And here comes our next chapter in the lightning round! Consider this something of an early present for the holidays!

Ohma flame: I'll admit, I'm not extremely familiar with either Miraculous or Ben Ten (The former I watched a few episodes of some time ago but couldn't really get into, and the latter I haven't watched since I was in elementary school, but I've been meaning to rewatch it), but based on what I remember, I can kind of see the resemblance! Also a fight between Kaos and Ben would be quite interesting...

Greenswitch: Dungam is meant to be a parody of Gundam, which is some really big mecha anime franchise I believe? Much like how Chihiro has never finished an episode of Dungam in her life, I have never actually watched Gundam myself and only know what I do know about it from osmosis - I just figured it would work well enough for the joke since it's one of the bigger mecha franchises out there! And thank you, the impersonation bit was definitely something I spent a lot of time workshopping!

Watch Seeker: Man, online classes sound tough, I'm sure you've been working hard! Hopefully things will get better soon... Back to the story itself, glad to hear you enjoyed the chapter! And I wouldn't worry about those clones for much longer~


Chihiro whimpered as her eyes fixed on the fuzzy window to the outer world she had managed to cast with her magic. The full-pilot systems had completely died, and she was scrambling to find some sort of way to turn them back on… But unfortunately, there was nothing to be found! The systems had been scrambled so badly, nothing was coming out that could allot her control—and that made her a prime target for her opponent! Another blow from the opposing robot sent her tumbling backwards as her own robot skidded back, then she grunted and slunk down as she hit the wall.

"Geez, now I'm really starting to regret never finishing a mecha show in my life…" Chihiro groaned as the opposing robot trudged forward and got ready to swing once more, then whimpered and buried her head in her hands before the blow could be witnessed, "If I can't go by that, what am I supposed to go by? I don't know anything about giant robots, all I know is magic and fantasy and stuff like that! How can that…"

Chihiro stopped short and shook her head.

"Wait a second, that's it!"

Chihiro giggled, then lifted her head and peered back up at the opposing robot with a new confidence.

"If I can't go by the book, I'll just go by what I do know!" Chihiro smirked as she held out a hand charged with magic, "And if I can't get technology on my side…"—Chihiro's smirk spread wider as the glow from her hands grew brighter—"I'll just use good old magic!"

From that hand of hers, a flurry of magic blasts shot right into the walls around her and funneled into the robot's systems. Then, the robot lifted its own hands and shot out those same blasts with twenty times Chihiro's own strength! And this time, the enemy robot was caught so off guard that the blasts all seared into its chest and completely charred it!

"Alright!"

Chihiro jumped up and grinned, then punched her hands forward as she shot off another flurry of magic blasts! The blasts sank into the robot's mechanical walls once more, and the world around her turned her signature cyan as the robot sat up and sent another magic blast hurtling right towards the enemy robot!

The enemy robot's body groaned with pain as the blast burrowed into its own chest, then the blast exploded and it skidded across the waves! It hunched over as smoke and fire burst from the gaps in its body, and it groaned as it hung its head low. It tried to trudge past the burning waves that lapped against its legs, but it hunkered and whistled with pain with every step it took, as if just the very act of existing was too much for it to bear! It was finally weakened, at last!

Chihiro grinned as she raised her hands, then closed her eyes and steeled her heart. She extended her hands out and held them the way a puppeteer would, inhaled, then exhaled as she wiggled her fingers.

"Alright!" Chihiro cried as she pumped a fist to the skies, "Time to finish this!"

Chihiro leaned forward and prepared to run, then froze as her own machine lurched. She clenched her teeth as she eyed the ceiling, as if she was preparing herself for another problem—but instead of another disaster or shutdown, the lights and screens around her cropped up once more with a bright, powerful glow! Chihiro gasped as she craned her head around and drank in the light, then a burst of light engulfed her! The sudden brightness surprised her enough that she forced her eyes shut, but when the light faded and she opened her eyes once more... She gasped with glee, for her full-pilot outfit had returned!

"Sorry for taking so long to find the system restart, Chi!" Spyro apologized as the screen that peered into the control room popped back up, "All systems should be functional now!"

"No problem, Golden Boy!" Chihiro chirped as she gave Spyro a thumbs up, then grinned and turned back to the opposing robot as she crackled her knuckles, "You're just in time for my finishing blow!"

Chihiro chuckled as she raised her fists and dashed forward, all while her opposing robot meagerly tried to get back up. Then, she shot a gigantic flurry of punches that completely took down the opposing robot! Her robot moved with such speed and such power, the other robot couldn't even compete! Its body just grunted and screeched as the punches dented its metal surface and caused its limbs and paneling to snap off and drop into the deep!

Thick, burning smoke poured out from every crevice in the robot as it sank into the depths of the watery floors… But as it went down, it raised one of its smoking fists and shot it right at Chihiro's robot! It was so sudden, Chihiro had no time to retaliate before it smashed it the head with such force that her robot's head popped clean off! Chihiro screamed and ducked for cover as the robot's head flew into the distance and collapsed into the water below, then the floor opened up below her and she hastily jumped downstairs.

