean.

"Thank you for riding the S. R. Hatsuki!" Chihiro proclaimed with the gusto and cheer of a captain on their ship's maiden voyage, "Next stop, the Weapon Master's rock… Platform… Thingie!"

As the paddle magically animated itself and pushed the raft across the ocean, the five of them stood silent while their raft drew closer and closer to where the Weapon Master stood. But, as they drew closer, their eagerness and smiles faded to steely, silent anticipation. After all, what they were seeking now wasn't just the last Eternal Source, but the Core of Light's last component as a whole! Who knew what could be up ahead?

Surely, that's what they all thought as their raft finally docked and allowed them to leave. All of them were silent as Chihiro walked up to the Weapon Master, who in turn turned around and gave her an almost anticipating stare. Chihiro bit her lip, then dug into her pocket and pulled out the map. A kind of tense air surrounded her, but not one that came from awkwardness or sudden shock. Rather, it was a kind of broiling anticipation, the tension that came with finally being faced with a long-awaited challenge.

"Weapon Master, it's time…" Chihiro proclaimed as she narrowed her eyes and held out the map, which glowed with a faint light in tandem with her words. A steely glow rang around her as she unfolded the Weapon Master's hand and nestled the map within his palm. "Take us to the Eternal Magic Source!"

"So you're ready, are you?" The Weapon Master asked as he gingerly wrapped his calcified metal fingers around the map, "Be warned, the Armored Vault is no ordinary vault. Being the host to our greatest treasures meant that we armed it to the extremes—there are many trials ahead of you, and none of them will be easy."

"But that's nothing we can't beat!"

Chihiro's steely, serious look turned to a warm, confident grin as she slammed a fist against her chest, "We've taken down tons of nasty stuff! Whatever that vault has in store for us, we'll fight it off and be back before dinner!"

The Weapon Master chuckled, then clenched his hand as the map sunk into the center of his palm.

"Very well then." The Weapon Master held out his palms, which glowed a bright red as opposed to their usual blue, "I will link the Chain of Eternity to the Armored Vault's location. Stand back, now."

Right as the Weapon Master said this, a massive chain shot out of his hands and into the depths of the sky, then fell down and slammed against the ocean with a large splash!
Everybody else scattered from the ocean waves, but not Chihiro, who stood firm and fixed her eyes on the chain even as the water doused her. It was like all she could think about was her mission, was that Eternal Magic Source… And finally finishing the goal they had all aimed for.

"You may now proceed," the Weapon Master said as he gestured towards the chain.

With a quick shake that dried her off completely, Chihiro skipped forward and bounded right onto the chain! She paused for a moment as she lifted a foot, then when it slammed back onto the chain like metal to a magnet, she grinned and dashed down!

Spyro and Drill Sergeant followed suit as they dashed after her and trailed down the chain's massive metal links… But Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball just shot each other giggles and smirks as they lingered on the platform! Something about them seemed more sinister than usual as they laughed among each other, and that sinister aura only grew as they froze the moment the Weapon Master raised an eyebrow at them and frowned.

"What are you two cackling about, exactly?" The Weapon Master asked.

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball both forced coughs, then jumped on and dashed down the chain with such speed you'd be forgiven if you thought they were being chased!

But while they had made their leave, somebody else made their entrance back at the island's heart—Dark Spyro!

"Where are they?!" Dark Spyro cried as he slammed the portal building's doors open and whipped his head around the heart of Ancient's Peak, all while a second Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball tailed after him!

"Hey, what's going on here?" Hugo cried as he stumbled out of the portal building with frazzled, disheveled fur and half-off glasses, then paused a moment to pat his fur down and push his glasses back onto his nose, "I could've sworn I saw Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball arrive from patrols a little while ago?"

But, none of them paid attention to Hugo! Instead, Double Trouble just dashed ahead of Dark Spyro and shouted out as he pointed his staff towards the massive oceans ahead!

Dark Spyro flew up to the cliffs and peered over, then made a sharp gasp the moment his eyes fell on the chain!

"Crap, they already left!" Dark Spyro cried as he turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "Looks like we're gonna have to make this quick!"—Dark Spyro plopped to the ground, then flared out his wings and nudged his head towards the cliffs—"Hop on! We're taking the fastest way I know!"

Double Trouble floated up to Dark Spyro, then winced and wrung his staff's base as he said something with a bit of a worried tone.

"Shadow travel, of course!" Dark Spyro grinned back as he flapped his wings!

Double Trouble's eyes widened as he presumably repeated what Dark Spyro said, and in response Dark narrowed his eyes and snarled.

"You'll be perfectly fine as long as you're with me!" Dark flapped his wings and huffed, "Now come on, we don't have time to just sit around!"

Double Trouble seemed like he wanted to protest further as he snarled and wrung his staff tighter, but before he could, Dark dashed behind Double Trouble and tossed him in the air! Double Trouble screamed as he floated in the air, then his screams silenced as he crashed down onto Dark's back!

"Ooh, ooh, I like fast!" Wrecking Ball cried as he leaped on Dark Spyro's back, "Wait, what are we doing again?"

Dark Spyro grinned and flicked his wings. "I'll show you!"

And just like that, Dark Spyro dove into the shadow of a nearby tree and dashed down the cliff! Though Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's screams were muffled, they could still be faintly heard on the winds as their shadowy carriage leaped off the cliff face, then dashed across the sands of the beach!

Meanwhile, the Weapon Master frowned and raised an eyebrow as his gaze trailed down the chain, where the faint notions of Chihiro, Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball could just faintly be seen in the distance.

"Why were those two acting so strange?…" The Weapon Master asked.

He paused and blinked for a few moments more, then gasped and leaned back as a shadow sleek and black dashed across the chain! The Weapon Master shook his head and blinked once more, but when he did, the shadow had completely vanished!

"And for that matter, just what was that?" He asked as he turned back to the vast oceans.

§

The pale, dull light of Ancient's Peak had long since faded in everyone's minds as they crossed through the chain and into the inky depths of this strange, strange… Hey, where were they all going, anyways? With all the lights out, the vast darkness of the surroundings had completely blanketed away any sort of sign as to where they were! All they could do was trust the chain's path as they followed it further into the depths.

"Hey, who turned out all the lights?" Chihiro asked as she took slow, gingerly steps across the chain, its faint glow the only source of light in the entire area, "I can't see a—ACK!"

Chihiro grunted as Spyro bumped right into her back and toppled them both onto the chain, though luckily the magic had kept them stuck tight to its links!

"WAIT, WHAT WAS THAT, SIRS?" Drill Sergeant exclaimed as he swerved and spun around the chain, "WAS IT THE SECURITY, BEEP?"

Drill Sergeant's spinning bounced and shook the chain, and in the process Spyro and Chihiro's balance became even more unsteady than before!

"Hey, Drill Sergeant, calm down!" Chihiro cried as she waved her arms and tried to regain her footing, "All that spinning is making me dizzy!"—Chihiro grunted as she slammed back into an equally-offset Spyro—"Ack!"

Spyro and Chihiro both squeaked as they both landed backwards and slammed face-first into the chains, then groaned as they heaved themselves back up.

"Ugh…" Chihiro groaned as she rubbed her face, "Sorry 'bout that, Golden Boy."

"Ergh, you're okay, I'm fine," Spyro grunted as he shook his head and jumped back to all four paws, "Hey, where's Drill Sergeant?"

"INCOMING, BEEP BOOP!"

Spyro and Chihiro turned their gaze ahead, and before either of them knew it, Drill Sergeant crashed into them both and all three of them were sent tumbling down the chain! Their screams echoed through the dark chambers as they crashed against the chain's cold, magical metal, then bounced against it like it was a trampoline!

"Owch!" They all cried as one as the chain pulled them back down and slammed them against its links just to toss them off again!

"Ugh…" Chihiro groaned as she held her bright red forehead, "Somebody get the number on that…"—Chihiro then popped open her eyes and shrieked—"INCOMING!"

But, her warning came a bit too late, as they slammed right into the chain once more! And this time, the chain held them so tight that they were practically squished together into one round ball that was sent rolling down the remainder of the chain!

The only thing that could be heard were the echoes of their screams and the rattle of chains as they tumbled down the chain, then finally tripped and leaped off once more! Their leap had slammed them right into a cold, metal platform soon after, and they were finally free… But at what cost? They had all slammed face first with such velocity that every bone in their bodies surely ached!

"Talk about a rough landing," Chihiro groaned as she sat up and pushed down her disheveled hair, "I—"

"Ugh, Chi, you're, you're," grunted something down below Chihiro, "Kinda, squishing, me!"

Chihiro chirped as she lifted her head, then turned that head down… And promptly squealed and gasped as she realized that she had landed right on top of a very disgruntled Spyro!

"Sorry about that, Gold!" Chihiro cried as she leaped off Spyro's back.

"It's, alright, I think I needed my back cracked anyways…" Spyro grunted as he staggered back to all fours and cricked his neck, "Say, where's Drill Sergeant?"

"Er, right here, sirs…" Drill Sergeant moaned from just across as the whir of his wheels echoed throughout the halls, "If you do not mind, I could use some assistance in getting back to my wheels."

A soft, small light illuminated the halls as Double Trouble tsked and floated down the chain with an eyebrow raised at the very disheveled Drill Sergeant. Double Trouble waved his staff as it glowed a bright cyan-purple mix, and in that moment Drill Sergeant was enveloped in a light of the same color and set back to his full height! Drill Sergeant let out a series of happy beeps as he spun around, but those beeps faded as he rolled up to Double Trouble and rumbled.

"Hey, hey!" Wrecking Ball cried as he leaped off the chain and bonked Drill Sergeant on the head!

"Augh! Watch where you are landing, boop!" Drill Sergeant cried as Wrecking Ball bounced off of his head and bounded onto the floor.

"But how can I?" Wrecking Ball tilted his head and frowned as Drill Sergeant made a series of angry beeps, "Everything around here's so dark and spooky…"

Double Trouble turned back to Drill Sergeant and said something as he gestured towards the world around, his tone laced with a bit of an inquisitive notion.

"Do not ask me!" Drill Sergeant shot back as he rubbed his head with his drill hands, "My memory banks were damaged, so I have no recollection of what this place exactly is…"

"But thankfully, I can answer that question for you!" Boomed a deep, almost robotic voice that sounded out of nowhere.

With a few spurts of cyan sparkles, a hologram formed out of nowhere, its quality grainy like an old VHS tape and glitchy… But, it was a hologram nonetheless! And more importantly, it was a hologram of the Weapon Master with his crossed arms and stern looks!

"Weapon Master dude!" Chihiro cried as she skipped up to face the hologram and waved in its face, "Just what is this place, then?"

The Weapon Master cleared his throat as he gestured up to the ceiling.

"You have finally arrived at the Armored Vault, the armory that we used to hold the Arkeyan Empire's greatest treasures. It has one of the largest collections of Arkeyan art, technology, treasure… And most importantly, the Eternal Magic Source."

A description such as that normally would have been paired with wonder and awe and excitement, but for the Weapon Master he only bore his words with exhaustion and tempered rage as he turned his gaze over to the vast darkness up ahead.

"Once, this place filled me with awe and wonder, but now I can only view it with scorn…" The Weapon Master frowned as he looked around. "That is, if the lights weren't out. It seems as though somebody must have deactivated its power source since I last came here."

"Yeah, that's kinda obvious." Chihiro chuckled as she dug her hands into her pockets and scuffed her shoes against the floor, "But, if there's an off switch, there's gotta be something to turn it on, right?"

"Indeed, there should be." The Weapon Master frowned as he scratched his head, "But, I can't seem to recall just where it was… And surely all this blanketing darkness doesn't help."

Chihiro frowned, then snapped her fingers and summoned a simple sphere of light, a mock flashlight that guided her around as she paced across the platform. Not that there was anything particularly of note, though. Pillars of fancy metal decoration here, some deactivated robots there, a suspiciously bright red button across the way. Wait, a suspiciously bright red button?

Chihiro whipped her head around as she walked right past the button, then backtracked over and grinned. Something like this would have to be a power source, right? Suspiciously glowing red buttons glow for a reason, after all! Chihiro balled her hand into a fist, then slammed it as hard as she could against the button! The button slammed back into the panel that held it as its glow faded… But while the button's glow disappeared, the world around then finally started to illuminate!

"Yes, looks like I was right!" Chihiro grinned as she turned around and basked in the sound of mechanical whirring like a machine coming to life!

One by one, the lights above all flickered on and unveiled a massive, domelike room with depths lit in shades of blue and green which contrasted well with the red and gold metal walls of the dome that closed them in. The platforms they all stood on were round and made of golden metal illuminated by simple, yellow spheres of light that hovered over the platform's railing on golden torches, and just in the distance on could spot the platforms above whirring to life… Not that they were the only ones coming alive!

