The Mane 6 and the Skylanders soon arrived at Canterlot via chariot. A guard approached them as the Skylanders gazed in awe at the city.
"Welcome to Canterlot, Skylanders. The Royal Sisters are waiting for you at the castle, The Captain also told me that the ones known as the Fire Skylanders arrived and are taking refuge in the Canterlot Library alongside the human Portal Master, I advise that you pick them up before meeting the Princesses."
"Crikey, let's hope they didn't burn the place down." Dino Rang muttered.
"Nah, if Ben's with them, everything's okay," Spyro reassured.
"Have you been tempering your blade, young squire?" Ignitor asked as Ben pulled out a beautiful crystalline sword with a black circle in the pommel that connected the blade to the handle.
"Yup, the ZenSaber is still fully functional." As Ben sheathed the sword, he took out a sizeable revolver-type gun with a crystal blue barrel and a black circle next to the hammer. "And so is the EleMagnum."
Suddenly the doors opened as Ben and the Fire Skylanders turned to see Spyro coming in. Ben smiled in relief and ran to the Purple Dragon to give him a hug.
"Spyro! I knew you'd make it!"
"Hey easy, Ben!" Spyro laughed. "The rest are waiting for us at the castle."
"It's good to know the rest of our friends have arrived," Flameslinger said as he got up from his Indian-style position. "Let us reunite with them post-haste!"
After the Skylanders reunited and introduced Ben to the Mane 6 and Spike, they arrived at the throne room, where Celestia and Luna were waiting for them.
"Nice to see you again, your Majesties," Ben said with a bow.
"It is good to see you have arrived," Celestia said with her ever-radiant smile. "And I see little Spike has grown since we last saw him."
"Yeah, he grew up to his proper age thanks to the Skylanders magic leaking into our world," Twilight said.
"Apologies for the abrupt summoning but considering the mysterious symbols we saw in the sky last night, we had a feeling that your arrival pertained to them," Luna said. "Thus, we went into the Archives to find a research log written by Starswirl the Bearded, the only Pony ever to set hoof in your world.'"
Sparx suddenly buzzed toward Luna. "Back up, How does one little book tell you about Skylands? I mean, our world was nearly destroyed by a Dragon known as Malefor, a really bad guy, that one, So Spyro and Cynder, the lovely couple you see next to each other, kicked Malefor's tail, launched a massive fury wave, and rebuilt our world. Some of the lands like Avalar were restored, while others were just left as floating islands."
"Thus why we call it Skylands today," Cynder added.
"What we read from the book showed Starswirl's thoughts on Skylands, he saw hundreds of Alicorns working with Dragons, and met your Portal Master, Eon," Celestia said. "From what we read, they became close friends. From what we've read, your world sounds truly marvelous."
"It's not all sugar and spice there. There's plenty of evil villains threatening the peace, which is why we're there to stop them." Gill Grunt said.
"The worst of them is Kaos, an evil Portal Master who tried to take over Skylands by destroying the Core of Light. We were sent to a different world and met Ben, who was actually the long-lost son of Eon. We worked together and managed to put the Core back together and sent old Big Head packing."
A growl was heard as everyone turned to see Spike holding his stomach with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Uh, do you got any gems?"
"Certainly." Luna smiled as she opened a jewel box and took out a Sapphire with her magic, levitating it to Spike, who gratefully ate it. However, as he chewed, he suddenly felt a strange surge of power flow through him before belching out a blast of blue flames, which froze everything it hit.
"What the heck was that?!" Spike questioned. "I didn't know I could use Ice Breath!"
"Well, you are purple...so it's possible you have the magic of the Purple Dragons inside you!" Spyro theorized.
"Purple Dragons have a special connection to the Aether, meaning they can use all sorts of crazy elemental abilities besides Fire," Ben explained. "Something tells me that this is just the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun."
"Think I can use some of this ice to make my famous snow cones?" Slam Bam offered as he began gathering up the ice with his four arms.
"Are the Purple Dragons' elements related to the symbols we saw in the sky?" Luna asked.
"Sort of. See, Skylands harnesses eight known elements; Magic, Undead, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life, and Tech. As for Purple Dragons, their connection to the Aether gives them access to elemental powers connected to said Aether. Things as typical as Fire and Ice to some more abstract elements like Fear and Sound."
"I see...most intriguing."
"Speaking of which, we're still missing some of our own." Chop Chop noted. "Ghost Roaster, Boomer, Drill Sergeant, Lightning Rod, Warnado, Double Trouble, and Voodood."
"Hey! Did someone call for us?!"
Everyone looked to see the seven aforementioned missing Skylanders running into the throne room. Ghost Roaster was cackling as he had just gotten done spooking Prince Blueblood while Lightning Rod flew over and wrapped an arm around Ben, giving him a noogie.
"What-Ho! Glad to see you in good health, Benjamin!" Lightning Rod laughed.
"Alright, the gang's all together again!" Trigger Happy cheered, shooting his guns in the air.
"Now that we're all reunited, we need to find a way to get back to Skylands and tell Dad we're okay," Ben noted.
"From what we've read, you cannot return to Skylands without a portal. Luckily, Starswirl wrote the schematics for a portal to Skylands. Our top Unicorns have begun construction on the portal as soon as possible."
"I helped give them some advice earlier," Ben said. "Figured they could use an expert on the matter."
"But in the meantime, let's head back to Ponyville so I can throw you guys a 'Welcome to Equestria' Party!" Pinkie Pie cheered, pumping a fist in the air.
"A party? Don't mind if we do!" Boomer laughed. "Hope there's stuff to blow up!"
"Is that all you ever think about?" Stealth Elf asked with an arched eyebrow.
As the Skylanders joined the Mane 6 and Spike in returning to Ponyville, Ignitor couldn't help but notice Captain Shining Armor patrolling with some of the guards. The Fire Knight hummed silently as he couldn't help but feel like he had seen the stallion somewhere before.
"Yer gonna love Ponyville, Ben! I can give ya a tour of Sweet Apple Acres if ya want." Applejack said.
"Also, while that armor is quite strapping, you'll need to look more presentable if you're going to be living with us for the time being." Rarity pointed out as she admired Ben's armor.
"What kinda sweets do you guys like? I know ALL kinds of recipes!" Pinkie Pie said, already looking forward to the party she was throwing for the Skylanders and Ben.
"I think we're gonna like it here." Eruptor chuckled.
Ben and the Skylanders have been welcomed into Equestria. However, it seems this magical land has its own share of evils that they need to face that they will soon discover in the very next chapter! Stay tuned and give me your feedback, it nourishes my soul!