But down there they weren't doing much better, either! The whole room had started sparking as smoke poured out from every angle, all while Spyro, Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball and Drill Sergeant jumped from panel to panel in some search of something that would calm this oncoming storm! Then, they all froze and sniffed the air as smoke wafted through the room.

"Why do I smell smoke?" Chihiro asked as her full-pilot outfit vanished and returned her normal outfit in its place.

Spyro opened his mouth and went to answer, but before he could a bright, red screen cropped up between him and Chihiro!

"Warning, warning!" Cried a mechanical announcer's voice as the screen depicted the outer body of the robot, which seemed much redder than before, "Robot has reached critical heat! If not cooled soon, there is a ninety nine point nine nine nine nine chance that this robot will—"

FWOOM!

The announcer didn't get to finish, but there was no need—for everyone had quickly found out what it meant when the capture of the robot's outer body burst into flames! The room around them was dyed in a glow of red and orange as the heat grew so high that parts of the walls melted away and unveiled panels full of wiring that sparked with electricity, while flames burst from the floor and made everyone around scream!

"Quick, we've gotta get outta here!" Chihiro screamed as she jumped past the flames, then leaped into a seat and hastily buckled in!

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Spyro shouted as he grabbed onto the joysticks and pushed them as far forward as they could go, "Full speed ahead!"

And that's just as fast as they went! The robot rocketed forward while everyone screamed from both the speed and the oncoming flames! The robot cracked and wailed with every step as parts of its flaming body snapped off and crashed into the water with a splash, and the sudden loss of weight didn't help it any as it swayed from side to side!

Inside the robot's flaming depths, everyone screamed as they shifted from side to side, though their seatbelts kept them stuck firm in their seats... Then as Spyro finally stabilized the robot and pushed it ahead, they all shook their heads while a mechanical bridge came in sight!

"Quick, park the robot!" Chihiro cried as she pointed to the bridge!

Spyro grunted as the robot drew closed and closer to the bridge, then finally he yanked it into neutral and leaped out of his seat right as the robot settled behind the bridge! With a flash of his wings and a purple flare in his eyes, Spyro teleported everyone inside onto the bridge right as the robot's body was completely consumed by the flames!

All was quiet as they stood and laid witness to the robot's final moments, while the robot itself crumbled into ashes and collapsed into the depths of the waters below, never to be seen again.

"Thank you, mister robot," Chihiro said as she bowed her head while the current swept the remains of the robot's ashes away... Then she yelped as the Weapon Master's hologram burst into existence behind her!

"You do not have long now," the Weapon Master explained as he waved his hands, "Once you make it past these halls, you will arrive at the vault where the Eternal Magic Source is stored. From there, find the card key,"—The Weapon Master gestured with one hand and brought up an apparition of a strange, round object—"And insert it into it's panel, then activate the three switches and the Eternal Magic Source will be yours."

As the Weapon Master's hologram disappeared, Chihiro beamed and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Man, it's a good thing this is gonna be so short! I was getting kinda hungry!" Chihiro chirped, before her smile faded as she leaned towards Spyro, "Oh, and, by the way…"—Chihiro forced a smile as she twiddled her fingers—"Promise me you won't tell anyone else about my Dungam breakdown? It's... Kinda embarrassing, you know?"

"Your secret's safe with me," Spyro whispered back with a nod.

As they both beamed and winked at each other, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble looked at the vault, then back at each other as they giggled with a surprising level of malevolence… Then came to a stop as Spyro shot them an odd look. Double Trouble giggled and dismissed Spyro's concerns, then shot a smirk back at Wrecking Ball as everyone shifted gears towards the vault.

But while they were making their way inside, down in the waters below, a few others were meeting a watery grave! Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball closed their eyes as bubbles streamed out from their gaping mouths, their skin wrought with burns and sore, glowing red spots from the steaming hot water they had landed in! But, despite how much pain they seemed to be in, they hardly noticed as they sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss…

However, beside them, Double Trouble was fully awake and raring to go! His eyes shot wide open as Dark and Wrecking Ball were pulled down, then he gasped and yanked his staff back just before it fell down with them. He winced and screwed his eyes shut as a burning red sores seared his body, but despite the pain, despite the way the water pushed against him, he pushed his staff forward!

With a bright glow that shone bright against the dark waters of the deep, the staff shot out bolts of magic lightning towards Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball, then its glow leaped out from the crystal and enveloped Double Trouble!

While the light glowed bright, a magic power lifted Double Trouble from the depths of the steaming ocean and into the safety of the open air, but he seemed hardly relieved as he scanned the waters below. He winced and rubbed the sore burns on his shoulder as his eyes jumped from spot to spot, then finally fixed on two bright, glowing orbs of lights that shone bright against the murky waters of down below. He gasped as these orbs glowed brighter and brighter, his teeth clenched in anticipation… Then his gasp turned to glee as these orbs popped out of the water and unveiled Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball!