All around them, those weird mechanical pillars spun and twirled like dancers on a stage, while hanging platforms above hovered down and up again as the conveyor belts which held them started to turn! Even the robotic statues that littered the platform clunked and buzzed as they started to lift their heads and unveiled "eyes" that glowed with a gentle white light.

Chihiro grinned, then skipped in front of one of those robots and waved a hand in front of its face. Though it didn't seem to notice her given that it stood still and stagnant as ever, Chihiro still greeted it with her usual sunny enthusiasm as her grin spread across her face.

"Heya buddy!" Chihiro chirped while she stood tall, "How're you doing? Was your several thousand year long nap nice?"

The robot seemingly blinked as its glow faded and strengthened, as did the other robots as they turned as one mind and fixed their eyes on Chihiro, Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Drill Sergeant, and Double Trouble.

"Examining… Examining…" The robots all droned at once as they lifted their heads while their eyes' glow cycled between a number of colors.

"Uh, Chi?" Spyro said as he stepped up to Chihiro and examined the robotic gallery with a frown, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"What's there to have a bad feeling about?" Chihiro turned around and shrugged, "They're just robots!"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you…"

"They're just a bunch of metal parts, Golden Boy! We could take them down in a snap if we wanted to!"

As Spyro and Chihiro debated the exact danger level of the robots that faced them, a simple, dragon-like shadow slunk out from behind the shadows of the platform's torches, them its murky, shadowy form rose up from the ground till it was a shadow no longer! No, it had transformed into Dark Spyro, who popped his head out from the shadowy mass and flicked his wings to cast off the rest of the shadows and unveil Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball!

The three of them all winced as they turned their eyes towards the other Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball that held up the back of Chihiro's little group, then froze as the other Wrecking Ball's antenna twitched…

"I smell something strange…" The other Wrecking Ball remarked as it shuffled its round little body around, "And it seems like it is coming from…"—The other Wrecking Ball whipped around and snarled—"There!"

The other Wrecking Ball made a sinister giggle, but only for a few seconds as its gaze loosened up soon after—for behind it was nothing aside from the metal walls and platforms that made up the rest of the vault!

"Huh? I could have sworn there was an odd presence behind me not a second ago…" The other Wrecking Ball frowned and tilted its head right as the other Double Trouble's staff slammed right onto its head, "ACK!"

The other Double Trouble leaned down and hissed right into the other Wrecking Ball's ear, and in response the other Wrecking Ball snarled and made a low growl. But as they whispered insults, they didn't even notice the shadows behind them warble and form a solid shape as they rose off the ground.

"Phew, they didn't see us," Dark whispered as he rose from the shadows and wiped shadowy goop from his forehead, "That was a close one!"

Dark's sigh of relief and smile, however, were short-lived as he snarled back at the other Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, who were still quick to argue with each other. Though their voices were little more than hushed whispers, a kind of tension surrounded them as they shot glares like knives back and forth at each other and made it all too apparent what they were doing. And more importantly, they were so absorbed in it that they hadn't even noticed anything around them, including Dark's reappearance!

"They're distracted, now's our chance!" Dark nudged his snout towards Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball while they started to reemerge, "Quick, we've gotta knock them out before—"

Dark Spyro stopped short as a sharp beep resounded through the air, so sharp it made everyone wince and cover their ears for a few moments! He instinctively reeled back and covered his earholes as the screech echoed through the cavern, then frowned and lifted his head as he turned an eye towards the swarm of robots ahead.

"Oh?"

Up ahead of them, the glow around the robots' eyes completely faded as they fixed their gaze back on Chihiro, Spyro, Drill Sergeant, and the other Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble… Then, their eyes turned narrow and red as they all held out their arms and turned their hands into massive cannons that flared with red and white light!

"INTRUDERS DETECTED!" The robots exclaimed with the voices of a thousand as their guns charged so fast that they let out a massive, unholy screech like a dying dragon, "PERISH BEFORE THE MIGHT OF THE ARKEYAN EMPIRE!"

Chihiro screamed and jumped out of the way as a massive energy blast slammed straight through the place where she once stood, then turned back and grimaced as the blast slammed right into a metal statue and melted it to bits and golden red goop!

"Yeah, you were right, Golden Boy!" Chihiro cried, then she screamed as she teleported out the way of another blast, ducked under another and turned around to cast a shield that blocked a few more of those darn blasts, "Sorry I ever doubted you!"

But, Spyro didn't reply, for he himself had his paws full as he flew and swept and wove between the massive onslaught of white-hot energy blasts! He grunted as he spun out the way of one, then his eyes flashed purple as he shot a round of magic blasts that blew up the robots' energy blasts in mid-transit! Spyro skidded back as the explosions crafted clouds of purple smoke that masked the area between him and the robots, all while he heaved heavy breaths… Then with a lift of his head and a shift in eye color to red, he shot off a round of fireballs that slammed into the robots and melted them to scrap!

But while he was fighting the robots, what he didn't seem to notice was that Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble were right behind him! They both grinned as they licked their leaps and hovered over him as if they were ready to strike… But before they could, something slammed into them and tossed them aside! They both grunted and turned to each other, then snarled as they pointed accusing fingers.

"WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?" Wrecking Ball cried as he glared at Double Trouble, a glare that only grew more furious as Double Trouble shouted back at him.

"I DIDN'T HIT YOU, YOU HIT ME! WHAT OTHER THING COULD HAVE—"

"Wrecks, Doubs!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned her attention back from where she held her shield, "What're you talking about?"

The two of them froze as Chihiro raised a brow back at them, then screamed and dashed off as an energy blast exploded at their feet!

Chihiro frowned, but only for a minute before she turned back to her shield. She grunted as she held her shield strong… But unfortunately, while it was strong, it wasn't exactly heat-resistant, for the blasts just burned holes right through it! Chihiro screamed and ducked for cover as her shield shattered to bits, then pulled herself up just in time to spy a red and gold blur as it dash through the fray! Wait, red and gold?

"Everyone, please cease your fire!" Drill Sergeant beeped as the energy blasts slammed into his body and bounced off like rubber balls, "We are actually on your side! See, I am an Arkeyan just like you are!"

The robots beeped as they froze in their spots for a moment, all while the blasts they shot flew into the abyss. Their red-eyed stare softened just a bit as they looked over Drill Sergeant, and those red glows shifted colors as all mechanical stares turned to him.

"You see, I am a model ADR-111511, a drilling robot created specifically to act as both a war machine and a resource gatherer," Drill Sergeant explained as he waved his drills in the air, "Surely you must have my serial number registered somewhere in your database?"

The robots beeped and whirred as the lifted their heads to the ceiling, then their eyes settled on a dangerously bright shade of crimson as they pointed their blasters back at Drill Sergeant!

"NO SUCH ROBOT IS REGISTERED IN OUR DATABANKS," the robots proclaimed as they jabbed their charging cannons towards Drill Sergeant, who made a shrill string of beeps and would surely be sweating bullets if he was organic, "NOW PERISH!"

Drill Sergeant screamed and charged away as the energy blasts shot towards him, but those robots weren't going to give up! They immediately bolted after him and shot faster. But while they were so preoccupied with Drill Sergeant, the rest of the team had been completely forgotten in their minds!

Chihiro grinned, then slowly pushed herself off the ground and chuckled. She balled her hand into a fist, then her eyes trailed to a red and gold ray gun blaster about the size of those rocking horse toys they had in playgrounds… And she made a break for it!

"THANKS FOR THE DISTRACTION, DRILL!" Chihiro shouted as she leaped off the ground and landed right on the blaster!

The blaster whirred and spun as it tried to shake Chihiro, but like the rider of a raging bull, she wrapped herself tight around it and held herself steady! So, the blaster tried to shake her with blasts of energy, however, being a blaster with no brain, it didn't seem to comprehend that she wasn't in its line of fire!

Rather, its blasts soared towards the robots that chased after Drill Sergeant! Before the robots even realized what was going on, the blasts slammed into them and blew them to bits! Gnashers and seared bits of metal flew everywhere as smoke crowded the rooms. Then, the gnashers all shuddered and exploded to add another layer of smoke onto that layer!

Chihiro grinned as the sight and sound of explosions blowing up in the distance hit both her eyes and ears, then she untwisted her legs from the underbelly of the blaster and flipped up! The blaster leaned up and got ready to shoot her, but before it could, she summoned a gigantic hammer and smashed it to bits! Chihiro slung her hammer over her shoulder as the smoke finally cleared away, while all around them piles of singed, broken metal and haphazard wiring signified that they had won this match!

"We're all clear, everyone!" Chihiro proclaimed as she waved back to the others, "Let's get moving!"

Everybody else grinned as they got up and got ready to do just that… But the moment they finally started to walk ahead, the entire area was dyed red as ear-shattering sirens blared overhead with such force it pushed everyone to their knees!

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Chihiro cried at the top of her lungs as she held her ears so tight it was like she was about ready to rip them off!

She bit her lip as the sirens and lights got more intense, then as she finally mustered the strength to open her eyes, she screamed and scrambled back!

Hovered above the platforms were massive red and gold choppers, all loaded with Arkeyan robots! Big, round robots with massive cannons for hands, knights dressed in armor and armed with spiky maces, angry scuttlebugs with guns atop their heads… And worse yet, there was enough of them for at least three armies!

The robots all leaped out of the choppers and slammed down into the platforms with such force that some of the heavier ones left craters in the floor, then immediately rushed towards Chihiro, Spyro and Drill Sergeant!

Chihiro gasped, then summoned a pair of magical sunglasses and earplugs as she dodged out the way of a mace's swing! In between dodging she plugged the earplugs in, popped the sunglasses over her eyes, then grinned and teleported away.

"Now that's much better!" Chihiro proclaimed as she summoned a pair of magical swords and sharpened them against each other, "Now… WHO WANTS TO GET CHOPPED UP FIRST?"

Several of the knightlike robots charged towards Chihiro, but she just teleported behind them and stabbed one in the back with her swords! As it exploded and took the other few with it, she dashed off and leaped towards an unsuspecting scuttlebug, then slashed it in half before she turned around and intercepted a mace strike with her swords! The mace and the sword ground against each other for a few moments, then she whipped out her other sword and slashed it against the mace's knight! While the knight stumbled back from shock, Chihiro bolted forward, sprinted up and plunged her swords right into the knight's chest! She yanked the swords out of the knight's chest as it started sparking, then dashed away right as it exploded!

"Man, there's a lot of these things!" Spyro exclaimed as he swept beside Chihiro and shot off a round of fireballs, "If they keep pouring in, I don't know if we'll be able to keep up!"

Spyro gasped and teleported away as an energy blast rocketed straight towards him, then as he reappeared he shot a fireball as hot as the morning sun towards the robot that shot the blast! While it erupted into flames, he finally became worn enough that he fell down to the floor and grunted.

"Spyro!" Chihiro exclaimed as she released her swords and dashed to his side.

As she lifted him up, Spyro just gave her a small smile and lifted his head high.

Chihiro bit her lip as she peeped back at the battlefield, where Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball were giving their all to fight the oncoming swarms of robots. However, even in spite of the intensive way they fought, it was obvious that this fighting was starting to take its toll on them. Their blows had become slower and more scattered, and the breaks between them were filled with labored breaths and sunken shoulders. And yet, the robots didn't seem to relent at all!

In fact, the sounds of helicopter blades ripped across the area and sent massive gusts of wind down as more helicopters flew in!

"There's even more of them?!" Spyro and Chihiro cried as the helicopters draw closer and closer, then they bit their lips as they turned to each other. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they knew what they were going to say.

"I hate to interrupt at such a perilous time," the Weapon Master said as his hologram popped out from nowhere while Spyro and Chihiro both jump from shock, "But you need to hurry! These forces are pouring in from all corners of the vault! At this rate, there will be too many!"

"Yeah, we kinda noticed!" Spyro shouted back as he stood up and flared his wings, "What'll we do now?"

The Weapon Master cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes.

"I've managed to remotely reprogram one of our battlesuit robots, and it's waiting for you at the end of this string of platforms." The Weapon Master clasped his bulky hands together, "If you run now, you should be able to make it before—"

The sound of mechanical grinding rang out across the vault and turned all eyes back to the beginning of the platform's paths, where a red and gold mechanical gate had started to rise!

"The gates! They've started to rise!" The Weapon Master's jaw dropped as it turned back to Spyro and Chihiro, "Hurry, get to that robot! It's your only chance at retrieving the Eternal Magic Source."

Chihiro grunted, then nodded as she staggered to her feet and got ready to bolt for it… But before she could, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball bolted past her!

"Don't worry about it!" Wrecking Ball cried as he hopped along, "You guys keep fighting those robots, we'll go get that Magic Source!"

"Hey, don't leave me behind!" Chihiro shouted as she darted after them, "I'm not going to sit around here and wait for the Source, either!"

