|| Now for the fourth installment into the original, discontinued Skylanders Short Stories series, "The Birth of Dark Spyro"! Self-explanatory title, I know. Okay, guys, guys. I'm gonna level with you for a moment.
This story isn't awful.
*gasp* I know, right?! I didn't think it was possible! Okay, I'm gonna stop messing around now. Yes, this is in fact the point where Skylanders Short Stories stopped sucking so much. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this story is good. Well, it also doesn't mean that this story is bad. Let's find out which one it is. ||

SKYLANDERS SHORT STORIES: THE BIRTH OF DARK SPYRO

August 2014 - October 2014

With Kaos' ultimate plan falling into place, it's up to Spyro to defeat him. But when he falls into a trap, a new evil will awaken- an evil far too powerful for even the dark Portal Master himself can control. No pairing. Rated T for mild language. Five-shot.

Chapter One

"Okay, remind me what we're doing again?"

Just outside the entrance to the under hollow, Spyro, Trigger Happy, Sunburn and Stealth Elf were going over a task for the fifth time. Spyro sighed. "You have to open the elemental locks," he repeated himself. "and once you're inside the vault, you have to make sure that all of the Battle Items on that list are still in there."

"Aw, but that sounds boring!" Trigg whined.

Spyro rolled his eyes. "I'll let you play with the Sky Diamond when you're done."

"Really?!" Trigger Happy exclaimed, eyes bright. "Okay! I'll do it!"

Stealth Elf raised her hand. "You don't have to do that, elf girl," Spyro told her. "If you have something to say, just say it."

Blushing slightly, the ninja lowered her hand and stated her case. "Uh... I don't know how to read..." she pointed out. "Or write..."

"Oh, yeah..." Spyro said. "I forgot. Sorry, Stealth. You don't have to do this one."

Stealth bowed. "Thank you."

Sunburn watched her walk away, then slowly started to raise his hand. "I know you can read, Sunburn," Spyro stopped him. "You're not getting out of this that easily." The phoenix muttered something that couldn't be made out, but Spyro was pretty sure there was a curse word in there somewhere.

It had been a rule since the time of the Giants to check Battle Item inventory every two months. These powerful, magical items in the hands of the darkness could only lead to disaster. Much like the Skylanders themselves, Magic Items were passed down from Portal Master to Portal Master through the ages. And although the heroes have been holding up well on their own, Eon is still intent on finding a new Master to guide them.

If only he could find one with the powers of a Portal Master who hadn't turned to the dark side.

Speaking of dark...

Shadows. In the dark lair of Kaos, in place of his mighty throne, stood a tall machine. Eight capsules held eight items representative of each element. It was spiky, threatening, and... well, Kaos-y. Tall, sharp points rose from just behind each of the capsules, and there was a deep hole just next to it.

"Behold, Glumshanks!" the dark lord himself exclaimed. "The mechanism that will spell the Skylanders' Ultimate Evil DOOM!"

"Wow, sir!" Glumshanks seemed genuinely impressed. "It's looks even better than I ever could have imagined!"

Kaos cackled. "I know." So humble.

"So, what is it supposed to do?" the butler asked.

"Supposed to do?!" Kaos growled. "Will do!" He snorted. "If you must know, fool, I'm going to harness the power of the eight elements to create my own Skylanders!"

Glumshanks raised an eyebrow and scratched his head. "Um... I don't mean to burst your bubble, sir, but can't you already do that?"

Kaos paused, then nodded slowly. "Well, yes, but because they aren't genuine beings, they kind of... eh... what's the word?"

"Suck?" Glumshanks guessed.

Kaos sighed. "That's the one. But, this machine can take a person and clone only their dark side!"

"Is that even possible?"

"Silence, Glumshanks!" The troll rolled his eyes. "Now, allow me to demonstrate. Oh Noodles! Do come in here, won't you?"

The ice ogre rushed in at the sound of his master's call. "Y-Yes sir!" Noodles said. "What do you need?"

Kaos directed his servant to the center of the machine. "I need you to stand riiiiiiiight... here!"

"Okay..."

Kaos retreated back to where he had been standing before, pulled out a remote labeled "DOOM" and pressed the big red button. A fury of violet lightning generated at the tip of each of the eight tall spikes and electrocuted Noodles. Glumshanks flinched when he saw this.

When the electricity died down, mist floated up from the hole next to the machine, and a large glass capsule emerged. Kaos laughed and Glumshanks stared intently as the door to the unit opened and a silhouette stepped out. The mist cleared, revealing the shadow to be Noodles- only with a darker tone to him. "What the-" the original began, before being tackled by his doppelganger.