Double Trouble winced as the water dripped down from their unconscious bodies, then he raised his staff and waved it around with all the strength he could muster. In another flash of light, all three of them were teleported onto a nearby platform while the light left their bodies.

Double Trouble seemed a bit relieved as he floated over to Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball, but before he could reach them, his whole body caved in from the pain he was surely in! He cried out as he fell to his knees, while his staff slipped from his grip and rolled across the platform. Double Trouble winced as he eyed the burns on his shoulder, then with another wince he crawled over to his staff and grabbed it from the ground.

Double Trouble screwed his eyes shut and forced a smile as he summoned all his might to wave his staff in the air and chant, then in a bright flash of light he was completely healed! The burns vanished from his body while his strength returned enough for him to stand and grinned. But, he wasn't the only one! Beside him, the sound of sputtering and splashing water was heard as Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball jumped back to their feet and spat out water, then grunted and shook themselves clean. Not only were they back to their senses, but their own wounds and burns had been completely healed, too!

Double Trouble grinned as he walked up to Dark Spyro and Wrecking Ball and asked them something, but Dark Spyro just pushed him aside as he eyed the trail ahead!

"Dangit, we lost them!" Dark cried as he narrowed his eyes, "Now what are we gonna do?"

Dark grunted as his wings started to twitch, but Double Trouble just floated beside Dark and frowned. With his eyes trained on the seawater below, Double Trouble magically summoned a pair of binoculars, then took a peek down at the watery walkways below… And gasped!

Dark Spyro hummed as he turned to Double Trouble. "What's up, Double Trouble?"

Double Trouble, however, sputtered in shock as he grabbed on to Dark's shoulder and shook it as hard as he could!

"Wuh, woah! Double Trouble, knock it off!" Dark cried as he tried and failed to pry Double Trouble's hand from his shoulder, "What're you shaking me—"—Dark stopped short as Double Trouble thrust the binoculars in his paws—"For?"

Dark frowned as he looked over the binoculars, then finally he shrugged and pressed them up to his eyes. He took a cursory look back down at the waterways, right where Double Trouble had pointed and… Oh no.

There in the water bobbed all sorts of wreckage, which might have looked inconspicuous at first, but a closer looked showed it was more than just rubble and trash! It was all plating and control panels and other noticeable robotic parts, except they were all sludgy and red in some parts as if they had been burned! Almost like a robot had fallen apart down the way…

Dark gasped as his grip on the binoculars slipped, but he didn't care at all as his mouth gaped open from shock!

"Dark, Doubs?" Wrecking Ball chirped as he hopped up and down behind them, "What're you all freaked out about?"

"They're in trouble!" Dark cried as he turned back to Double Trouble, "Double Trouble, can you follow that part trail?"

Double Trouble nodded, then waved his staff and teleported them all from that platform to the next, then to a third one with another wave! And as they hopped from platform to platform, Dark Spyro just grunted and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry everyone, we're coming!" Dark Spyro vowed with such force that it echoed across the halls.

§

"You know," Spyro said as he examined the walls of the halls they walked through now, "For a storage room, this place is pretty fancy!"—Spyro paused and frowned as he examined some of the paintings on the wall—"It looks more like a castle than anything!"

Spyro's comparison was quite apt, given the royal décor that marked the halls. The cold, metal floors were replaced with red jewels that sparkled in the light provided by the lamps stationed into the golden ceiling, while gold silk carpets stretched across the floor as far as the eye could seen. Between the massive golden pillars that connected the floor and the ceiling stood paintings, statues, unfolded scrolls written in Ancient Skylandian and more, almost like a museum's display!

Chihiro hummed, then paused as she turned her attention towards a painting on the wall.

There, painted in a style fairly reminiscent of those fancy Renaissance paintings was a tall, pale-skinned man with a devilish glint in his wide, red eyes. His hair was short and white like snow, its stark color a bit drained out by the paper-white tone of his skin, and he was dressed from head to toe in fine jewelry and red and gold robes, all of which were tied together by a burgundy cape that stretched well past his feet and a golden crown adorned with crimson jewels. A metallic gauntlet with a center that glowed a bright white rested on his right arm, which he propped against the arm of the massive golden throne he sat on, while he left arm laid slack at his side as it held a gold and red scepter. He carried himself with a kind of imposing, ominous aura, as if his surely long-dead self was going to leap from the portrait if one lingered on it a moment longer!

"Who's this guy?" Chihiro asked as she examined the runes engraved on the portrait's golden frame, "'Great King Arkilles the Powerful, son of Almighty King Arkus, second ruler of the Arkeyan Empire,'"—Chihiro frowned as she raised an eyebrow back at the painting and stepped back—"You know, for a guy who ruled a kingdom full of robots, he doesn't look very robotic."