Double Trouble, however, just gritted his teeth and whipped around mid-flight! He forced a grin as he waved his hands, then said something that made Chihiro frown and raise an eyebrow.

"I'll be fine, Doubs! Besides, you heard what that Weapon Master said!" Chihiro shouted back as she ran after him, "At this rate, those robots will have us outmatched!"

Double Trouble clenched his forehead and shouted something back, something that only made Chihiro hang her head and frown further.

"Of course I'm sure, Double Trouble!" Chihiro lifted her head as she puffed her cheeks, "You're acting really weird, you know that?"

Double Trouble sputtered something out as his eyes went wide, but before Chihiro could reply a massive blast of air came from a descending helicopter and blew her back!

Chihiro grunted as she tried to stagger up, yet before she could even hop back on her feet, the helicopter parked beside the platform and spat out an entire platoon of sword-wielding robots! The shock from this was enough to send Chihiro right back onto her feet, but she was a little too late as the robots had completely encircled her!

"Of all the rotten…" Chihiro grumbled as she held out her glowing hand while massive winds whipped around her, "I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH YOU BUCKETS OF BOLTS!"

And just like that, miniature hurricanes made of solid purple magic spawned around Chihiro and swept the robots into their storms!

But while those robots were dealt with in no time, even more of them had swarmed Dark Spyro and the other Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! The three of them were completely backed into a corner, their exits walled off by large, bulky Arkeyan Ultrons that shielded them not just from escape, but from anybody else's view, too!

"Ugh, why now, of all times?!" Dark Spyro growled as purple fire burned against his throat, "We've gotta find those clones before they pull something nasty!"

Dark Spyro let out a massive exhale and sent an entire wildfire of purple flames cascading down onto the Ultrons, but the moment the fires hit their metal surfaces, they were completely extinguished! Not that they didn't leave any effect, however, as the Ultrons just whirred while their white light "eyes" turned red!

In a swift second, all the Ultrons had turned their blaster hands on Dark Spyro, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, and judging by the way those blasters screeched, they would fire any second now!

"Oh crap!" Dark cried as he scrambled backwards, then winced as his back hit cold, metal railing.

His eyes drifted down to the massive waters below and for a moment he made another wince, but that wince quickly became a grimace as his eyes fell back on the Ultrons once more. He craned his head up down, around and every which way he could, but it seemed as though nothing provided a viable escape route!… That is, until his eyes fell on the shadows the Ultrons left on the floor!

"There!" Dark Spyro shouted as he grabbed Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble's shoulders!

With one bound, he dove into the shadows and all three of them disappeared right as the Ultrons fired! As the Ultrons' blasts hit nothing but solid metal, Dark slunk across the floors and well out of their reach, then popped his head out of the shadows and gasped as the fake Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball wove their way towards the rising gate!

"Not on my watch!" Dark cried as he dunked his head back into the shadows and dashed off in hot pursuit!

Behind him, Chihiro grimaced and held her arms in front of her chest as she magically dug her feet into the ground, all while the tornadoes she had crafted raged around her at twice their prior size and spat the broken remains of Arkeyan robots everywhere they turned! With another shudder she knelt down and dug her heels further as the tornadoes all exploded in one united, powerful blast, then as the wind settled and she could finally look around…

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball had left her in the dust! They had already hopped over the gate and went on their merry way! Chihiro grunted, then she dashed towards the gate, grabbed onto its bars and vaulted herself over it before she made pursuit!

"Hey, Chi!" Spyro shouted as he flew forward, "Wait for us!"

"Indeed, sir!" Drill Sergeant proclaimed as he charged forward.

Spyro and Drill Sergeant both raced forward as the gate drew higher and higher before them, but right before they could reach it, a bunch of robots rushed in front of them with weapons at the ready! Spyro stepped back and grimaced as the robots charged… Then Drill Sergeant powered forward and charged right back! As Drill Sergeant tossed the robots off their feet and into the air, Spyro mowed them down with an entire wave of burning fire!

Drill Sergeant swerved right around to where the back of the robot crowds had started to catch up, then flipped out his laser blasters and narrowed his mechanical eyebrows.

"You may want to get out of the way, sir!" Drill Sergeant beeped, "This next laser will be a blast!"

Spyro jumped up and flew towards the ceiling, and just in time, too! Right as he hit the skies, Drill Sergeant fired out a laser blast so great it even pushed him back!

The laser shot through the crowds of charging robots and burnt them to piles of ashes, and even those ashes didn't stay long as the helicopters' wind blew them away in a twister of dust!

Spyro leaped back down to the floor and charged back towards the gate with Drill Sergeant, right as the gate came dangerously close to touching the ceiling! Would they make it?… Unfortunately, they didn't, because just as they came inches closer, its top slammed into the ceiling and formed a magical dome around the platform! Spyro snarled and gritted his fangs as he charged into the gate, but it was so strong that it just blew him back! He grunted as he tumbled onto his back and leaned up, then sighed and rubbed his head.

"Allow me, sir!" Drill Sergeant proclaimed as he leaned forward and revved his engines, "After all, I was licensed to drill!"

With one last rev, Drill Sergeant charged forward and slammed right into the gate! Though he pushed his hardest against the gate, and with such intensity that flaming sparks flew everywhere, all it did was make the gate's metal bars hotter! Seems as though he wasn't strong enough on his own to take it down.

So, Spyro held out his paws while they glowed with a purple light, then slammed them on Drill Sergeant and drew back as Drill Sergeant glowed with a violet aura! This violet aura glowed brighter and stronger while the rev of Drill Sergeant's engine grew more intense, and with a new force he drew back and slammed drills-first into the gate once more! Dust kicked up all around as he pushed and charged against the gate, all while Spyro watched with concern in his golden eyes...

But while they were trying to bust through the gate, Chihiro had pushed well past it as she pursued Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball!

"Hey, Doubs, Wrecks, wait up!" Chihiro cried as she bolted down the string of golden pathways, then grunted and fell to her knees, "Man, when did they get so fast?"

Chihiro groaned as she held her tired, dizzy head, then pulled herself back up and frowned. Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball had completely disappeared from the path ahead in the moment she had taken to rest, it had seemed. Chihiro staggered back to full height and got ready to run… But before she could, the lights that hovered over the railing sank down into it and were replaced with blasters!

Chihiro gasped as they all whirred and got ready to fire, then just as they shot their blasts, Chihiro leaped off the floor and grinned! Down below her, the energy blasts conversed into one big blob that merged together, then exploded and wiped out the middle chunk of the blasters! Chihiro chuckled as she fell down to the floor, then snapped her fingers and grinned as a ring of magical shields revolved around her! Chihiro dashed further ahead as the blasters shot at her, but their blasts only bounced off of her shields and were returned to sender! The blasters exploded to bits as their energy blasts were thrown back at them, though Chihiro only gave them slight glances as she leaped forward and slammed down into the ground ahead.

"Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball, you here?" Chihiro shouted as her shields released around here, "Come on, guys, you couldn't have just vanished into thin air!"

But while Chihiro wandered forward and called for them, what she didn't notice was that they were closer than she had thought! Just above her, hidden behind a large stack of red and gold blocks, were none other than Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! They both grinned and fixed their eyes on Chihiro as Wrecking Ball licked his lips and opened his mouth, fully ready to shoot his tongue out… But before he could, that same black blast zoomed past and spun him around!

Wrecking Ball snarled as he dug his grubby paws into the floor and slowed to a stop.

"Hey, what was that all about?!" Wrecking Ball huffed, narrow eyes and bared fangs and all… Then he stopped and shuddered as his antenna stood on their ends. "Wait, that strange presence, I feel it again!"

"What are you talking about?!" Double Trouble whispered as he waved his staff towards the other side of the platform, "The only strange presence I feel is that—"

Right before Double Trouble could finish, however, the black blast charged right into him with such force that it tossed him right into Wrecking Ball! The two of them screamed as they both slammed back into the railing, then Double Trouble popped open his eyes and stammered as he pointed his staff upwards with shaky hands!

"Oh, you better have felt me!" Cried Dark Spyro's raspy, rage-filled voice filtered to hold the voices of a thousand as that black blast morphed into a large, draconic shadow, "You may have gotten away from me last time, but you've got nowhere to run now!"

The shadow warbled and shuddered for moments, then Dark Spyro leaped out from the shadow's grip and headbutted Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble! As they cried out in pain, he leaped back and snarled while purple flames sparked and popped at his lips.

Double Trouble cleared his throat and spat out words of shock as he pointed his staff right towards Dark, while Wrecking Ball winced and massaged his forehead with his tongue. Then, as Wrecking Ball popped his eyes open, he gasped and fell to all fours! Dark Spyro's burning red eyes had fixed on him, and he knew that he was Dark's next target! So, he gulped and whimpered as his eyes grew round and teary like a begging puppy.

"Dark, Dark, why are you being so mean?" Wrecking Ball asked as his voice started to crack, "I thought we were friends!"

"Oh, quit the act!" Dark Spyro's snarl deepened while the fires at his muzzles burned brighter and bolder, "You're not the real Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble and we all know it!"

Dark took a step forward, then a second as he narrowed his eyebrows while the flames around his mouth morphed into a full-on fireball!

"You're Kaos's clones trying to sneak the Eternal Magic Source out from under out noses, but you're not getting that chance! I'll knock your lights out before you do!"

Dark's brow tightened while his fireball burned as bright as the sun, something that didn't exactly go unnoticed as Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble squealed and clung to each other! A low growl grew into a rumbling cry of war as the fireball came just inches away from flying off…

"Wrecking Ball!" Chihiro cried in the distance, "Double Trouble! Where'd you go?"

And just like that, Dark's tight gaze loosened in a split second while the fireball perched at his muzzle completely vanished into sparks and faint, lavender embers!

"Chihiro!" Dark Spyro gasped as his eyes went wide! He stood frozen for mere moments as Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble cackled behind him, then he glared and whipped back towards the path below. "I've gotta warn her!"

Right before Dark Spyro could hit Chihiro's line of sight, though, Double Trouble teleported in front of Dark Spyro! Dark Spyro gasped again and stumbled backwards, but unfortunately for him, that moment of shock was all Double Trouble needed to slam Dark Spyro in the gut with his staff and toss Dark back into his shadow portal! Double Trouble smirked and propped his staff up as the shadow portal vanished in a puff of black smoke, then he and Wrecking Ball spun out into Chihiro's view and grinned down at her.

"There you guys are!" Chihiro exclaimed as she waved to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "I was looking for you, you know!"

Chihiro yelped and jumped away as a blast of energy zipped just inches away from her, then scoffed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Now, give me a hand here! These stupid blasters just don't know when to quit!"

As Chihiro whipped around and shot off a round of magic spheres that blew up blasters in a row, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball just grimaced at each other… Then they screamed and jumped a foot in the sky as a blaster shot right towards them! Double Trouble whipped out his staff, blasted the offending blaster down with a magic laser, and breathed a sigh of relief as he and Wrecking Ball fell back down to the floor. They seemed a bit hesitant to join in as Chihiro blasted down blasters and dodged their blows, then they shuddered and froze alongside everyone else as a massive crash shook the entire vault!

Just back down the path, Spyro and Drill Sergeant bolted up the pathway while an entire crowd of robots tailed them! And those robots didn't seem very happy, given that with every chance they got they shot and swung at Spyro and Drill Sergeant!

"Come on!" Spyro shouted as he dashed up to Chihiro and looked up at her for a split second, then bolted ahead, "We've got no time to waste!"

"Right!" Chihiro exclaimed with a nod.

Chihiro was quick to follow after Spyro and Drill Sergeant, while Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble shrugged before they followed in pursuit!

They all panted so hard their chests trembled as they bolted up the steep final path, while lead to a tall platform that loomed over a giant, red and gold humanoid robot! Surely, this was the robot the Weapon Master had prepared for them! Their panting came to a close as they finally hit the center, then turned around as the Weapon Master's hologram flickered on beside them.

"Thank the Ancients you've arrived," the Weapon Master said as he unfolded his clasped hands, "Now, before you get in, I will explain to you—"

"Sorry buddy, but we don't have time for an explanation!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed back to the oncoming swarm of robots who were already starting to scale the path, "We've kinda got an angry mob on our hands!"

Before the Weapon Master could say anything else, Chihiro bounded forward and leaped right into the open head of the robot, followed by Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball, and… A thin shadow? Whatever it was, it managed to sneak in right before the head's hatch closed shut!

As the hatch hissed above them, everybody paused and drank in the robot's control room. After all, with the fancy red silk floors and shiny red and gold walls that looked more like polished jewels than metal, it didn't exactly have the kind of feeling one would expect from a control room! But, the simple metal chair and massive control panel that stretched across the front and was equipped with so many bells and whistles it was nearly incomprehensible said otherwise. Above that panel, a long, rectangular glass window acted as a view to the outside world, a view shielded from the robotic wrath outside!

