While the Skylanders continued to look for the Doom Raiders with their newfound information, Sprocket's clone was looking for one of the heroes in particular. Before the Doom Raiders sent her back to sabotage the Skylanders, they equipped her with a small technological device which Krankcase has been working on for years. She held it tightly between her golden fingers until she finally found the one she was looking for.
"Gearshift, there you are!" The goldling saw the Tech Skylander nearby the main hall of the Academy and approached her.
"Hello Sprocket, I am glad to see that you are back and unharmed." Gearshift's voice sounded completely neutral, even though she truly was glad to have her teammate back.
"I have to show you something." Sprocket presented the device she was holding to the Skylander, who carefully observed it. "This is an Emotional Shifter!"
It didn't take Gearshift long to analyze the machine. "My observations are telling me that it allows the person it is used on to feel intense emotions and switch between them."
"… Exactly!" The clone didn't expect such an accurate answer and was worried that she could find out the truth about her as well. "I thought since you can't feel any emotions, you could try it out with this machine."
Gearshift was silent for a few moments. "I suppose it would be a valuable experience to feel like everyone else." The robot was created to be the perfect being without any flaws, and emotions would only get in her way of achieving that.
"Great!" Sprocket didn't hesitate to attach the Emotional Shifter on the spot where Gearshift's heart would normally be. The clone activated it with the press of a button and it already started to reprogram Gearshift with an emotion. "How do you feel?"
Gearshift shortly closed her eyes before excitedly opening them up again. "I feel… great!" The Trap Master wore a big smile and looked around herself with joy. "The Academy is so amazing! I never even realized that!" The Emotional Shifter was currently glowing in a yellow light. That was also reflected through Gearshift's eyes, which had a yellow tone as well. The device allowed Gearshift to feel happiness and be excited about everything she sees.
Knight Light was just taking a walk around the Academy until noticing the Tech Skylanders. "Hey, Sprocket! How are-"
Before the Skylander could finish his question, he received a tight hug from Gearshift. "I'm so happy to see you Knight Light!"
After he was released, the knight took a few steps back and stared at the robot with surprise and slight fear. "What in Skylands is going on here?"
"Gearshift is currently using my Emotional Shifter." Sprocket's clone pointed at the glowing piece of metal on Gearshift's chest, which just switched from yellow to blue. "It allows her to feel-"
"Oh, why is everything so depressing?" Gearshift cried out and fell onto her knees with agony. "We always have to go through these terrible events and it never ends!" The device changed Gearshift's mood from happy to sad and made the robot extremely depressed and pessimistic. "We will never have peace!"
Knight Light was completely weirded out and just looked at the Trap Master with no response before looking back at Sprocket. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
As the Skylanders were trying to calm Gearshift down, Smolderdash also happened to be nearby and approached the trio. Before anyone saw her, the Emotional Shifter changed once again. Instead of blue, it now emitted a purple light. Gearshift quickly turned her head around to see Smolderdash before jumping into the air with a loud scream.
The Fire Skylander stopped and stared at the terrified robot who never reacted in such a way. "Is she okay?" The humanoid asked the other Skylanders with confusion.
"She has this device that makes her feel emotions." Knight Light explained whilst sighing at the sight of Gearshift cowering in fear. "It seems the emotion right now is fear."
"Interesting." Smolderdash found the idea as strange as the Light Trap Master.
The three Skylanders stayed together and observed Gearshift's extreme reactions to the device. The actual reason why Sprocket's clone used the Emotional Shifter on Gearshift was to turn her evil. Dr. Krankcase added an option which would make anyone evil and thus become an ally for the Doom Raiders. Sprocket's job was to try it out on an easily manipulable Skylander and go back to the villains with the results, so they can make more devices for more Skylanders and build an unstoppable army.
Sprocket, Knight Light and Smolderdash followed Gearshift throughout the entire day. The robot kept the Emotional Shifter on and her constant mood swings made it hard for the Skylanders to watch out for her. Sprocket's clone still pretended to be the real version of herself and carefully observed the Trap Master. She was waiting for the device to switch to the anticipated evil setting and finally gain another ally for the Doom Raiders.
"What a wonderful day!" Gearshift joyfully exclaimed while strolling along the paths of the Academy and gazing at the clear sky. The Emotional Shifter was set on happy most of the time, but other than that the moods were randomized. "Nothing could possibly ruin it!"
After those words, the device switched her emotion again, this time to sadness. "Except if a friend died!" Gearshift remembered her fellow Trap Master Wallop, who was still unconscious in the hospital. "I have to make sure he's okay!" The Tech Skylander quickly made her way to the room Wallop was in.
"His condition is pretty concerning." Knight Light admitted and started to worry as well. "We should go and ask about his chances."
Smolderdash nodded and was sad to hear that a Skylander could leave them for good. Meanwhile Sprocket's clone rolled her eyes when no one could see and followed her test subject to further observe the reactions.
The Skylanders soon arrived, only to see the big Skylander still lying in bed without any sign of improvement.
"It's not getting better." Whirlwind was the head of the hospital team and she always did her best to heal every wound. "It's a fatal injury. My powers can only do so much, the chances of him surviving are slim."
Gearshift was speechless after hearing the response and started to cry tears from her metallic eyes. "We're going to lose him! I knew it!"
She threw herself onto Knight Light and sobbed desperately while the Light Skylander tried to comfort her. "He's not dead yet, Gear. He could still make it." The Trap Master didn't want to admit it, but he was also upset about Wallop's condition and sincerely hoped that Whirlwind was wrong.