Chihiro hummed and tapped her foot as she eyed the painting a few moments longer, then turned around and gasped as her eyes fell on empty halls!

"Crap, why do I keep getting distracted by these things?" Chihiro asked herself as she shook her head and bolted down the elaborate halls, "Hey, guys, wait up!"

But while Chihiro bounded down the halls, her shouts had beat her well to the punch!

Her words echoed to the tail of the ground, where Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball perked up their ears and froze as Spyro and Drill Sergeant rounded the corner ahead of them. The two of them smiled, then turned back to each other and chuckled with a suspicious glint in their bright eyes. Chihiro's footsteps rang around the halls and in their ears as Double Trouble lifted his staff and spun it around, all while he whispered something underneath his breath…

Then out from that staff shot a bolt of lightning that slammed into a suspicious golden button on the side of the wall! As the button surged with magical lightning and pushed itself into the wall, a massive mechanical wall slammed down and blocked off the path behind!

"What the heck?" Chihiro cried from the other side of the wall, "Where'd this wall come from?"

Chihiro grunted as she pounded on the wall and tried to open it back up, but she had no such luck! No matter how many times she pounded, the wall just stood firm with no sign of relenting! So, she leaned back as magic crackled at her fingers and formed into the vague shape of a blaster around her hands. Then, it completely disappeared as the ceiling opened up and dropped off masses of Arkeyan robots! As the robots hit the floor, their eyes glowed a bright, blood red while they gripped their maces, swords and blasters tight, then all at once they turned their arms on Chihiro!

"You shall not pass, intruder!" The robots all droned as one!

Chihiro, however, just snarled and flicked out her hands. "Sorry guys, but I don't have time to deal with you!"

Chihiro grunted as she leaned down and flared with magic, her eyes still fixed the massive gate before her as sweat dripped down her brow, then a bright burst of cyan light exploded from her body with such intensity that the robots screeched and dropped their weapons! Chihiro stood tall with her hair caressed in the faint breeze as the light burned bright... Then it completely faded away while she just flared with magical sparks! Chihiro chirped and popped her eyes open as she patted down her hair, then she gasped as her eyes fell on the frantic robots!

"Crap, it must have a block on teleportation spells!" Chihiro exclaimed as she snarled and drew a magical sword, "Guess I do have time to deal with you guys after all!"

So, Chihiro leaped forward and slashed down the front row of robots just before they could retrieve their weapons. But, the moment she did, the ceiling opened up and even more robots dropped down from the ceiling! So, she grunted and slashed them down again, but the ceiling just replenished their forces once more!

"Looks like I'm gonna need to bring out the big guns!" Chihiro cried as she tossed her sword to the skies, "Literally!"

Chihiro grinned as her sword sparkled and hovered in mid-air, then as it was enveloped by light, she slipped out the path of a rapid-fire laser barrage and jumped backwards as a gigantic laser cannon crashed down on the floor and shook the robots to their core! Chihiro giggled as she hopped up to the laser cannon's seat and slammed a massive button on its control panel, then she jumped off as the cannon shot a massive laser into the crowds and exploded into an eruption of cyan magic!

Chihiro hupped as she fell down to the floors and grinned as sparkles of aqua magic floated through the air... Then almost immediately, her grin of glee turned to wide-eyed, shock as the sound of the ceiling opening up resonated across the room.

"Please don't let that mean what I think it means."

Unfortunately, it seemed as though it meant exactly what Chihiro thought, because another army of Arkeyan robots instantly dropped from the ceiling and hit the floor! The robots all whirred with rage as they rushed towards Chihiro and raised their weapons high, but she just squeaked as she summoned a pair of swords and went to slashing!

"Geez, I know this placed is armed to the nines," Chihiro exclaimed as she turned around and cut down a robot that tried to sneak up behind her, "But this is ridiculous!"

So, Chihiro grunted as she went back to slashing away. But as she fought the robots, her eyes failed to notice the dial on the wall with a setting set to infinite production!

On the other side of the wall, Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble snickered as the muffled sounds of Chihiro's battle resounded behind them, then dashed away as Chihiro let out a cry of shock!

"Hey, what was that scream?" Spyro asked as he turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball right as they rejoined the group, "Also, where's Chihiro? Wasn't she with us just a second ago?"

"Eh, don't worry about her!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he bounced in place, "She's probably just lagging behind or something!"

Double Trouble nodded in eager-faced agreement as he spoke in what seemed like support of Wrecking Ball's statement.

Spyro frowned, but shook his head and shrugged as they all trailed back through the halls.

The regal surroundings of before had been traded off for a starker, simpler display of golden mechanical walls occasionally garnished by crimson-colored railings and accents, all while the faint scent of oil and paint wafted in the air. Their footsteps echoed around the halls with every step they took in the hall, while the only light provided came from the bright, burning spotlights above... And the beaming white light at the end of the tunnel!