Chihiro grinned as she dashed forward and immediately leaped to the control panel, her eyes transfixed by all the bells and whistles… But her joy quickly faded as she scanned the buttons and levels with a twitchy frown.

"Alright, which one of these starts this thing, anyways?" Chihiro asked as her finger hovered over the panel while she herself jumped from spot to spot, "This one? This one? That one kinda looks promising…"

"Actually, it's none of those," the Weapon Master explained as his hologram popped out from the leftmost side of the control panel, "It's this large, red button over here."

Chihiro peered over to the button the Weapon Master pointed at, then giggled and gently hit herself in the head. "Duh! Why didn't I see that one before?"

Chihiro jabbed the button, and in an instant the robot whirred to life! The lights that hung from the ceiling above gently glowed and added a sort of warm atmosphere as the robot's control room as it trudged away from the platform…

"But can't this thing go any faster?" Chihiro asked as she laid her elbows on the few bare spots of the control panel and frowned.

"That is what the control sticks are for," the Weapon Master replied as he gestured to two large joysticks, "Just grab them and push them forward!"

Chihiro giggled as she rubbed her hands, then latched them onto the joysticks and pushed them forward!

As she did this, the robot leaned down as it moved from a trudge, to a brisk walk, and before they knew it was full-on sprinting across the vault's hallways with such speed that water splashed against the walls! Huh, so that's what that greenish-blue stuff below was.

Chihiro grinned as the robot ran well away from the Arkeyan robot forces, but that grin quickly faded away as she turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball.

"Something about them seems kinda off, and not in a good way… But what, exactly?" Chihiro whispered as she narrowed her eyes, then those eyes trailed over to the walls, where a vaguely dragonlike shadow lurched in what seemed like pain before it dashed off and vanished, "Wait, did that shadow move on its own?"

Chihiro turned her gaze back to Spyro, but he hadn't moved from the spot where he was talking with Drill Sergeant.

"So, what was with that thing?"

Chihiro frowned and hummed for a few moments, then finally smiled and shook her head.

"Eh, I was probably just seeing things," Chihiro whispered as she shrugged it off and went back to piloting the robot, though that slight frown of concern stayed stuck to her face still…

§

Outside, the robot bounded and spun and skipped with such speed and strength that it sent water splashing all around the tunnels, and yet it still held an almost childlike glee to it as it bounced and leaped across the vaults! As for why, well, this was made apparent the moment one peeked inside and took a look at the pilot…

"WOO-HOO, WOW!" Chihiro cried so loudly that her cries echoed around the halls and reverberated in the tunnels, "I'M PILOTING AN ACTUAL GIANT ROBOT!"

From within the robot's piloting room, Chihiro sat tight in the pilot's chair, her eyes wide as she gripped the joysticks as hard as she could. Her grin stretched from cheek to cheek as she bounded through the halls, completely oblivious to Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's shouts of shock and fear as the fierce movements of the robot tossed them all around the pilot's room!

"To think, I'd be here, piloting a giant robot down the halls, almost like…" Chihiro giggled as she kicked her legs against her seat in rapid motion, "No, this is just like Dungam!"

Meanwhile, Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Drill Sergeant all groaned as they rolled across the floor in a ball and slammed against one of the nearby walls! They all cried in unison as they smashed headfirst into the warm metal, then as they popped off the wall they grumbled and stumbled away on shaky legs.

"Was robot-sickness a part of Dungam too?" Spyro groaned as his legs gave out and plopped him back down on the floor.

"ONLY IN THE FINALE!" Chihiro whipped around and grinned, then turned her attention back to the front, "NOW HOLD ON TIGHT, I'M GOING FULL-THROTTLE!"

Chihiro let out some very disconcertingly excited giggles as she pushed the joysticks the furthest they could go, giggles that only continued as the robot's inner chamber shook and rumbled!

Outside, the robot took one last leap into the air, then its feet transformed into fully-functional rocket blasters! The rocket blasters spat out black smoke and sputtered for a moment before finally, they burst into life as massive blue and purple-tinged flames blew from their open sockets! And with these new flames came blazing speeds! The robot turned to a functional rocket as it blazed a trail down the halls, while its flames grew so massive that they burned against the watery floors below and left a massive trail of steam behind!

The scenery around became a total blur, but Chihiro didn't seem to mind at all as she pushed the joysticks! It didn't even matter that the wind pressed against her and tossed her hair everywhere, or that her lips flapped in the wind from the intensity of how fast they were going! Her laughter turned to the full-on shrill cackles of a pure adrenaline rush as she dashed forward and burst out of the tunnels!

Though, the same couldn't be said for Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball as they were pinned to the back of the room from the sheer force! Heck, even the world around them seemed to suffer from Chihiro's speedy piloting, as the panels around rumbled and shook while the shadows seemed to scream as they took on shapes that vaguely resembled dragons and people and round something or others crying in pain as they were smashed together...

"LOOK OUT!" Spyro cried as he pointed to a massive panel that blocked off part of the way ahead!

Chihiro's pure excitement came to a screeching stop as she ducked the robot down right in time for Spyro and Double Trouble to slam face-first into the control panel's base! They both groaned as they slid down with nice little impressions on their faces, while Chihiro just chuckled as sweat dripped down her windburned brow.

"Okay, maybe I've been enjoying this pilot thing a little too much…" Chihiro chuckled as she leaned down and gently rubbed her fingers against Spyro's head, "Don't worry, it'll be smooth sailing from here on out!"

While Spyro and Double Trouble shook off their surprise blow, Chihiro pulled the joysticks back to neutral and gently smiled as the robot drifted back down into the water. While the robot grew just inches away from getting its feet wet, those rocket thrusters shifted back into proper feet and crashed back down into the waves with a massive splash! As the water rained back down into its ocean body, Chihiro pushed the joysticks just a tiny bit forward and sent the robot on a nice little stroll into the next hall.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking~" Chihiro said in her best airline captain impression as she held the joysticks tight, "We are currently en route to the Eternal Magic Source, the skies are clear…"—Chihiro frowned and looked up—"Well, I guess? I mean, there aren't really any skies in a place like this…"

Chihiro shook her head and looked ahead, where once again they found themselves traveling through a round, tunnel-like hallway, this time decorated with fancy runic inscriptions that glowed like fireflies in the night—a light that was only accentuated by how dull and dark the tunnels around were, for all that lit them beside the runes were some dulling white spotlights overhead.

"The time is probably sometime in the afternoon right now, I don't know if there are any in-travel snacks, but I hope there are. All this pilot talk is giving me a weird craving for peanuts! If you have any questions, please direct them to me, your pilot…"

Double Trouble grunted as he sat back up, then floated up and gestured towards the control panel as he said something to Chihiro.

"Oh, you wanna know where the Eternal Magic Source is?" Chihiro turned to Double Trouble, then giggled and shrugged, "Yeah, I'd like to know too!"

Chihiro turned her attention back to the mess of buttons and levers that made up the control panel, then grinned and pressed a chartreuse colored one. "I wonder if one of these buttons has a map…"

However, that button didn't bring up any sort of map! Rather, it caused a disco ball to pop out of the ceiling from nowhere! As its lights spotted the world around in shades of rainbow while confetti rained down from open tiles in the ceiling, Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Drill Sergeant all looked up and frowned.

"Nope, doesn't seem like that one did anything!" Chihiro said as she pressed a bright pink button instead, "Maybe this one?"

However, while that one got rid of the disco ball and halted the raining confetti, it still didn't bring up a map! Rather, a gigantic vacuum emerged from the ceiling and started to rumble as it sucked up everything down below! Everybody else screamed as they were drawn into the storm, then one by one, Spyro, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball latched onto Drill Sergeant while Drill Sergeant tried his hardest to charge away!

"NOPE!" Chihiro cried as she pressed a third button that sent the vacuum back inside… But not before it spat out a gigantic pile of peanuts that were probably thousands of years past their expiration date.

Chihiro frowned and sniffed the air. "Are those peanuts I smell?"

Double Trouble, meanwhile, popped his head out of the peanut pile and clawed his way out while everyone else struggled their way out, but just as he escaped, he was swept away by cleaning robots thanks to another unfortunate button press from Chihiro!

"This one? This one? That lever seems promising…"

Chihiro's frantic button pressing continued with gusto, but nothing she pressed seemed to bring up a potential map! They created cake, popped seats in and out of the floor, sent mechanical spiders dropping down from the ceilings and much more… But once again, nothing brought the map she sought.

"Geez, these controls sure do a whole lot of nothing!" Chihiro scoffed as she puffed her cheeks and stretched her finger towards a golden button, "Maybe the twentieth time's the charm!"

Before she could press the button, however, Double Trouble barged his way out of a swarm of stampeding robots, then grabbed Chihiro's arm and spat out something as he shook her arm with all his might!

"Wait, you changed your mind?" Chihiro asked as she turned back to him and shrugged, "Well, suit yourself!"

So, Chihiro grabbed back onto the joysticks and pressed them just forward enough that the robot moved into a brisk run, one fast enough to get them through the tunnels but not so fast it sent everyone splatting into the walls. Everybody else breathed sighs of relief behind her, but Chihiro didn't seem nearly as pleased as she looked outside.

Then again, she couldn't entirely be blamed for her discontent. After all, all around they had been met with completely identical sights that seemed to mix together and make it impossible to discern whether they were running around in circles or not. Every step they took had them pass by identical halls and identical waterways and identical… Helicopters?

Chihiro paused, then turned to her side and frowned as a trio of Arkeyan helicopters hovered in the air beside her, all leaned forward like angry wasps ready to strike.

"Wait, when'd those choppers get here?" Chihiro asked, before she shrugged and grinned, "Well, it's not like it matters anyways! With this robot, they'll never know we were sneaking our way in!"

So, Chihiro jiggled one joystick left and right, while outside the robot paused and waved at the helicopters… But they didn't particularly seem to like that greeting, as they instead readied their cannons and shot blasts of solid energy right at the robot instead! While these energy blasts slammed into the robot's hand with such force that its entire arm swung backwards, Chihiro gasped and pulled back on the robot's joysticks so that it clumsily stumbled forwards.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Chihiro's eye twitched as the copters hovered in front of her and prepared to shoot once again, "We've got a robot, we're on your side!"—Chihiro clenched her teeth and looked aside—"Well, not really but…"

"ATTENTION ALL FORCES!" Boomed a gritty, mechanical voice that echoed all around, "THERE HAS BEEN A ROUGE BATTLESUIT ROBOT SPOTTED MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE ARMORY. I REPEAT, THERE HAS BEEN A ROGUE BATTLESUIT ROBOT SPOTTED MAKING ITS WAY THOUGH…"

"… Ah."

Chihiro grimaced as holes in the walls around slid open and unveiled entire armies of robots, all of which readied their weapons and fixed their aim on the robot! But, the robot was so big, and even with their many numbers, these robots were so small that surely they wouldn't even leave a dent, right? Wrong! Their combined blasts leaped out from their guns, blasters and cannons and merged into one massive blast that slammed right into the robot's chest and blew it backwards!

Everyone grunted and screamed as the sudden blow sent then all flying backwards, save for Chihiro who stayed stuck to the pilot's seat! Chihiro grunted as the robot finally settled and gripped the joysticks as tight as she could with her clammy, sweaty palms, then snarled and furrowed her brows.

"You wanna fight, you hunks of scrap?" Chihiro shouted as she pushed the robot further ahead, "ALRIGHT, I'LL GIVE YOU A FIGHT!"

Chihiro pushed the joysticks as far ahead as she could, and in response the robot leaped into the air and switched to its rocket-thruster feet once more!

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

The robot soared ahead towards the robotic armies, then stopped and hovered in midair as it punched and swatted at the robots… And screeched aside as another gigantic mass of energy whizzed past it!

Chihiro gasped and froze for a moment as the energy blast disappeared into the abyss, but not for long! The sound of ear-splitting screeches rang all around as another energy blast hurtled her way, and in respond she slid right, then screamed and flipped away as a trio of energy blasts shot towards her!

"Crap, with all these things firing at once, there's no way I'll be able to get a good punch in!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned back to the control panel, "C'mon, if this is a giant robot, there's gotta be some cannons or laser blasters or something in here? Right, I mean, Dungam had some, I think!"

Chihiro grimaced as she glazed over the leftmost side of the control panel, then finally smacked a fist against an onyx black button!

In response, the robot held out its arms, and its clenched fists receded back into its metallic body in exchange for functional laser cannons! The laser cannons screeched with energy as their centers glowed with a bright white light, then in mere seconds they shot off massive beams that completely incinerated at least a third of the armies!

"ALRIGHT!" Chihiro pumped a fist to the ceiling and grinned, "NOW WE'RE TALKING!"

