"The end of a generation…" said Master Eon from his loft above the Academy Arena. It was a sensation the aged wizard knew well, a feeling more bitter than sweet. As an instructor and defender of the Skylands, it was his duty to sweep the rose shade from the eyes of his pupils.

The harsh duties had him gripping his hands for strength. This school was the last bastion of comfort most of the students would have before they braved the dangers of the world and faced its evils. Each day they struggled in those trials would be worth a week in his school's hallowed halls.

That was why this test he set before his students would be one of the hardest.

The sun obliged his need for grandstanding by shining down on his body directly. Warmth seeped into his old bones, making every hair of his beard glisten. He raised his arms and called out.

"Welcome, to all of Skylands to this exhibition match!"

The crowds around him undulated like a wave, their voices like thunder. The cadets of the Academy and citizens from every corner, all manner of species, roared their hearts out. Excitement and hope pulsed through the air, a rush of heat that circled and built upon itself.

"This special performance is where we serve witness to the most promising cadets of any given class." Eon's voiced echoed above the crowd. "For years they have studied, honed their skills and instincts, and redoubled their efforts to carry forward. Now, we see the fruits of that labor put to the test!"

A paltry test compared to what else was waiting out there, but a test nonetheless.

The cadets knew as such themselves. The Skylands were a place of wonder and magic with a menagerie of fantastic creatures, many of which were dangerous. Some beasts could rip out their souls or trap them in prisons of endless shadow and suffering for all eternity, or the standard ripping them limb from limb. Years ago, they saw one notable student suffer as much.

That same trial, against the Fire Viper, was almost miniscule.

"Now, I give to you the leaders of your generation. Fight hard, Skylanders!"

From a puff of smoke with a twisting leap, Stealth Elf hit the ground, digging her blades into the dirt. Her glowing eyes bored deep into the enemy before her beneath her headband. The wooden gauntlets on her arms blocked the stray embers of her enemy's attack as she twirled her golden blades. She backflipped at the sign of another fireball headed her way. This time, her feet touched a glowing pink flower several feet above the air.

Katelyn, her partner appeared beside her. Her form fitting outfit was sleek, allowing for her graceful movements on the trail of magic flowers she gave. The frills of her skirt swayed, along with the pale pink blossoms at her hip and in her now shoulder-length hair.

The beast before them coiled, its scales shuddering. It roared and flicked its tongue, thinking to make a meal of the two girls. Its maw opened, shooting out another plume of fire.

Elf tossed her blades, the gleam of the tips shining. Despite her arm strength, the Viper beat it back with a flap of his wings. The elven girl caught it effortlessly and tossed again. The same result. The game of catch went on.

The beast made a lunge for her as she caught her blade once more. Narrowing her eyes, Stealth Elf hopped and vanished in a puff of smoke. It continued to charge, unable to slow down, and ran headfirst into a green barrier, releasing stray petals, with Katelyn right behind.

Elf reappeared above the beast and spiraled down with her blades extended. She struck right into the joints between the wings. The Viper howled in pain and recoiled, turning its long body.

In midair Elf remained trapped as its tail wrapped around her frame. It tossed her to the ground where she spun and ate the dirt seeping through her face mask.

At another corner, a second Viper charged into Eruptor, who smirked and stood his ground. With his iron armor coated in spikes atop his molten body, the golem was a fiery metal wall. The stubs on his arms glowed beneath the metal gauntlets he sported. He lobbed a fireball with a punch while the Fire Viper spit out one of its own.

They collided, sending a rush of heat into the stands. The furry Mabus were sweating in their fur coats.

Eruptor sent another ball against the Viper's own. Bursts of light and embers rocked the stadium. The golem roared and let loose a stream of fire, and once again, his opponent copied. The collision ruptured the air and left the ground below to melt into heated goop.

An explosion came, knocking them both back. Eruptor screamed, the spikes on his head spewing lava. He bounced in place and let the whole arena rock with him.

Beneath the Viper, cracks formed in the earth as it shook. The ground glowed an angry red, building in intensity. With a boom it burst, releasing shards and a plume of lava into the beast's belly, making it roar in pain. Between what was no doubt waves of hot pain, it searched for its prey.

Only to spot the rocks around glowing again.

They created fiery bursts that knocked it back and forth. Between the wisps of smoke, it caught sight of the golem's partner, laughing like a lunatic.

Pablo snapped his fingers, switching into over-the-top poses as he did. The boy moved well despite what was the clear weight of the armor above what looked more like a chef's apron than mage's robes. His curls of hair bounced with a life of their own to dodge the embers left by his own blasts.

The smoke remained as the two regrouped. Then, it vanished as the Viper emerged head-first like an airship at top speed.

The two were rammed into the wall, enough to leave craters in their body shapes.