They all rushed forward and burst out of the halls, and what could have possibly but none other than a massive, red and gold gallery with all sorts of antiques and treasures loaded into its walls! Glass capsules tinted red lined the walls ahead and held everything from shiny weapons to bulky, strong-looking red and gold armor to even what seemed to be prototypes of new robots, and red metal walls with gold, flowerlike carvings sprawled across and shed light all across the room with the orbs of light embedded into their metal. Though the lower levels of the room were a cool green and blue with the occasional streak of silver, they still carried much of the same contents. But nothing really struck their attention more than the strange orb of pulsating energy that hung in the center of the room, just beside a red and gold platform that held a massive, box-shaped control panel with a large, circular gap in its center and more buttons, levers, bells and whistles than could be counted.

It was so massive and held so much to admire, everyone couldn't help but let their eyes wander in silent awe as they stepped out of the halls and into the vault! Soft oohs and aahs escaped their lips as they walked across, then they all jumped in place as a holograph of the Weapon Master emerged from a holograph projector beside them!

"Good, you have arrived safely," the Weapon Master said as he turned around, "I was a bit concerned when the monster gate's signal activated…"

"Monster gate?" Spyro repeated as he turned around, but Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble blocked him off before he could run back.

"Anyways, the security key that you seek is behind that Air Element Gate." The Weapon Master pointed towards an Air Element Gate on the lower level of the vault as he vanished.

"Best of luck."

"Wait, Air Element?" Drill Sergeant repeated as his brows sagged, "Is anyone here of the Air Element?"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball looked at each other and shook their heads, but Spyro just turned around and smiled as the other three all sighed.

"Hey, have you forgotten who you're traveling with?" Spyro asked as he flew over to the gate, "Well, let me remind you!"

So, Spyro flew over to the gate as his eyes flashed a clear sky blue, then winds whipped around his body as he placed a paw on the gate. Spyro flapped his wings as his eyes fell on open area, then he turned around and grinned as Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball and Drill Sergeant followed him down to the lower level. All four of them flew and wheeled and walked their way inside... Then dug into the floor as a massive gust of wind blew in their faces and nearly blew them out of the area!

The gate had unveiled a room painted and modeled so that it resembled a bright afternoon sky, from the sky blue wallpapers to the puffy clouds for platforms. Though it had no sort of stairs or ladders, it seemed as though it had some sort of transportation—unless there was some other kind of explanation for the massive bronze wires that held red and gold blocks which lazily trailed to and fro across their cords, propelled there and back by the massive bronze fans seated among the clouds.

But most importantly, at the very top of a block on the upper level sat a conical key with a bright sapphire orb on its top! Surely, this had to be the security key the Weapon Master mentioned!

Spyro grinned as his eyes fell on the key, then he flapped his wings once more.

"You guys stay put," Spyro said as he flew up, "I'll go get the key…"

But before he could soar over and grab it, Double Trouble flew in front of him and chattered as he waved his arms.

"Wait, you wanna get it?" Spyro repeated as he tilted his head and frowned, "Are you sure?"

Double Trouble chattered away as he flew over and went to grab the key… And got blown far above it by one of the fans! Before poor Double Trouble even knew it, he was being tossed and turned like a toy ball by the fans! Their gusts of wind tossed him left, right, up and down, and all around, and all he could do was scream and flail about!

Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Drill Sergeant all winced as Double Trouble's impromptu flight continued, then Spyro took a step forward and flapped his wings.

"Looks like Double Trouble's gonna need some help!" Spyro proclaimed as he got ready to fly off… But before he could, Wrecking Ball raced in front of Spyro and started hopping up and down!

"Spyro, I'm hungry!" Wrecking Ball whined as he continued hopping in Spyro's face in spite of Spyro's every attempt to shake him, "When're we gonna go back and eat?"

"Wrecking Ball, now's really not the time!" Spyro grunted as he pushed away Wrecking Ball, "I need to help Double Trouble!"

"But I'm hungryyyyy!"

Wrecking Ball bounced and whined as Spyro tried to push him away, but Wrecking Ball just wouldn't relent! Every time Spyro tried to escape, Wrecking Ball would roll right in front of him! He dodged left, and Wrecking Ball was quick to follow! He swept right, and Wrecking Ball jumped in his face! Finally, he tried to trek forward, but Wrecking Ball just leaped on his back and pinned him to the ground!

Wrecking Ball giggled as he patted his paws against Spyro's back, but this time it was Drill Sergeant who tried to push off Wrecking Ball!

"Wrecking Ball, it is like Spyro said!" Drill Sergeant intruded as he pushed back at Wrecking Ball, "We do not have time to be concerned about food! Double Trouble needs us to—"

Spyro grunted as the wind carried a jaunty tune to his ears, then he lifted his head up and grinned—because in the time that he and Drill Sergeant were trying to push off Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble had taken the key!