Chihiro grinned as she rapidly jammed the button, and in response orbs of pure laser light scattered through the crowds and exploded! The explosions burst around the room while robots and copters alike were blown to bits and sent sinking into the oceans. But unfortunately, that was far from the end of the fight!

As the robots' armies started to dwindle and looked small enough to charge through, the ceilings and walls opened up again and sent even more robots charging out! And much more worryingly, these robots were even bigger than before!

Chihiro winced, then got ready to slam her button again… But before she could, a massive blast of energy charged right for her! Chihiro gasped as she veered left, then dashed right as another wave of massive lasers seared her last spot, but even that was only a moment's rest. Right while she was parked underneath there, another fleet of robots emerged from the bottom of the floor and shot a blaze of lasers at her!

Chihiro screeched as she yanked the joysticks up and made the robot jump in midair, then split its legs just in time for the lasers to pass right between their gap! As she fell back to the ground with a massive splash that sent a crashing wave over the robots, Chihiro grinned and slammed that big black button once more.

Once again the robot lifted its arms and got ready to shoot… But out from the armies' waves, a white light emerged and turned to a massive laser beam that shot just inches away from the robot's head!

Chihiro winced and ducked, but as she did, the blast she had charged veered off course and blew right into the wall! As it smashed into the wall and exploded, Chihiro grimaced and slammed the buttons a few more times in rapid succession, then held her robot's arms out and got ready to shoot. But, before the blasts could fire, her opponent opened fire first! As she wove through their swarms of lasers and magic blasts, Chihiro's own blasts flew way off target and disappeared into the distance!

"Crap, there's no way I can pilot this thing and fight at the same time!" Chihiro exclaimed as she wrapped her hands tighter around the joysticks, "These guys're way too persistent!"

"Let me try, then!" Spyro exclaimed he jumped to the control panel!

He scanned over the panels as his eyes flashed orange, then all at once several buttons pressed themselves!

The robot whirred and clunked as it completely froze in place, its stop so surprising that it caught everyone around completely off-guard, then the robot raised its arms… And with a string of loud booms as the signal, an entire barrage of weaponry shot out from the robot! Rockets, flying mechanical fists, and lasers all blasted out from the robot's body and swarmed towards the robotic armies that opposed him, and they were so large and plentiful that the robots couldn't even fight back! They could only stare as the oncoming swarm crashed into them and blew them to bits!

Chihiro and Spyro cheered as they high-fived each other, then Chihiro turned her attention back to the windshield and grunted.

The next wave of robot soldiers had already started to pour in, but Chihiro wasn't going to waste any more time with them! She leaned the joysticks forward, and in response the robot leaned forward and dashed right past them! Chihiro grinned and chuckled as the robot kept running… Then screamed as something blasted the robot in the back and pushed everyone forward!

"What was that?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she spun the robot's joysticks around, "Don't tell me it's those guys!"

The robot skidded against the floor and spun around, and unfortunately, it was found that it was those guys. A platoon of helicopters had tailed the robot down the halls, and the blasters underneath them were charged and ready to fire!

Spyro snarled as he turned back to the control panel and started smacking as many buttons as he could, and in response the robot shot off its artillery once more… But these helicopters were sleeker than the others! They just flew out of the way and went back to shooting as the dodged attacks exploded behind them! Spyro winced and immediately went back to the panel, but before he could press a thing, the robot took another nasty blow and he was pushed face-first onto the console once more!

"Allow me to help, sir!" Drill Sergeant exclaimed as he wheeled up to the console and tried to push the buttons… Except, he ran into a problem as well! He had no fingers, only drills for hands, and they unfortunately didn't offer the force for button pressing! All he could do was haplessly poke the buttons that refused to go down!

Drill Sergeant made a noise that vaguely sounded like a whimper as he held up his drills. "Oh dear, it seems as though I have forgotten to calculate beforehand."

Double Trouble sputtered out something as he pushed Drill Sergeant aside and pressed as many buttons as he could, while Wrecking Ball bounced onto the control panel and started smacking buttons as well, they they both grinned as their onslaught shot down a couple of helicopters! They immediately jumped back to the panel and scanned for more buttons to press… But as Wrecking Ball reached for a lever with his tongue, Double Trouble shot him a glare and shouted at him!

"Double Trouble, what are talking about?" Wrecking Ball shouted as he folded his tongue back into his mouth, "This is one of the attacking levers!"

Double Trouble just shouted something back as he shook his staff at Wrecking Ball.

"OF COURSE I DO WHAT I'M DOING, YOU BUFFOON! ALL THESE BUTTONS SHOOT THINGS, WHY WOULDN'T THE LEVERS DO THE SAME?" Wrecking Ball snarled as he bounced up and down, "YOU NEVER BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU I CAN HANDLE THINGS! JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW TO CAST FANCY SPELLS—"

Right in the midst of his temper tantrum, Wrecking Ball's eyes popped open and he found Spyro and Drill Sergeant staring right at him with wide, shocked eyes!

As his jaw dropped open, however, Chihiro dashed between them with frantic speed!

"Guys, quit staring at everything!" Chihiro cried as she slammed her hands down on the control panel and scanned its contents, "Those copters are getting ready to fire, find something!"

And so they did, as they rushed across the panels and pressed, pulled and toyed with as many controls as they could… But, they had run into a problem! No matter what they pressed, all they got was a faint clicking and clunking noise!

"No way, don't tell me we're out of ammo!" Spyro exclaimed as he scratched his head, "At a time like this?"

Chihiro's brow twitched as a snarl formed on her face, then with a hiss she balled her hands into fists and slammed them against the console with so much force that it caught everybody's attention!

"OH, FORGET THIS!" Chihiro yelled as she jiggled the joysticks every which way, "TAKE THIS, YOU STUPID ROBOTS!"

And as the joysticks flailed and bounced all around, the robot's arms flailed in response! It spun around and slapped down entire rows and platforms of robots, tossed copters into the seas, smashed into the walls… It was chaos abound! But, it did get rid of their little robot assault, at least!

As Chihiro burst through the last of the robots, she spun the joystick in a circle and turned around her robot's head to find the last of the metallic armies as they dropped into the water!

"Phew, that was a close one!" Chihiro remarked as she wiped her forehead, "For a minute, I thought we wouldn't make it out of there alive!"

But while Chihiro was catching her breath, the ceiling above them started to shudder…

"I wouldn't hold your breath just yet, Chi!" Spyro cried as he pointed to the window, "Look!"

There, back at the beginning of their rampage, the ceiling started to completely crumble and cave in! And it wasn't the only part, either, for the entire ceiling had smashed down into the water in rapid succession!

As the rapid destruction grew closer and closer to them, Chihiro screamed while her eyes practically popped out of her head! A rapid spin on her end turned the robot's head back around to the front as it rushed ahead, further and further away from the sounds of destruction… But while they ran ahead, the caving ceiling came just as fast!

"It's catching up!" Wrecking Ball cried as the rumble grew so strong that it shook the world around him, "We won't make it!"

"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!" Chihiro cried as she slammed the joysticks forward, "FULL THROTTLE!"

The robot took a few bounds forward, then as it took one last massive leap in the air, its feet changed back to thrusters and it zoomed out of the collapsing tunnel! The shaking of the tunnel only grew more prominent as it zoomed back out, while everyone save for Chihiro was flung to the very front of control room and smashed face-first into its base!… Not that this was more of a concern than escaping the oncoming cave-in at the moment.

With guns blazing, the robot burst out of the tunnel right as the last bit of the ceiling completely caved and buried the tunnel behind in a landslide of broken metal and rock, the finally it stopped and hovered in midair.

"Okay…" Chihiro panted as she drew the joysticks back to neutral while the robot floated back down into the watery depths, "Now we're safe."

Everybody joined Chihiro in panting and wiping their damp faces as they peered outside the windshield.

The sights of water and endless dark tunnels from before had been swapped for open rooms and chambers cased in walls decorated with red and gold carved metal and intricate mechanical platforms. Empty carts on conveyor belts hovered above them as they traveled their usual paths, while just in front of them a series of mechanical platforms spun around volcanoes that spewed sparkling, purple lava! It looked so mysterious and welcoming all the same, so transfixing that one could just watch it forever…

But, that didn't seem to matter much to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball as they shuddered beside Chihiro.

"Hey, what's up, you two?" Chihiro asked as she leaned over, "Robot-sickness?"

Double Trouble just frantically shook his head and gestured out to the open world before them, all while Chihiro pursed her lips and hummed.

"Wait, you sense some magic presence thingie?" Chihiro repeated as her eyebrows quirked, "That's gotta mean…"

"Yes, indeed," the Weapon Master said as his holograph popped out from the control panel, "Just beyond this stretch is the vault where the Eternal Magic Source is kept."

Chihiro grinned as she kicked her feet against the console's base and pumped her arms in the air. "YEAH, BABY! IT WON'T BE LONG NOW!"

"Er, please, calm down!" The Weapon Master shuddered and sputtered as his hologram flickered in and out from the sudden shocks, "This will be far from easy!"

Chihiro froze, then let her arms and legs fall down as she leaned forward.

"Given the importance of such a treasure, the security up ahead is some of the strongest we have here in this vault. You will have to be very careful going forward—"

"Eh, don't worry about it, we'll be fine!" Chihiro waved her hands and grinned, "I've got this giant robot piloting thing down pat!"—Chihiro winked as she shot a fingergun at the Weapon Master's hologram, "I watched Dungam, after all!"

"Were you not screaming and panicking just moments ago, sir?" Drill Sergeant asked as he slanted his brows and gave Chihiro the most tired stare a robot could muster.

But, Chihiro just shrugged and grinned as she paraded through the room, then she reached out for a dial on the control panel.

"Y'know, I wonder if this thing has a radio?" Chihiro whispered as she gently cranked the dial.

As she cranked away, a jaunty, triumphant tune blasted out from a speaker nearby! Chihiro giggled and leaned back in her seat as the robot marched in time with the tune's blasting trumpets and rolling drums, until a volcano ahead spewed out a rain of purple lava and forced her to pull back!

"Man, they really they really don't mess around here!" Chihiro exclaimed before she lowered her head, "Well, if I was guarding something like the Eternal Magic Source, I suppose I wouldn't mess around, either."

Chihiro gripped her joysticks tight as she got ready to press forward, then squeaked and drew back into neutral as she realized just what lied ahead!

Beyond the pools of water they sloshed through at the moment, a waterfall made of cooled, dark violet rock that hissed with stream bridged the way between a river made entirely of that same hot, purple lava!

While the volcanoes ahead of them continued to spew hot, steaming purple lava that streamed down into the path ahead and trickled over the massive, purple igneous rock barrier, Chihiro frowned and brushed her hand against the console.

"Maybe this thing's lava-proof?" Chihiro asked as she grabbed the joysticks, "Well, doesn't hurt to check!"

Chihiro gripped the joysticks tight, then pressed them forward and tapped the igneous rock bridge with the robot's foot… But she seemed to have pressed it maybe a little too hard, because she ended up smashing a foot-sized hole in the igneous rock barrier! Lava spewed out from the hole and poured over the robot's foot, which in turn started to melt away from the sheer heat of the lava!

Chihiro screamed and drew back as the lava continued to spit out from the hole and rain into the water, then gasped as steam flooded into the room! Chihiro grunted and pressed a button atop the joystick to wipe the robot's windshield clean, then with its windshield cleared of steam, Chihiro turned her attention down to the floor and backed away further.

The lava had begun to eat up the water as it pooled around the floors and ate away at the walls. If this kept up, surely the entirely place would be absorbed by the lava!

"We've gotta get out of here…" Chihiro said as she gripped her joysticks tighter and winced, "But how? There's no way I'll be able to get through all this lava like this!"

"Then perhaps," said the Weapon Master as his hologram popped up and glazed over the control panel, "It is time to utilize full-pilot mode!"

"Full-pilot mode?" Chihiro pulled the robot back further as the lava started to spread further, "What the heck is that?"

The Weapon Master said no words, and instead gestured to a bright, shiny gold button that popped out from a seemingly-empty slot in the control panel's rightmost side.

"Press this button and you will find out."

Chihiro giggled and wiggled her fingers as she hovered over the button and absorbed its bright, shiny glow, almost like it was beckoning for her. "Well, I do like pressing buttons!"

"Wait, Chi!" Spyro shouted as he whipped his head around, "I'm not sure that's—"

Well, Spyro was too late to dissuade her, for before he even finished Chihiro slammed the button down!

At first, nothing really seemed to happen… Then the whole room around them shook while the ceiling folded away and unveiled a massive, shadowy hole, much to everyone's shock as they stopped what they were doing in an instant!

"A hole?" Chihiro asked as she lifted her head up, "What does that have to do with piloting?"—Chihiro frowned for a bit more, then pulled her head down as her seat started to shake—"Hey, what's going on with my—"

Just like that, the seat sprung out of the floor, and in the process tossed Chihiro well out of the seat's comfort and up into the hole!

"SEAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!"

Chihiro screamed as she shot higher and higher into the air, then finally hit her head on the ceiling and crashed down right as the hole folded back into the floor. She groaned as she rubbed her head, while now had a nice little bruise on it, then with a rub of a magic-coated hand the bruise receded back into her head.

"Mmm, talk about a rough landing…" Chihiro whispered as she stood up and looked around, "Say, where am I, anyways?"

That was a good question. After all, the strange new room that Chihiro had been flung into looked absolutely nothing like the control room down below! The metal here was a stark, pearly white fitted with glowing silver veins of what seemed like some kind of liquid, a distinct contrast from the warm red and gold of before. There was no control panels, seats, or any other sort of fancy decoration, either. Even the windshield was gone, and in lieu of it resided some kind of grainy, holographic screen that depicted the world outside… Which was filling up fast with purple lava!

"CRAP!" Chihiro cried as she stepped back, "I'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!"

Chihiro whipped her head around every which way in search of something that would activate this so-called full-pilot mode—a button, a switch, a lever, anything! But, nothing could be seen aside from those stark white walls and liquid-filled tubes, and that didn't exactly ease her worries any as she bounced around and frantically ruffled her hair.

"HOW DO YOU ACTIVATE THIS FULL-PILOT MODE, ANYWAYS?!"

Chihiro turned back to the growing lava pool and winced, then gasped and froze as the stark, white world around her was dyed in a gentle, rainbow-hued light! She let out a soft breath as she turned her head up, then squeaked as some robotic arm leaped out from the walls and pushed her right into the center of the room!

"Hey, what's going on here?" Chihiro asked as she stumbled forwards and flailed her arms around. As she turned back to full height, Chihiro turned back just in time to catch the robotic hand recede back into the wall, while twin, mechanical orbs that vaguely resembled eyes flew out in its place!

"Activating, activating, activating…" The two orbs droned as they swirled around Chihiro and shot out beams of cyan light that scanned her all over.

Chihiro gasped and swerved around as she tried to catch sight of just what these orbs were doing, then finally came to a standstill right as their laser beams receded.

"Pilot identified, retrieving full-pilot suit."

With a robotic warble, a series of cyan laser rings beamed down from the ceiling and right around Chihiro, then shrank until they disappeared completely just as they wrapped around her body! Chihiro blinked and looked down as the round panel below her feet glowed with a cyan light… Then screamed as the light erupted from the panel and engulfed her!

Everything around turned white and blinding, so bright that Chihiro had to shield her eyes for a few moments. Then, as the light faded, Chihiro popped those eyes back open and grunted as she looked back down to her outfit, which now had a strange cyan glow… Except, it wasn't her outfit anymore!

Instead of her usual clothes, she wore a red and gold-striped suit that looked vaguely like the kinds of suits giant robot pilots in TV shows wore, one that covered everything from her neck all the way down to her fingers and toes! And it even had accessories, too! A golden, round belt held up a crimson-colored skirt made entirely of sparkling, solid light while round, golden bracelets and anklets hovered in places around her wrists and ankles, and a round, golden headband adorned with strips of shiny red metal was seated on her head.

"Woah…" Chihiro gasped as she posed and spun around, her eyes fixed on her reflection in the mirror beside her, "This is so cool!"

"Chihiro?" Spyro's voice called over a grainy communicator.

Chihiro perked up, then spun around right as another, smaller grainy screen popped up, this time to unveil the control room! There, everyone had their eyes fixed on the ceiling above, most of all Spyro who had flown up and stared right in Chihiro's face.

"Hey, Golden Boy!" Chihiro called as she waved back to Spyro and spun around, "Can you see me? Huh, huh?"

"I can, actually!" Spyro frowned and tilted his head, "Speaking of which… Just what are you wearing?"

"Beats me." Chihiro shrugged and spun around, then froze in place with one hand on her hip while the other made a peace sign across her face, "But it's super cool! It looks just like the kinda stuff they wear in Dungam when they're piloting those robots!"—Chihiro chuckled as she spun her hand around—"At least, I think it does, I mean, I…"

The sound of a loud crash pulled Chihiro away from her ramble, then she turned aside and screamed as a mass of wreckage plunged into the watery depths below!

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"I don't know!" Spyro shouted back as he flew back down to the control room's floor and jumped into the pilot's seat, "I didn't touch anything!"—Spyro turned back to Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball—"Did you guys?"

All three of them shook their heads and murmured out admissions of denial—but if it wasn't any of them, then what exactly was it?

"The dragon is correct," the Weapon Master interrupted as his hologram popped up from the floor beside Chihiro, "It was you who did so, child."

"Me?" Chihiro repeated as she pointed to herself, "But, but how?"

"This is what full-pilot mode entails." The Weapon Master clasped his hands together and made a sagely nod, "The robot's piloting is handled solely by one living being through the use of motion control, while a crew underneath handles other controls such as artillery."

"So it's just like Dungam…" Chihiro held her hand to her chin and made a sagely nod, "I see…"

"Now, try it for yourself."

A startled chorus of shouts pulled Chihiro back to the screens, which showed that seats had bolted up underneath Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! The seats strapped themselves with no prompting from the ones sitting in them whatsoever, then slowly drew forward and clinked to a stop as they hovered right in front of the control panels.

"But be warned, things may get a little bumpy."

Chihiro, however, just grinned as she cracked her knuckles, her eyes fixed on the screen which showed the purple lava closing in on her. "Oh, don't worry, buddy! A little bumpiness is nothing for me!"

But the lava, on the other hand, was definitely going to be a problem. So, Chihiro craned her head up and grinned as the screen shifted with her movements and unveiled that right above the pools of lava and water were a series of tall, round metal platforms just big enough for her to jump on!

Chihiro bent down low then leaped up, and in response, the robot sprung forward and jumped onto the first and lowest platform! As it landed down on the platform's surface with a loud thunk, Chihiro just jumped again and sent the robot flying towards the second platform!

"Man, this full-pilot stuff is a lot of fun!" Chihiro chirped as she spun around, "It doesn't even feel like I'm piloting a giant robot at all!~"

But while Chihiro gleefully spun and leaped around, what she didn't realize was that she was spinning the robot, and by extension Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Drill Sergeant around as well! They all screamed in horror as they spun in their seats, though their seatbelts kept them fixed within and in no risk of flying off… Not that being spun around like they were fruit in a blender was much better, though.

As Chihiro came to a stop, the four of them lurched forward and hit their heads on the back of the seat, then breathed sighs of relief as they hung their dizzy, dizzy heads.

"My eyes are spinning…" Wrecking Ball whined as he slunk back in his seat.

"Zero one zero zero one zero zero one zero zero one…" Drill Sergeant rambled as his eyes flashed in a bright array of colorful swirls, all while he further rattled off an endless string of zeroes and ones.

Double Trouble, meanwhile, groaned and bonked himself on the head as he turned to Spyro and chattered.

"Ugh, what was that?" Spyro moaned as he shook his head, "I can still hear the blood in my ears…"

Double Trouble rolled his eyes, then rattled off once more.

"Is it over? I…" Spyro turned back to Double Trouble, then winced as the robot leaned down with a mechanical creak, "I wouldn't hold your breath!"

Right as Spyro said this, the robot bounced up once more and another time after that, then it bounded down a series of platforms with its eyes fixed on the ground!

They all screamed as they were flung forward and back like they had just jumped on Skylands' bumpiest carnival ride, but Chihiro, Chihiro was having a blast! She hooted and hollered as she ran in place, and her arms swung in front of her with great strides before she finally grinned and looked down.

The lava stream below had long been passed, and in its place the tranquil waters of the prior rooms returned once more, but they wouldn't be tranquil for long!

"CANNONBALL!" Chihiro cried as she leaped into the air, then balled herself up as she crashed down to the floor!

As the robot crashed down and sent a massive wave washing around the open room before them, Chihiro grinned and stood up.

"Thank you, thank you~" Chihiro waved around to an invisible audience, then bowed and stood back up.

She let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, then turned her attention back to the control room's screen… And winced as everybody down below pulled their faces off of the control panel and glared back at her.

"Whoops." Chihiro chuckled as she scratched her face. "Hey, uh, sorry for that, guys! I may have gotten a little carried away—"

ZAP! Like an annoying mosquito, something sharp and hot bit into the side of the robot's massive head!

Chihiro let out a sear of pain as her headband glowed with red light, then grunted as she hopped backwards and sent the robot stumbling back. As she slammed both feet into the ground, Chihiro panted and lifted her head to find a copter had flown in front of her and made a series of teasing beeps!

"Stupid bugs!" Chihiro shouted as she gritted her teeth and flailed her hands around, "You won't be so high and mighty when I swat you down!"

As Chihiro flailed her hands, the robot's own hands swiped the air around as it tried to swat down the copter… But every time it swiped, the copter just flew out of the way! As it swept away from another blow of Chihiro's, the copter let out a series of mocking beeps and shot a laser right between the robot's eyes, just to add insult to injury! Chihiro growled and twitched her brows, then balled her hands into fists as she turned her attention back to the control room's screen.

"Hey, guys!" Chihiro shouted as she waved towards Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Drill Sergeant, "We've got an obnoxious helicopter at three o'clock!"

"Understood, sir!" Drill Sergeant said as he saluted Chihiro, then turned his attention to the control panel and lifted a drill, "Perhaps if I do this…"

Drill Sergeant's drill started to spin as he laid it on its side and slammed it into the button… And this time, it actually worked! The button sank down into the console, and in response a massive eye laser flew out from the robot's eyes and seared the helicopter to ashes!

Chihiro beamed as Drill Sergeant let out a proud, mechanical laugh, but that beam of hers quickly faded as she looked back ahead!

"Guys, I wouldn't celebrate just yet!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped backwards, "We've got more company coming!"

Everyone turned their attention back ahead, then gasped as the path was blocked off by beefy helicopters that swarmed them like angry wasps! All at once the helicopters unloaded laser cannons, blasters and fancy machine guns, and a few of them even poured out flying robots!

"Seems like we won't be getting out of here without a fight!" Spyro proclaimed as he leaned forward and examined the robots, then grinned and turned to the rest of the Skylanders, "Let's say we give them one, boys!"

Drill Sergeant, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble all grinned and chattered as they turned their attention back to the console.

As Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball's cheers of agreement echoed all around, Spyro turned his gaze back on the control panels that stretched before him with all their various buttons and levers, bells and whistles and more! As he scanned them down, his eyes slowly shifted in hue from their golden yellow to a bright, sunset orange. Then, as they turned a full orange the color of ripe tangerines, he merely blinked and several of the buttons pressed themselves!

A string of beeps echoed from the panel, then in the world outside, massive rocket launchers unfolded from the robot's chest and shot out massive rockets the size of pillars, so massive that just the action of firing them pushed the robot back!

Everyone screamed as they were flung backwards in their seats, but as the robot dug its heels into the ground and slowed down, they all opened their eyes… And beamed as a massive explosion of crimson fire encapsulated where the robots once hovered around them!

Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball all cheered and leaped in their seats, but Spyro didn't seem quite as content to celebrate as he leaned forward and narrowed his eyes while the fires cleared.

From just within the masses of flames and smoke, something bright and white glared out of the flames, a functional beacon amid the smoke and confusion of the flames… And it revealed itself to be a massive hovership that charged up a laser just as big as its own body was! And judging by how bright and shiny that laser was, a functional star on the land itself, it was going to fire soon!

"Crap!" Spyro cried as he slammed his front paws against the desk. Shallow pants escaped his mouth as he ran his paws across the buttons and whistles, and with every breath he took his tails and wings flicked and fluttered. "Shields, shields, shields…"

Spyro gasped as he finally laid sight on a small knob with "Shields" written underneath it in Ancient Skylandian!

"Shields!"

Spyro immediately yanked the knob and started to twist it around, but as it screeched and grunted as if it refused to move, his grin started to fade. His snarl bore all his pearly white fangs as he grabbed onto the knob with his other paw and pulled with all his might, but despite all his straining and grunting as he twisted and pushed and pulled on the knob, it wouldn't budge a bit! He grunted and released his sweaty paws at last, and for a moment it seemed like he was done for… But the shriek of the oncoming laser brought him back to life! His eyes fell on the massive laser that was hurtling straight for him, then he gasped and grabbed onto the knob once more!

"Seriously!" Spyro cried as he pulled on the knob with no avail while his eyes flashed a bright purple, "Turn on these shields already!"

And yet, despite Spyro's pleas, the knob just wouldn't budge. It stayed completely stuck… That is, until a thin, shadowy presence crept around the console and wrapped itself around that knob! As it hugged the knob tight, it spun around with such speed and force that it had become a blurry spinning top, while the shadow itself spread across to several other adjacant buttons and pressed them down!