"Is she okay?" The unicorn dragon hybrid asked with a riddled gaze.
"It's an experiment." Smolderdash answered while the Trap Masters were busy mourning their ally. "Sprocket attached a device onto Gearshift that can make her feel emotions."
"I see." Whirlwind didn't understand the reason behind that, but she didn't want to question it either.
As tears were still running down her cold silver face, Gearshift's Emotional Shifter suddenly changed to a completely new color. The Skylander stopped crying and her eyes lit up in a burning red color.
"It's all their fault." The robot pushed Knight Light aside and stomped out of the hospital.
Her friends watched in surprise before realizing that she was experiencing a completely new emotion; anger.
Knight Light and Smolderdash wandered through the Academy, following Gearshift who was in rage because of the Emotional Shifter. Sprocket's clone was always nearby to observe everything that's happening, she thought that the device may have finally turned the Trap Master into a villain. However, Gearshift only felt anger rather than malice, and she wanted to let it out on the Doom Raiders themselves.
"Gear where are you going?" Knight Light increased his speed to catch up to the Tech Skylander.
"I'm going to destroy the ones that betrayed us!" Gearshift didn't turn around and just kept on marching in a random direction.
"The Doom Raiders?" Knight Light questioned his angered ally. "But we haven't found them yet, you can't-"
"I will find them myself!" Gearshift kept on walking before abruptly turning around to glare at Knight Light. "Unless you're one of them too and don't want me to find them!"
Sprocket's clone knew that the suspicion wasn't directed at her, but nevertheless became slightly intimidated by the war machine she created. Knight Light backed off and carefully confirmed his loyalty to the Skylanders. "Gearshift, I'm not one of them. I promise."
"Snap Shot would have said the same thing!" The Trap Master split her Traptanium Gear into two parts and wielded them like blades, threatening the others. "But he was too busy falling in love with that Wolfgang!"
"Wait, what?" Knight Light and Smolderdash simultaneously asked the same question and were surprised to hear that.
Instead of answering, Gearshift charged at Knight Light with her gear blades in an attempt to strike him down. The Light Skylander quickly used his scimitar to block the attack and engage in a battle with the manipulated robot.
Smolderdash witnessed the fight in horror and turned to Sprocket, who immediately hid her sinister smile as soon as the Skylander laid eyes on her.
"Sprocket you have to deactivate your device!" The fiery warrior looked at the fight and then back to Sprocket. "They're going to hurt each other!"
"But that's the point." The clone decided to finally drop her facade and reveal her true intentions. "Soon you will all serve the Doom Raiders and destroy our enemies!"
"Sprocket…" Smolderdash did a swift whiplash to summon her fire whip and was ready to fight the traitor. "Not you too."
The Skylander's clone started to run and swing her wrench to attack Smolderdash, leading to another battle between two Skylanders.
Meanwhile, Knight Light was struggling to handle Gearshift's different attacks which were able to adapt to any situation.
"I'm sick of being a mindless machine that only follows your orders!" Gearshift revealed her true reasons for being so angry, which she was never able to express before. "My father thought that he could create an obedient little princess that has no free will, but he was wrong. I'm doing whatever I want now!"
"You don't have to fight us to do that!" Knight Light tried to reach the Emotional Shifter without hurting his friend. "We will find the Doom Raiders and put them to justice! And you can do whatever you want with them!"
Gearshift connected her hoop into one piece again while Knight Light just dodged her last projectiles. "What I want is you gone!" The robot flaunted her entire gear and made it spin right at the Light Skylander.
Knight Light used his Traptanium Blade to separate the gear and then fly straight towards Gearshift. He threw his weapon behind his head and struck the robot's chest with it. The sword cut right through the Emotional Shifter, not leaving a scratch on Gearshift. The angel tossed the broken machine off the island and hoped that Gearshift wouldn't be affected by it anymore. The Tech Skylander closed her eyes while restarting her systems. She soon opened them again and was back to her old self.
"What happened?" Gearshift's eyes went to her weapon which was laying on the floor and then to Knight Light, who was breathing heavily.
"I'll explain everything, but first we have to get back to Smolderdash!" The knight spread his wings and ascended into the sky, looking for his teammate. He was soon followed by Gearshift, who was using her Traptanium Gear as a wheel around herself.
Smolderdash and Sprocket's clone were in the middle of an intense battle and neither of them was able to finish it. Sprocket finally saw an opportunity to hit the Skylander's weapon out of her hand and throw her to the ground. Without anything to defend herself, Smolderdash moved backwards while being followed by the evil replica. The Fire Skylander attempted to shoot fire orbs at her enemy, but she dodged everything with the help of her wrench. Smolderdash thought this was her end.
The clone smiled eerily and raised her wrench behind her shoulder, ready to smash the Skylander with it. "Time to put this fire out."
Before she could deliver the final blow, the clone suddenly exploded right in front of Smolderdash's eyes. The Fire Skylander got back on her feet and tried to see through the smoke left behind by the explosion. She squinted her eyes before opening them up with disbelief. The real Sprocket finally returned to the Academy and attached a mine to her clone right before she could strike Smolderdash. Knight Light and Gearshift saw the deed and were as speechless as the hot-blooded humanoid.
"Did you miss me?" Sprocket casually put her wrench on top of her shoulder and smiled while looking at Smolderdash, who was overjoyed that the engineer was finally back.