"Alright!" Spyro said as he finally hopped away from Wrecking Ball, "Now let's get—"—Spyro shook his head as Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball zoomed right through the gate's door—"Going?"

Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble glazed over the key and grinned, while the Air Element Gate shot back up behind them! Low, sinister cackles left their lips as they floated back to the staircase, then just before they could hit the first step, they screamed and jumped in the air as the gate unfolded behind them!

"Geez, those gates are a pain," Spyro remarked as he and Drill Sergeant walked out of the area. Spyro frowned as he looked up at Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "Hey, what're you looking at? Is something up?"

Double Trouble's teeth chattered as he spat something out, and in response Spyro only laughed.

"I'm a purple dragon, remember? Of course I could open the gate back up!"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball grinned and forced laughter as the Air Elemental Gate closed behind them, then all four of them trudged back up to the platform where they had begun. As they finally hit the top, Double Trouble floated up to the console and frowned, then pushed the key into a round slot in its panel!

The key twisted around as it sank further and further into the console's depths, then finally it came to a stop as a soft click echoed through the massive halls of the vault. The vault stayed silent as anticipation rang about, then finally a swish resounded as three round pillars made of burgundy metal with intricate golden markings carved into their surfaces and glowing white buttons cropped up across the vault—one on the lefthand side of the lowest level, just a bit aside of the Air Element Gate, one on the right side of the upper level beside a bubbled collection of armor suits, and a third at the very back of the upper level!

Grins spread on every face as Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball pulled away from the console and made their way to the stairs… Then they froze as whirring sounded off from every angle of the room! Before they even knew it, the walls opened up and out came a bunch of Arkeyan robots with their weapons raised high!

All four of them grimaced as the robots swarmed around them and blocked off any sort of entry or exit. The robots' spears and swords poked and prodded at them, but they didn't relent—instead, they just raised their weapons and narrowed their brows.

"Looks like they brought in the guards!" Spyro snarled as he lowered horns flared with fire.

In one mighty stride, Spyro charged a line through the robots in front of him and fireballed away the rest, which cleared a path right to the stairs down below! Spyro bolted down to the lower level and made a beeline for the switch, then switched it on and turned around… But as he tried to get back, however, a bunch of energy beams flared up and trapped him inside a cage of energy!

"What the?!" Spyro exclaimed as he swerved his head and examined the beams. With a frown, he screwed his eyes shut while his whole body flared with magic as if he was going to teleport away, but instead that magic just exploded! Spyro grimaced as he held a dizzy head coated in magical dust. "Ugh…"

But while he seemed fairly grim, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball were no less energetic than before as they grinned and looked down at Spyro!

"Don't worry, Spyro!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he bounced up and down, "We can handle it from here!"

Wrecking Ball then giggled as he turned back to Double Trouble, who was equally elated as he gingerly lifted his hand from a cyan-colored button… But as they laughed, neither of them noticed Drill Sergeant zoom past and flick the second switch!

"Just leave it to me, sir!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he spun around and fired his drill hands at a swarm of knight robots, "I will retrieve the Eternal Magic Source in two spins of a drill!"

Double Trouble gasped, then forced a grin as he whipped out his staff and tapped it against another button on the control panel behind him!

Drill Sergeant rolled his way towards the third switch as the button pressed into the console, when out of nowhere a taser jumped out from the wall and dug right into his back panel!

"AAAAAAAAACK! SIR, SOMETHING IS FRYING MY INTERNAL MECHANISMS!" Drill Sergeant cried as the electricity coursed through his metal body.

As the electricity faded, Drill Sergeant groan and spun around in dizzy, dizzy, circles then, shot back to his senses as a round cage made entirely of solid red energy formed around him!

"When did this get here?" Drill Sergeant asked before he narrowed his metal eyebrows and revved his engines, "Whatever it is, I am sure I can charge out with ease!"

So, Drill Sergeant zoomed forward and tackled right into the cage's walls and bounced off like he had charged straight into a trampoline!

"… Or not," Drill Sergeant whimpered as he fell on his back.

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball sneered to each other as Drill Sergeant flipped back onto his wheels and charged back into the cage with little avail, but their attention didn't rest on him for long. Soon, their eyes turned to the third and final switch as they crept closer towards it… But before they could reach, a bright flare of cyan magic from down the hall caught their eyes and froze them in their tracks!

"Man," Chihiro remarked as she strode down the halls, all while the light faded behind her, "I can't believe I didn't notice that robot-making dial! Good thing I fried that thing and got out of there!"

Chihiro grinned as she cracked her knuckles and popped her eyes open, but her grin swiftly faded as a mechanical guard charged towards her! She gasped as she ducked under its mace, then grabbed it by the chest and tossed it right off the balcony. As the guard fell to its doom, Chihiro turned her head around, then gasped again and stumbled back.

"What the heck's going on here? And what happened to you guys?" Chihiro cried as she leaned over the balcony.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Spyro cried from down on the floor below, "What happened? One minute you were with us, next you just disappeared!"