And while the shadow made its moves, the robot moved as well! It had opened out its chest as the console whirred with activity, and in response it shot out a massive row of magic shields that completely neutralized the laser!

Spyro blinked for a moment and jerked his head, his mouth dropped slightly as he glazed over the burst of flame and white sparkles the magic shields and laser's brawl became, then his eyes turned to back to the knob he had frantically fiddled with earlier… And the moment he laid eyes on the fading shadow around the console, he just frowned and scratched the back of his head!

"MUA! HA HA! MUA HA HA!" Drill Sergeant cried as he burst out of his seat, "NOW THAT I KNOW HOW TO PRESS BUTTONS, I AM UNSTOPPABLE!"

Drill Sergeant's mechanical cackles were only matched by the ferocious rev of his engine as he dashed back and forth all across the floor, all while he slammed into every single button his mechanical eyes laid sight on! No button was safe as he drummed across rows of controls like they were actual drums, and the wreckage they left behind was just as massive!

The robot's head spun around while the inner lighting flashed in fifty different colors, and out from its top spewed all sorts of weaponry! Laser cannons, missiles, rocket launchers, blasters, even more unusual weaponry like disco ball blasters and torpedoes full of explosive popcorn all sprung from the robot's head as its top flipped open, and they all leaped right at the hordes of Arkeyan helicopters!

The helicopters all screeched as they turned tail and tried to fly off, but the massive weaponry assault caught up before they could! A multi-colored array of destruction burst forth from the robot's station, then as the rainbow-colored smoke they left behind floated to the ceiling, their charred, severed parts and pieces fell down into the ocean alongside burnt popcorn and shattered glass.

Drill Sergeant made what was probably the closest robotic equivalent of a grin as he reveled in his destruction…

But while he celebrated, the ceilings opened up and dropped down even more fleets of helicopters, ones that were bigger and stronger than the last! If the last group were wasps, these were the killer bugs that held cannons as big as they were and boasted impressive arrays of blasters and cannons on their backs, and the red glow that reflected off their windshields showed they were primed to kill!

"So that is how you wish to play, as they say?" Drill Sergeant chuckled, "Then I will show you how to play!"

Drill Sergeant zipped right behind Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble's seats, and he did so with such speed that it completely spun their seats around! They both screamed as they went spinning around, then panted and laid back as they finally came to a stop… Then Drill Sergeant slammed his arm into Double Trouble's seat and knocked him right into Wrecking Ball!

And with that one little burst of force, Wrecking Ball slipped out of his seat and slammed right into the lever he had his eyes on moments prior!

The lever slipped backwards as Wrecking Ball slammed face-forwards into the console, and in response a bright wave of laser-sharp light burst from the robot's eyes and wiped out the first row of helicopters!

"Nice one, Wrecking Ball!" Spyro chirped as he gave Wrecking Ball a thumbs up!

Wrecking Ball, meanwhile, pulled his face off of the console and hopped back into his seat, then chuckled as he snuggled back into his seat.

"Yeah, yeah, I meant to do that!" Wrecking Ball proclaimed, though the way his antenna drooped said otherwise, "Totally did!"

Spyro chuckled in tandem, and though his eyes fell back onto the massive waves of copters that were yet to be destroyed, he didn't falter at all! His wings flared out as he stood in his seat, tall as he could, then he narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"How about we give these guys an all-out assault?" Spyro suggested as he turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, then to Drill Sergeant as his smirk grew into a wider, more genuine smile, "Alright, everyone?"

"Alright!" Drill Sergeant, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble cried in unison!

And with their enthusiasm so bright it radiated across the room, Spyro smiled and turned his gaze back down on the control panel.

"Three, two, one…" Spyro narrowed his eyes and slammed his front paws down on the buttons before him, "Now!"

All at once, they smashed the buttons down and sent out an array of missiles, energy blasts and other artillery right through the crowds that swarmed them! Before the robots could attack, they were blasted to bits by the robot's onslaught!

Chihiro grinned as the robot's burned bits fell into the waters below, then her grin turned more sly as she shook her head.

"I can't leave all the fun to them, can I?" Chihiro asked herself as she raised her head.

Though more robots were swarming in, she didn't seem to be worried in the slightest! Rather, she just let out a mighty scream as she bolted forward and punched through the oncoming swarmed, then spun around and side-kicked the robots that tried to fight back! As she landed her punches and kicks through the robot droves, however, the sheer impact from them slammed everybody else's faces into the control panels!

Right as they popped their faces off from the panel, entire swathes of buttons sank into the panel while weaponry leaped out from the robots crevices and wiped out what seemed like the remainder of the robot forces in a swarm of explosions... But, there were still quite a few stubborn ones that just refused to go down!

"You guys don't don't wanna quit, huh?" Chihiro's voice asked over the speakers as Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball winced, "I bet a body slam'll do you in quick!"

Double Trouble, however, just leaped up in his seat and screamed as he waved and jabbed his staff at Chihiro!

"Double Trouble's right, Chi!" Spyro exclaimed as he leaped up and peered at Chihiro's screen, "That'll kill us all!"

Chihiro immediately froze as she blinked and looked back at Spyro, then shrugged her shoulders and leaned to full height.

"Ah well," Chihiro said at last as she smiled, "It was worth a—"

Before Chihiro could finish, however, something crashed into them and knocked them back into the wall! Everyone screamed as they all lunged back from the impact, though thankfully Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble were held tight in their seats. Good thing they were wearing seatbelts!

Drill Sergeant, on the other hand got hit full throttle and slammed into the wall!

"Ugh…" Drill Sergeant grunted as he pulled himself up from the back of the chamber, "Had someone perhaps caught just what had crashed into us?…"

§

Back in the full-pilot room, Chihiro groaned as she held her head from where she slunk down against the wall, then pulled up and gasped as she locked eyes with the outside world! As it turned out, it wasn't a truck that hit them! Rather, it was a giant, humanoid blue and gold Arkeyan Robot that was near-identical to the one Chihiro piloted now!

"Crap, looks like they brought in the big guns!" Chihiro exclaimed as she put up her dukes and got ready for a fight!

Chihiro jabbed the opposing robot with a fleet of punches, but it was quick to block each and every one with its arms! So, she grunted and reeled back as she wound up a big punch. But before she could throw it, the opposing robot socked her in the chest! Chihiro screamed as she flew backwards once more, but she was quick to jump back and regain her footing. She snarled, then wiped the sweat of her brow as the robot drew back… Then finally, she had enough of waiting!

Chihiro screeched as she rushed forward and slugged the opposing robot with a punch so hard it sent that opposing robot stumbling back into the walls! As the robot crashed back into the wall, Chihiro grinned and stepped forward, fully ready to punch it down. But before she could, though, the opposing robot pushed itself out of the wall and tackled into her! The force was so great, it shot Chihiro through the air and slammed her against the back wall with such force that it shattered the tubes behind her and sent strange, silvery liquid and glass shards down below.

And to say nothing of what it did to her own robot! Thick, gray smoke poured from the openings in the robot's head and arms as it shimmied out of the opposing robot's grip and grabbed the opposing robot's face! The opposing robot grabbed her robot's arm and tried to pull her off, but while it was distracted with the arm, it made a crucial mistake! Namely, it forgot to pay attention to the legs!

Chihiro hit the opposing robot right in the chin with her robot's knee, then as it stumbled backwards she kicked it right in the chest and blew it backwards!

"Guys!" Chihiro called as she turned her attention to the control's room screen, "Quick, before it gets up again!"

"On it!" Spyro shouted as he turned back to the control panel and started smacking buttons!

From out the robot's back, a mass of missiles popped out and soared off straight towards the opposing robot! But before those missiles could hit, the opposing robot finally pulled itself out of the wall and punched down each one!

As the missiles exploded in midair and shook everyone around, Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble winced and covered their ears, then turned their attention back to the opposing robot as it glared them back down. Their eyes glinted with a bit of worry as they held their breath…

But they weren't nearly as worried as Chihiro, who heaved short, panicked breaths as she threw as many punches and kicks as she could, but that opposing robot blocked each one! Every punch was met with a barrier, every kick was blocked off with the opposing robot's mechanical arms…

"Geez, this thing's impossible!" Chihiro exclaimed as she drew back from another failed punch, "It's like nothing get through it!"

Chihiro then gasped and ducked aside as the opposing robot shot a punch at her, the shot back up right as it wound up another punch! But while that opposing robot was winding the punch up, Chihiro just narrowed her eyes and grinned!

"Finally, an opening!" Chihiro cried as she ducked down!

While the opposing robot got ready to shoot, she bolted forward and uppercut the opposing robot right in the jaw! Chihiro grinned and drew away from the opposing robot's, then shrieked and jumped out of the way as it flung its entire body towards her! But, just when she thought she was safe, the opposing robot dashed back around and punched her into a wall! Chihiro screamed as her robot smashed into the wall, then whimpered as she pulled it back and eyed the giant robot-sized impression in the wall

"Don't worry, this is just like Dungam, just like Dungam…" Chihiro whimpered as she turned back to the opposing robot with a grimace… Right as the opposing robot grabbed her by the shoulders and conked her in the head with its own!

Chihiro stumbled back and groaned as the entire world around her turned blurry, then shrieked as a bright red dyed the room around while sirens blared everywhere!

"Warning, warning!" Blared an announcer with a distorted, mechanical voice as bright red, glowing warning signs popped up all around her, "System damage at seventy-five percent and rising!"

Chihiro winced and glanced around as the warning signs nearly completely closed her in, but was saved by the control room screen pushing through and hovering around her!

Back at the control room, things weren't that much better than what Chihiro was dealing with! The area was colored in red as the lights switched in hue, while sirens blared so hard it could make anyone's eardrums bleed! On the ground, holographic red signs cropped up with all sorts of warnings written in white on their surfaces, and pushed themselves towards Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble until the four of them were completely crowded!

"Chi, what's going on up there?" Spyro exclaimed as he turned back up to her, "Everything's all red and we can't fire a thing!"

"I, I don't know!" Chihiro exclaimed as she drew back and bounced away from another warning sign as it popped up out of nowhere, "That robot just hit me on the head and now everything's freaking out!"

Everybody screamed as the opposing robot pushed their robot into the wall, and those screams only continued as the opposing robot punched away at their chest!

"Hey, Chi!" Spyro shouted as he looked back up at Chihiro, "You said this is just like that Dungam show, right? Was there anything like this in there?"

Chihiro, however, just winced and stepped back as Spyro looked up at her. "Well, I, you see…"

Chihiro whimpered, then finally she let out a loud sob as she crumpled to the floor.

"I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY FINISHED AN EPISODE OF DUNGAM IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!" Chihiro wailed between high, strained sobs!

"What?" Spyro raised a brow and frowned.

"Well, I started the first episode cause there were these really cool robots and I thought, 'Oh, a cool show about robots punching things! I'll watch it!'" Chihiro hiccupped as she wiped her face with her sleeve, "But, but, they spent way too much time on the humans and all they did was talk, talk, talk! It was so boring, I could barely sit through… I know it's like, one of the super big mecha shows out there and not liking it is a crime against mecha but..."

Everybody else, however, seemed more confused by Chihiro's sorrowful repentance than anything as they looked up at her with frowns and raised brows… But just then, the signs that surrounded Chihiro sparked and frizzled before they all vanished at once! Chihiro squeaked as they all exploded in puffs of red sparkles, then gasped as her pilot outfit flickered back into her regular one!

"Full-pilot mode…" The announcer groaned as its voice became more monotonous and low, "Disengaged…"

As the lights around Chihiro faded back to their pearly white color, Chihiro and Spyro both turned to each other and grimaced.

"… That can't be good," they both said in unison.

Then just like that, the screen that connected them together completely shut off!

Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball gasped as their eyes fixed on the blank screen, but that didn't hold their attention for long! Soon enough, all the signs around them flickered out as the lights dimmed and brightened.

"Crap! The power must be going out!" Spyro exclaimed as he unbuckled himself and flew out of his seat, "I'm gonna check the back and see if I can't get this thing running!"—Spyro turned back to Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball just before he disappeared down the open door at the back—"You guys try to hold off that robot!"

"… Understood," Drill Sergeant whimpered. He turned back to the windshield as the doors shut behind Spyro, then winced as another punch from the opposing robot pushed them back.

As steam burst from the ceiling and metal panels peeled off the walls around the control room, Drill Sergeant whirred and turned his attention back to the robot.

"Alright, fellow robot, I know you are in a very harrowing situation at the moment." Drill Sergeant gently stroked the console with his drills, "But, you need not fret! You are a mighty robot, much more powerful than the opponent you face…"

With Drill Sergeant completely occupied, Double Trouble grinned as he turned his attention back to Wrecking Ball and whispered something in Wrecking Ball's ear! Wrecking Ball frowned as he heard Double Trouble out, but he didn't seem nearly as eager as Double Trouble was, because he just shook his head!