As the other closed in on them, another shot of fire came from out of thin air.

The second Viper rolled out of the way. It swerved and tumbled out of the way, swallowing mouthfuls of dirt.

A purple blur zoomed above the crowd with a trail of smoke in its wake. Those violet scales shimmered like mirrors in the sun and sparkled with the embers of battle below. Their owner bucked his elongated horns and raised his head so that they radiated like a crown in the air. A dragon sporting a pristine grin giving a wink that made the girls swoon and a scarf fluttering in the wind like a hero's cape.

"Never fear! Spyro is here!" The dragon spun billowing flames in a perfect arc.

"Oh, geez. Always gotta be a showboat." Eruptor grumbled from down below.

"Better a showboat than a tugboat, mi amigo!" Pablo laughed.

"…What does that even mean?"

The first Viper spun back and opened its maw over them. Spyro spat a fireball that slapped its head back to the ground. "Got your back, guys!"

Stealth Elf and Katelyn appeared by their earthbound teammates. "Uh, who's got yours!?"

Spyro blinked. His scales lost their sheen and went dark, bringing a bead of sweat down his face. Hearing wingbeats as loud as thunder, he turned and locked eyes with a third Viper, twice the size of its fellow monsters. Magma dripped from its maw and a ravenous gleam flashed across its eyes. Its maw opened with a glow forming inside.

The flames roared, rumbling the air. The heat reached its flickering claws at him, reaching the surface of his skin.

Then all he saw was a starry void, the tints of orange rippling within. A portal opened before him, swallowing the flame with mere specks flying out the sides.

Turning to his side, Spyro blinked at a second portal that opened. It spewed out the same flames that came so close to roasting him. They were now pointed upward towards empty air.

"You really need to start paying attention," came a voice Spyro was always happy to hear.

Everyone turned to the source. Cody Evans, a boy turned into a young man with a proper amount of mass on his once skin and bones. His raggedy old sweater and earth clothes were switched with garments more befitting a wizard, a royal violet cloak that fluttered slightly. With vibrant eyes he kept watch on the three Vipers as they regrouped around their team. The glow on his fingers rippled as his fingers twitched, sending the portals away.

"Always on my six, Code-bro!" Spyro gave a clawed thumbs-up.

Cody gave a sigh with a smile. The Portal of Power, embedded in the belt around his torso, glowed like a second heartbeat. A void appeared beneath his feet, and he stepped in. The ground and walls faded in a second, replaced with open air with the third Viper below him instead.

The boy pointed his finger and drew in violet light. The Viper rose and arced over Spyro, now aimed for the remnants of the team. His breath hitched as he turned in midair.

"Now who needs to pay attention?"

He landed atop his partner's back and felt the rush as Spyro flew towards the beast. He gripped a handful of his wild mane of red hair and shook his head. "Could you give me a little warning next time?"

"Aw, where's the fun in that?"

Cody sighed. "After four years, you and I still have a very different definition of fun…"

Spyro turned right in a smooth loop. The Viper came in their sights again, joined by its teammates. The largest launched its fire breath aimed the boy and dragon's way. Spyro breathed in and launched a true dragon's fire breath right back. They collided, vibrating, as Cody felt the force tremoring through Spyro's bones.

The attacks ended in a fiery burst, knocking both sides back.

Spyro recovered, like a fish to water, and flew back. He licked his upper jaw with flames leaking for another attack. Ahead of them, the Viper rolled the same way and charged head-first. Spyro's attack came, and the Viper barrel-rolled out of the way of the fire ball.

It sprayed its fire breath as well. Cody raised an arm and a purple sphere surrounded the two. The flames bounced off, though the rumbling weighed his arms down. Cody panted, a tension coursing through him as though he were meters away from the Viper's maw. The aftermath was a wall of fire that split the remaining teams.

The large Viper regrouped in the air with its smaller brethren. They circled, eyeing the three pairs as morsels to savor.

"This is not going well!" Katelyn cried. "They fly and they fly fast!"

Cody gripped his partner's scarf. The years had honed his mind – calmness was the key. Dispel all outward thoughts, all distractions. Master Eon's words were to shut out all negative thoughts and let the way come, one drop of thought in the pool of his mind. One at a time.

His eyes shot open. "Lure them to the ground!"

Spyro leapt back and fired once more. Eruptor joined in, roaring burning rage. The smaller Vipers coiled and swerved away. The blasts didn't hit but they did the job of luring them down to their level. Cody nodded to the two girls.

Stealth Elf and Kate ran ahead, meeting the beasts halfway. Katelyn raised her shield and the Vipers slammed into the green wall. Elf grabbed her by the waist and warped her away.

The Vipers shook their heads and scanned the arena. Elf had appeared to their right, standing on one of Katelyn's platforms. Before they could hiss, the two vanished again. They searched for the two once more, but all soon caught the hums of the rocks beneath their bodies.