"That's because the doors just shut down on me out of nowhere!" Chihiro grunted as she dodged another guard's blow and magically tossed that one over the balcony as well, "All these weird robots flooded in and attacked me, too!"

"Shut down out of nowhere?"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball winced and made shrill gasps as they turned back to each other.

"Curses, I forgot about the portal master!" Wrecking Ball whispered, "We need to get her out of here before she catches on!"

"Just leave it to me," Double Trouble whispered back.

Double Trouble pulled himself away from the conversation, then forced a smile as he flew up to Chihiro and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Doubs!" Chihiro chirped as she looked up at him, "So, what's going on?"

Double Trouble shook his head as he sputtered out an explanation, then jabbed his staff down at Spyro and grabbed Chihiro's arm.

"Got it!" Chihiro cried as she nodded and teleported down below with Double Trouble, "I'll get the others out, you guys just get the Eternal Magic Source!"

Double Trouble grinned as he lead Chihiro over to a particularly, oddly isolated corner of the room, then let go as a cage formed around her!

"What the?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she reached out to grab the bars and yelped as they shocked her instead, "What's going on here?"

Chihiro grunted as she tried to teleport away, but she was no more successful than Spyro in that regard—like him, her teleporation spell exploded in sparkles and magic dust!
Chihiro whimpered as she shook the dust off of her head, then grimaced as the sound of Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble's laughter filled the room.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned to Double Trouble and raised and eyebrow, "Wait, you put me in here on purpose, didn't you?"

But, Double Trouble didn't reply! He was too busy cackling as he pointed his staff towards Chihiro!

"Seriously!" Chihiro cried as a frown formed on her face, "What's gotten into you?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Wrecking Ball chirped from above as he waddled towards the final switch, "We'll just get that Eternal Magic Source now…"

Right before Wrecking Ball could even leave the control panel's premises, however, something slammed into him and tossed him back into the panels!

"You're not doing anything, fakers!" Cried a familiar, raspy voice from up above!

"Wait, that voice…" Spyro and Chihiro cried as they turned their attention to the balcony above.

There, while Wrecking Ball reeled and peeled himself off the panels, none other than Dark Spyro slunk out from the shadows in front of him, alongside… Another Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball?!

Drill Sergeant grunted as he reeled from what was probably his fiftieth attempt at breaking free of his magic prison, then gasped as his eyes fell on the balcony!

"What is going on here?!" Drill Sergeant cried as he swerved back and forth, "When did Dark Spyro get here? And why are there two Double Troubles and Wrecking Ball?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know the same thing!" Spyro cried as he swished his tail.

"What he said!" Chihiro added as she grabbed the bars of her magical prison, then yelped and pulled them back as the bars seared her palms once more.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Dark Spyro cried as he waltzed over to the balcony's edge, "The Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball that were with you guys were fakes! They're actually Kaos's minions trying to get the Eternal Magic Source from under your noses!"

Spyro, Chihiro, and Drill Sergeant gasped, but Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball had grown so nervous that they couldn't even breath! Instead, Double Trouble teleported back onto the balcony and chattered as he swerved in front of Dark Spyro, while Wrecking Ball hopped off the panel and growled.

"Lies! It's all a big lie!" Wrecking Ball insisted as he charged for Dark Spyro, "We're the real ones, those guys are the minioOOF!"

The second Wrecking Ball grinned as he charged into the first and tackled it aside, then screamed and spun around as Double Trouble flew around Dark Spyro in a dazzlingly fast circle!

Dark Spyro grimaced as his eyes moved from every way to the next in search of some way out, but it was no use… Until the second Double Trouble blasted the first one sideways! As the first Double Trouble flew off, Dark Spyro and the second Double Trouble traded grins and thumbs up, but only for a moment. Now free from the circle, Dark Spyro leaped to the control panel and slammed on a bright, red button!

One by one, the cages that enveloped Spyro, Chihiro and Drill Sergeant were disintegrated, and all three of them rushed to the scene of the fight right as the first Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball staggered back up with rage in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Dark Spyro snorted out lavender smoke while the second Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball flanked him with an equally-burning fire in their gaze. Seems it was time for the moment of truth—just which pair was the real one?

§

Everybody else went silent as the twin pairs of Double Troubles and Wrecking Balls glared each other down with such murderous stares, it was like they'd snap and charge any moment now! Double Trouble held out his staff and jabbed it at the other Double Trouble as he shouted at it with a furious tone, and Wrecking Ball mirrored Double Trouble's rage as he hopped forward.

"Yeah, what's goin' on?" Wrecking Ball asked as he hopped up and down, "Why're you pretending to be us and hurting our friends? This isn't a game of make-believe!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" The second Wrecking Ball shouted, "You're the ones who impersonated us!"