Glumshanks watched with a dropped jaw. "Wow!" he eventually exclaimed. "That's amazing! Uh, sir. Are you sure it will work on a Skylander, though? Aren't they protected by an, er, sacred force?"

"Screw the sacred force!" Kaos declared. "This machine will rip right through their magical aura."

There was a loud crash, and they flinched away. "Alright, but what if the clones are defiant?" Glumshanks asked. "Don't you have some way to destroy them?"

Kaos pointed to the remote, and Glumshanks noticed a second button. "All I have to do is press this button, and the clones will self-destruct."

Glumshanks nodded. "So for once you have a fail-safe, huh?"

Kaos sighed. "Yeah, the last two plans didn't go so well," he admitted. "But, there's no way this plan could possibly blow up in my face!"

"I recall you saying that about the fuzzball and the amnesiacs..."

"Glumshanks!" The troll sighed. "Now all I have to do is trick their dragon leader into coming here!"

"Why not send a letter?" Glumshanks suggested.

"Eh?"

He blinked. "You know, a letter!" Glumshanks said. "Okay, I'll do it for you."

"I'm pretty sure that's your job description."

Spyro was sitting outside the under hollow with a book titled "How to be the Most Awesomest Leader in the History of Awesomeness." As he turned the page, Stealth Elf came down the stairs looking exhausted. "Well, look who it is," Spyro said without looking up from his book.

Stealth grumbled and collapsed. That managed to get his attention. He poked her with his tail until she stood back up. "Stink Bomb makes us do the same stupid routine every single day," she complained. "I'm sick of it. He makes me do it five times."

"He probably just wants you to demonstrate for the boys," Spyro noted, looking back down at his book and flipping the page again. "They suck at it, don't they?"

Stealth nodded. "Well, yeah."

"I heard that Master Eon is going to start dropping us out of class if we've already completed training. I've been observing you, and your skills have improved drastically. You're probably the only competent one in your class, hm?"

Stealth blinked. "'Competent?'"

"Capable."

"Oh!" Stealth scratched her head. "Well, one doesn't like to toot their own horn..."

Spyro chuckled. "Except, apparently you."

"Hey!"

Sunburn and Trigger Happy (holding a clipboard) came back up from the hollow. "Everything is present and accounted for," Sunburn said. "And may I just say, we have way too much stuff."

Trigg tossed the clipboard over his shoulder. "So... can I play with the Sky Diamond now?!"

Spyro closed his book and laughed. "Sure thing, little bud!" he replied.

"Hooray!"

The three watched him rush back into the under hollow. "You don't even have to tell me," Sunburn said. "I'll make sure he doesn't break it."

"Good," Spyro said.

"Spyro, sir!" They turned to find that Hot Dog was leaping down to them. He was carrying a piece of paper by a strap around his neck. "We've received a telegram addressed to you, sir."

Stealth Elf, having opposable thumbs, took the paper. "Oh. I still don't know how to read."

"Let me see!" Sunburn took the paper from her and skimmed over it. "Hey, it's from Kaos!" he exclaimed.

"What? No way!" Spyro snatched it and read over it himself. "Hey, it is! He wants me to confront him personally at Kastle Kaos. Alone!"

Sunburn shook his head. "Well, you shouldn't do it!"

"It's probably a trap, sir!" Hot Dog said.

Spyro laughed. "Please, I can handle anything he can throw at me!" he proclaimed. "I'll be there and back and you'll never notice I left!"

"Right..." Stealth said. "Welp, don't hurt yourself."

Sunburn growled. "Are you supportive of anybody?"

Hot Dog whimpered. "Please, be careful sir..." he pleaded.

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Spyro flapped his wings and took off. "Sunburn's in charge!"

Sunburn smirked. "I'm always in charge."

Then Trigger Happy thumped up the stairs with the Sky Diamond. "Who wants to play catch?!"

Stealth and Sunburn exchanged glances. "He's totally gonna break it."

|| I totally missed the chance to say "Sunburn and Stealth Elf" there. I guess that would have been too obvious.

Pffffffft, ahahah! Did you see that one part?! "Shadows". Was that supposed to be a reference to that one really terrible Gravity Falls story I wrote? It looks edgy as all hell out of context. Not that there is any context. It's just sitting there, being a reference to one of my old stories. I'm pretty sure I put that there because I couldn't decide how to start that scene, but... really? I couldn't have deleted it when I was done? Wow.

And... really, Spyro? Okay, I said that this story was a big improvement, but that doesn't mean that the characters aren't still complete morons. The characters are still complete morons. But, they're not as bad as they were in Pop Fizz... of DOOM! Arguably. At least Trigger Happy is having fun. ||