Pablo was there before them, snapping his fingers. The rocks exploded, kicking the Vipers like a lethal trampoline of fire and stone.

As the Vipers hit ground, Katelyn arrived with a wave of her hands. Out of the craters came vines that shimmered green from bouquets that sprouted from nothing. They wrapped around the Vipers, around their jaws and their bodies. They became nothing more than wriggling worms. Cody watched them struggling for freedom, knowing it would be theirs in moment.

Right on que, the third Viper swooped down. The jet of fire it breathed melted the rock and burned the vines away. Its fellow Vipers shook their heads and roared at the cadets.

"You got 'em mad now…" Spyro barked a laugh.

"Eruptor!" Cody cried.

The lava golem tipped his head and aimed the opposite way. He spewed a stream of lava, sweeping the ground and building up their way. It cooled into a red stone ramp instantly.

Eruptor gave a juggernaut leap to the rim of his creation. At the same time Spyro and Cody looped back and perched atop his head simultaneously, just missing his helmet's spike. Eruptor gave a roar and aimed his arms back, propelling them along the curve of the ramp. Their speeds had all three squinting at the air screaming past them.

The Vipers readied their fire blasts. One second too slow and all three knew they would be charred.

Cody raised a glowing hand.

The beasts' flames fired, moments away from them. Cody flashed his hand and a portal appeared right at the intersect. The three went in just a hair's length away from a burning doom.

They were now right above the three Vipers. Cody jumped from Spyro's back and grabbed Eruptor by the head. He crafted a new portal that warped them to a back tumble on the ground.

Cody watched as Spyro was now dive-bombing alone towards the three Vipers. He was placing faith in luck and hypotheticals with this strategy. Master Eon had told him to trust his instincts, read the moment, and above all, have faith in his partner. Spyro never missed a shot, he knew that. But the old nagging feeling of something going wrong never left his thoughts even when it looked as though victory was certain.

He was right. The large Viper recovered quick enough. Its fangs were drooling with fire.

"Spyro!"

The dragon gasped. He curled into himself as the Viper blasted. The sky tinged red with the aftermath of the blast, then dimmed into grey with the cloud of smoke. Cody was gasping, panting, looking every which way.

"S-Spyro?"

The others came to his sides, all just as breathless. No matter what speck of airspace they scanned their was no sign of their teammate, just heavy wisps. With every second, the boy's breathing quickened. Master Eon had said it was a graduation exam, but the threat would be real regardless. One misstep and they could be seriously hurt.

He blinked. If Spyro was hurt or down for the count, then he would have fallen. But as Cody turned his sights to the ground, there was no collapsed pulp of purple. That meant….

A streak of smoke zoomed from the cloud. The smog parted and out appeared Spyro. He launched a fireball that split into three that fell twice as fast as him. They struck the crystal spines of the three Vipers simultaneously. They engulfed the black rocks, casting cracks into them and shattering them.

The three Vipers roared in pain. They collapsed one atop the other.

Their bodies turned light blue and fizzled. The serpents' forms warped before dissolving completely. For holograms, they put up a serious fight.

Cody turned to the old wizard in the stands. A look of pure shock was written across Eon's face. Spyro's last-minute stunt must have sprouted out another hundred or so gray hairs in his beard. The young man gave a reassuring smile – they were both used to his antics at this point.

But Eon did not return the smile. Instead, he cleared his throat and ignored him, turning to the fans.

"With this, the match is concluded." He called out once more. "Skylanders, these are the efforts that define true heroes. It is my hope that you display this vigilance and determination in the trials ahead! I give you your soon to be graduating class!"

Once more, the stands broke into cheers.

Spyro landed close to him. Cody blinked seeing the dragon – though out of breath and with singes on his sparse clothing, he was perfectly fine. There were no burns on his scales to indicate he had just been hit with a massive flamethrower just moments before. That should have eased the tension out of him, but it endured. Spyro turned to him, unaware.

"We won?"

Cody gave the best smile he could and nodded.


"WE WON!" Spyro cheered. The mug in his claw spilled out the soda they had swiped from Pop Fizz's secret stash.

"Hey, watch it! This armor's dry-clean!" Eruptor grumbled.

That was life in the Skylands – one minute they were fighting for their lives with swords and magic against fire-breathing monsters, the next they were drinking soda in the mess hall surrounded by a crowd of their peers. Sweet drinks were coupled with sweet compliments and requests for reviews of their techniques or invitations to train together. Aside from Spyro, everyone else was taking it in stride.