"Get the dragon out of the picture? Right now?" Wrecking Ball whispered back with a stern frown, "What in Skylands are you talking about?"

Double Trouble just nodded and whispered something back, but Wrecking Ball only reeled away!

"Oh, I see!" Wrecking Ball's voice raised for a moment, but quickly lowered with a cough as he leaned back to Double Trouble, "We'll take out that dragon before he can fix this hunk of junk, then we'll make our way to the Eternal Magic Source while they flounder?"—Wrecking Ball chuckled as a sinister look crossed his face—"How absolutely devilish! I love it!"

So, the two of them unbuckled and jumped out of their seats, then dashed down to the doors and slammed them open! But as they giggled and dashed inside, a shadow trailed across the ground and tailed them inside right as the doors slammed shut!

"You two!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he swerved around to face Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "Quit blabbering and figure out how to make this robot fight back!…"

Then, Drill Sergeant froze and beeped as his eyes fell on nothing more than empty seats. Drill Sergeant whirred and swerved in his seat as he scanned the vacant room, but another punch from the opposing robot regained his attention! As his robot lurched backwards, Drill Sergeant screamed, then grimaced as he pushed his attention back to the console and started pressing as many buttons as he could… Not that any of them worked, but whatever.

"Just where did everyone go?"

§

While Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's surprisingly sinister laughter echoed throughout the halls, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball themselves bounded down the metal stretches with ear-to-ear grins on their face as a massive shadow trailed behind them!

"What should we do with the dragon, I wonder?" Wrecking Ball crooned as he bounded across the halls, "Should we tie him to the control panel and blow it up? Melt him with one of those steam pipes? Toss him into the blue depths?"—Wrecking Ball cackled as he licked his lips—"Oh, my heart's leaping at just the thought!"

"Don't get too excited now!" Double Trouble warned as he held out his staff, its crystal top bright like a makeshift flashlight, "He's surprisingly clever for a dragonfly like himself. If we aren't careful, he'll figure us out in an instant!"

Wrecking Ball scoffed and rolled his eyes as he and Double Trouble rounded the corner. "I know that! You…"

As their voices faded, however, the shadow that tailed them screeched to a stop, then turned around and bubbled as a dragon-like figure rose from its surface, shook off the shadowy goop and unveiled his true form!

"Seems they didn't see us," Dark Spyro said as he hopped out from the shadows and stretched, then turned around right as a second Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble emerged, "I think we're good."

Double Trouble nodded, then frowned as he floated up to Dark and whispered something in Dark's ear.

"Where are they?" Dark frowned as he walked around the corner ahead, "I couldn't sworn they passed through here…"

"Ugh, is there a system restart here or something?" Spyro's voice groaned down the corner, "Maybe I should have paid a little more attention to Drobot when…"

Dark gasped, then turned back around and nodded. "That's Spyro's voice! Come on!"

Before Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball could give an answer, though, Dark Spyro grabbed them and yanked them into a shadow that crept across the side of the halls! As they disappeared inside, the shadow turned noticeably reptilian in appearance and it crept along the walls!

Down the hallways, Spyro's frustrated laments and questions over machinery not only grew louder in spite of the door's attempts at muffling, but intermingled with the sound of Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble's laughter!

Just down the hall, "Double Trouble" and "Wrecking Ball" both turned to each other and snickered as their eyes fell onto the closed door where Spyro's voice sounded from, then "Double Trouble" lifted out his hand and got ready to open it… But before he could, something thin and shadowy slammed into him and knocked his hand away!

While "Double Trouble" was tossed onto his back from the impact, Dark Spyro took a seat in front of them and snarled as they gasped and stumbled back!

"You're not going anywhere, you fakers!" Dark Spyro cried as he splayed his wings!

"Double Trouble" gasped and sputtered out something with wide eyes, while "Wrecking Ball" whimpered and bit his lip.

"You again!" "Wrecking Ball" proclaimed as he peered up at Dark Spyro, "How did you get here? I thought you got knocked out!"

"Oh, cut the crap! I'm not gonna stop until I stop you!" Dark hissed as his red eyes turned a bit brighter with rage, but his angry looks melted away into something more smug as he lifted his head and smirked, "And besides, I'm not alone, either! I've got the real Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball right behind me!"

"Double Trouble" and "Wrecking Ball" both gasped as they turned their attention to the door, and sure enough, out from two smaller, shadowy gaps in the floor emerged the real Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! "Double Trouble" and "Wrecking Ball's" mouths gaped in shock as they scrambled back, but the real Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball seemed hardly scared as they leaned forward and got ready to attack.

"Admit it already, your little trick's up!" Dark hissed as he took a step forward.

"Yeah!" Wrecking Ball cried as he bounced up and down, "We all know you're Kaos's creepy minions!"

While Double Trouble chattered in agreement, "Double Trouble" just lifted himself from the ground, then snarled and gripped his staff so tight it nearly snapped! His eyes turned blank and cold, while his colors drained away until it unveiled his true, purple body!

"This does pose a bit of a problem," the Evil Tiki Man admitted as it toyed with the feathers on its staff, all while its snarl crept into a smile, "But, the game's not finished yet, you buffoons!"

"Exactly!" Cried the Evil Grub Worm as its own true form was unveiled, "We'll just have to dispose of the evidence!"

"We won't let you!" Dark cried back as he turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "We're not going down without a fight, right guys?"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball both nodded as they turned to Dark Spyro, who smirked as he fixed his eyes back on the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm. All of them burned with a sense of anticipation as they prepared themselves for battle, one that was only accentuated by the rattling and rumbling of the robot around... Then finally, the tension broke as the Evil Tiki Man scoffed.

"You know, three against two is hardly a fair fight…" The Evil Tiki Man remarked as it raised an eyebrow at Dark Spyro, then brandished its staff like a sword against him, "But nonetheless, I'm happy to oblige!"

Dark, however, just snarled and scraped his paw against the metal floors. "You're one to talk!"

Dark let out a grunt as purple flames swirled around his horns, then that grunt turned to a gruff cry as he charged straight for the Evil Tiki Man! The Evil Tiki Man waved its staff and teleported away, then smirked as Dark charged straight for the wall… But that smirk disappeared as Dark slammed straight into a shadow in the wall and disappeared! The Evil Tiki Man gasped, then whipped its staff out and held it like a gun as it swung from side to side.

"Where'd that lizard go?!" It demanded as its eyes bounced from angle to angle, all trained on the battlefield as it searched for some trace of Dark Spyro in the shadows around… But no matter where it looked, he didn't show. "You can't hide from me, now show yourself!"

"Never said I was, buddy!" Dark cried as he leaped out from the shadows and slammed right into the Evil Tiki Man's side!

The Evil Tiki Man grunted as it slammed into the wall, but it didn't get to rest for long as Double Trouble zapped it with a magic lightning bolt and tossed it on the ground! The Evil Tiki Man grunted as it planted face-first onto the floor, all while its staff rolled out of its grip and traveled along the floor. As it grunted and slammed its hands against the floor in some pursuit of its staff, Wrecking Ball waddled up to the staff and licked his lips.

"Ooh, I wonder what this tastes like!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he leaned down and opened his mouth… But before he could even get a bite, Double Trouble yanked him back by his antenna!

"Owie!" Wrecking Ball cried as he was pulled back, then pouted as he looked up at Double Trouble, "I was just gonna eat that!"

Double Trouble, however, just shook his head and wagged a finger as he scolded Wrecking Ball.

"But why can't I eat that corrupt magic stuff? Does it taste yucky?"

Double Trouble went to argue back, but while he was lecturing Wrecking Ball, neither of them noticed the Evil Tiki Man crawl across the floor and yank its staff off the ground! The Evil Tiki Man grinned as it stroked its reclaimed staff, then it held out the staff and shot a blast of magic right at Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble!

The two of them screamed as they soared across the halls, then their screams turned to a grunt as they slammed against a panel of the wall with such force that it left noticeable holes in the surface! As they both slunk down onto the floor, the whole hall started to shudder so furiously that it pulled Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble away from their momentary pain! The two of them muttered to themselves as they scanned around… Then they gasped and ducked as the panel above them fell right off the wall!

Luckily, those holes they had broken into the wall panel landed right over them and saved them from being squished like pancakes, but in the process it unveiled massive, red-hot steam pipes!

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball poked their heads up once more, then screamed and ducked down as a massive burst of steam leaked out from the pipes!

This massive steam burst shot across the halls in a fury, and just in time for the Evil Grub Worm to ball down the halls in pursuit of Dark Spyro! Before it could even notice, the steam burst slammed into it and completely stopped it in its tracks!

"AUGH, MY EYES!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it fell on its back and wrangled around, its body sore with heat, "MY BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, EYES! WHAT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY DONE THIS?!"

Wrecking Ball, however, grinned as he hopped out of the panel and licked his lips. With a giggle, he shot his tongue out and wrapped it around the Evil Grub Worm, then slammed it against the walls with utter glee!

"WHO'S DOING THAT?!" The Evil Grub Worm wailed with its eyes shut tight and its body wrapped tight despite its struggles, "I CAN'T SEE A THING! IT HURTS TO EVEN OPEN MY EYES!"—The Evil Grub Worm squealed as Wrecking Ball pounded it against the floor—"AND THAT DOESN'T EXACTLY HELP, EITHER!"

Wrecking Ball, however, just bounced up and down and giggled as he continued to slam the Evil Grub Worm all across the room! As it cried in pain, Wrecking Ball giggled and turned his attention to the burning hot pipes behind him…

"Wait, was that Wrecking Ball's voice?" Spyro asked from the other side of the door behind them all.

"Huh?" Wrecking Ball remarked as he stopped short and looked at the door, "Did Spyro hear us?"

Wrecking Ball tilted his head and snorted, but that one tiny moment of distraction was his fatal mistake! In the moment he had lost focus, the Evil Grub Worm wormed its way out of Wrecking Ball's grip and tackled him so hard that he flew right into the steam pipes! Wrecking Ball cried out as he rolled down the wall with noticeable steam marks on his back, then whimpered as he sat up.

"Owie…"

While Wrecking Ball laid down on the floor, Double Trouble and Dark Spyro rushed forward and got ready to strike the Evil Grub Worm… But before they could make contact, the entire robot shuddered and lurched sideways! Instead of hitting the Evil Grub Worm, the two of them hit the walls and got tossed onto the floor! The two of them grunted as they tried to stand up, but it wasn't exactly easy!

The entire robot shuddered as it stumbled and leaned about, moving from one way to the other in a dizzying haze! One minute they slid left, the next right, but no matter what, it just couldn't stay still! And worse yet, it threw everyone off! With how much the robot tossed their around, neither of them could keep enough focus to attack!

As Double Trouble rolled straight into Wrecking Ball while the lightning bolt he threw just hit the wall, Dark Spyro grunted and shot off a fireball on impulse!

The fireball screeched through the halls with a course set for the Evil Tiki Man… But just before the fireball could hit, the whole robot lurched down and the fireball hit the ceiling instead! And it was so powerful, the ceiling's panels collapsed and slammed a hole in the floor!

Dark Spyro gasped and scrambled back, and in that moment of weakness, the Evil Tiki Man slammed him with a magic blast and tossed him into Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! The three of them all cried out as another slide from the robot tossed them into the wall, though even with the shaking and the massive pain they surely felt, they all grunted and tried to pull themselves up… But before they could, the robot lurched up and stabilized itself right as the door behind them started to rattle.

"Just what's going on out there?" Spyro asked as the door started to creak open!

The Evil Tiki Man gasped, then with a wave of its staff, it coated itself and the Evil Grub Worm back in Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's colors once more! As the Evil Tiki Man's disguise cascaded down its body, it turned its staff on Double Trouble, Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball, then zapped the three of them with magic and whisked them away!

"Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball!" Spyro cried as he flew out the door, "When'd you get here?"—Spyro frowned and tilted his head as the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm heaved heavy pants—"Also, are you guys alright? You seem kinda tired."

The Evil Grub Worm, however, just shook its head and forced a grin as it bounced up and down.

"We were gonna help you fix the big robot thingie, but then when we went to find you everything fell apart!" The Evil Grub Worm said as its bouncing slowed to a stop.

The Evil Tiki Man nodded and gestured towards the open panel on the wall as it spat out an explanation, its eyes tense and fraught with concern.

"Oh geez, that does sound bad," Spyro remarked as he turned his attention to the steam pipes, then smiled as their red color started to fade, "But, thankfully I managed to get this robot fixed…"—Spyro winced as the ceiling above started to creak—"I think."

But, the Evil Tiki Man just shook its head and smiled, then waved its staff and teleported all three of them back to the control room.