The victory against the Fire Viper hologram must have been cathartic for Spyro as the dragon was beaming like he was just out of his shell again. Memories of that match from four years ago played with menacing detail in the young man's head. Cody just watched him flex his muscles to the annoyance of the others with a small smile while sipping out of his own mug. School celebrity was second nature to his partner, never quite outgrowing that old cockiness.

"I loved that move you did with the dive-bomb!"

"No way! The best part was when you got those snakes close!"

"What would you say is the most effective way to take down a Fire Viper after this?"

Elf and Katelyn did their best to field the more technical questions. Eruptor was two comments away from melting another helmet, to Pablo's amusement. Little about them had changed in this time they had been learning together, training together. It gave him a sense of serenity knowing somethings would be ever constant.

Speaking of which, a bulky, familiar face stepped out of the crowd. "Well, guess the fool learned after all. Don't go thinkin' you a hotshot like you were back in the day!"

"Oh, Terrafin. You can hardly blame me for being young and innocent." Spyro teased.

"Young, sure! Innocent, the heck you mean, fool!?"

"You know you loved it…" The shark-man scoffed at that.

"I shall harness my inner Gulper." Pablo guzzled down a mug. "MORE SODA!"

"So what happened back there?" Gil Grunt leaned onto the table. He and Spyro had gotten much friendlier in the years since Cody enrolled. Gil was a good source of advice for him in counseling Spyro and keeping his head on the ground. "That last bit with the Vipers. You came out of it like nothing happened."

Cody's ears perked. The matter had gone forgotten in the rush of congratulations afterwards. He'd wanted to hear this answer himself.

Spyro gulped down the last few quarts of his soda and swiped his mouth clean. He seemed to be lost in thought, as if he didn't understand much himself. "Can't say much. I was heading down aiming for their… head-spike things and the big one blasted me. I didn't feel anything. It was hot but… it didn't burn."

"Oh, so now Mr. Big-Shot's invincible!" Terrafin scoffed. "We're never gonna hear the end of it!"

"That's weird." Elf muttered. "I mean, you'd think you would feel something. Master Eon wouldn't warn us about the graduation match if it didn't come with risk. Maybe there was some kind of malfunction."

"Trust me, there wasn't." Katelyn sighed. "My skirt has the stains and sears to prove it."

"So Spyro gets off scot-free while the rest of us have to check into the nurse's for the next few days." Eruptor whined. "Dragons get all the luck."

"Can't help you there, buddy."

"So… it really is that rough, huh?"

Cody smiled at the innocent question. "Sorry, but yeah. We had to put in triple time at the obstacle course and coordinate our movements, study Fire Viper behaviors and all that. I came up with that strategy on the fly back there but like Master Eon says, 'never forego an opportunity to hone your skills.'"

That's right. Spyro had built up his endurance and stamina because of those long years of training. He was even able to stay awake for half the class as opposed to the first five minutes before Cody had to wake him. Then there was the fact that dragon scales were durable by nature, a material of choice for armors and weapons. The dragon's tough talk had weight to it now – that should have quieted the squirming in Cody's chest.

Yet, his grip on the mug wouldn't loosen. Nor would the squirming go away.

"Yeah, it's not like this was some kind of crazy superpower that just popped up and is going to lead us all through a series of mysterious and terrible events that'll ultimately lead to some game-worthy bad ending!" Pablo piped.

"…Wait, what?" Cody asked.

"Nothing!"

Elf cut through the voices with the scrape of her chair. She finished the last of her drink with a single sip. "Alright, guys. Party time's over. We need to get back to the dorm and get ready for next week."

"Aw, come on, Elf!" Spyro sagged. "I haven't finished my third mug yet!"

"Professor Pop will always have more soda for you to questionably get. We still have classes to get through before we're done." As she grabbed the handle, she fixed her teammates a warning glare that raised the hairs, or other materials, on their necks.

"Because evil's not going to wait until we're graduated."


Hello, everyone!

As I promised, here is the first chapter of the second installment of the Skylanders Academy fanfic series, Light and Dark. Based on the title and the description, I'm gonna say you people already have some guesses as to what might happen.

So, I did this starting with a bit of a time skip: I know that's always a bit of a tricky creative choice, but I think it's necessary for what will happen here. For appearances for the Skylanders I sort of took reference from their evolved forms in Ring of Heroes as well as borrowed some clothing elements from the male Portal Master avatar for Cody. I also sort of have new powers for each of the Portal Master characters on top of everything else. The're not the same ragtag group of kids you might remember.

Updates for this might be a little sporadic since I have work and I'm in the process of creating other works as well. I can't promise there will be a set schedule for new chapters like the last one. I sort of bounce between interests at the time, which is kind of why it took so long to get here. That and I can't make a great story in the span of a single evening.

So, we'll get this gravy train going. As always, review, favorite, follow! It's good to be back!

All rights to Skylanders belong to Activision and Blizzard Entertainment.