The second Double Trouble shouted and stomped around as he waved his staff in the air, then pointed it towards the first Double Trouble. As the first Double Trouble shouted back at him, the second only snarled and waved the staff as they both devolved into a shouting match.

And in the midst of it all, Spyro, Chihiro, Dark Spyro and Drill Sergeant all just grimaced. Surely, something was going on here… But they were both so clearly identical, it was impossible to tell who was who!

Chihiro whimpered as her eyes darted between the two pairs of Double Troubles and Wrecking Ball while they fought, the twitch of her frown more than enough to show her uncertainty. Her fingers twitched while sweat dripped down her forehead and onto the metal floors, a perfect betrayal of the uncertainty that she felt. Chihiro's whimpers grew louder as she lowered her head, then she yanked it back up to show that a snarl had taken her uncertain look's place!

"Alright, I've had enough of guessing!" Chihiro cried as she thrust out a hand that flared with a purple and cyan mist, "Spell, show me who the real Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball are!"

Right as Chihiro said this, the mist consolidated into a magic blast that shot off from Chihiro's palm and rocketed straight towards where the Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball duos fought to the death! As it screeched across the vault, all four of them turned around and gasped, but froze themselves to the spot far too long for them to escape! Before they knew it, they were all slammed with the blast and broke into coughing fits as thick purple mist enveloped the area surrounding.

"Where did that mist come from?!" Demanded a voice like Double Trouble's that spoke in perfect Common, "If that obnoxious pest had some awful trick up his sleeve…"

Chihiro gasped and turned back to Spyro, then fixed her eyes back on the sight of their battlefield, where the mist had finally let up enough to catch a glimpse of the two Double Troubles and Wrecking Balls.

But, something was wrong with two of them! Their colors had melted off of their bodies like cheap paint and seeped into the cracks of the floor below, which in turn unveiled bodies made entirely of raw, purple energy! Their eyes popped open to reveal not those warm, bright eyes of Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's, but rather blank white eyes that rang with a level of malice! Yeah, these were definitely the fakes!

"Ugh, what happened to…" The Double Trouble clone groaned as it placed a hand on its forehead, then gasped and stumbled back as it caught sight of a notably purple hand, rather than Double Trouble's blue! "Wait, my disguise, what happened?!"

The Wrecking Ball clone, meanwhile, grunted and groaned as it slunk down from a nearby control panel, then as its eyes flickered open it tilted its head.

"What, why's everyone looking at me?" It asked as it looked down at its chest, "Do I have something on my—"—the Wrecking Ball clone gasped as its eyes fell on its exposed body—"Curses! My disguise!"

"Those guys are the real fakes!" Chihiro proclaimed as she pointed a finger towards the Wrecking Ball and Double Trouble clones, "Get them!"

And that's just what they all did as Chihiro, Spyro, Dark and Drill Sergeant dashed from all corners of the vault and cornered around the Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball clones! Their eyes rang with fury as they all grouped together in the heart of the control panel and readied their attacks, as if one wrong move would be just the motivation they needed to fire! But while all of them were furious, the clones were more worried than anything as they stumbled backwards and shot glares at each other!

"Evil Tiki Man!" The Wrecking Ball clone cried as it snarled at the Double Trouble clone, "I thought you said that those disguises were immune to any sort of reversal spell?!"

"They were, I swear, Evil Grub Worm!" The Evil Tiki Man cried back as it jabbed a finger at the Wrecking Ball clone, "If it weren't for that accursed Skylander distracting me, I'd have—"

The Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm both yelped as a bright purple fireball shot between the two of them and smashed into the wall behind!

"I wouldn't be arguing if I were you…" Dark Spyro warned as purple embers crackled at his snarling maw, "'Cause right now, you've got bigger problems than some cheap disguises!"

The Evil Tiki Man gulped and broke into anxious, jittery cackles as it wrung its staff's stick.

"Indeed we do, Skylander!" The Evil Tiki Man chuckled as it turned its gaze back to the Evil Grub Worm, "Now, Evil Grub Worm, seems as thought it's time for us to enact our backup plan!"

"Our backup plan?" The Evil Grub Worm grunted as it tilted its head, "What backup plan was tha—"

Before the Evil Grub Worm could finish, thought, the Evil Tiki Man yanked it by the tongue and dashed back across the vault, its trek set tight for that third and final switch.

"RUN LIKE YOU LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"

"They're going after the last switch!" Chihiro cried as she bolted across the floors, the sound of clanking metal an echo around the vault, "After them!"

The sound of battle cries echoed around as Spyro, Dark, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball made haste after Chihiro, but she hardly noticed as she sprung forward, then teleported in front of the Evil Tiki Man and socked it right in the gut! Chihiro smirked as it cried out in pain and soared across the floor, but her relief was short-lived as the Evil Grub Worm immediately tackled into her and tossed her into the railing!

Chihiro screamed as she collapsed onto the floor and shuddered, but the Evil Grub Worm hardly took any notice as it pulled the Evil Tiki Man off the ground with its tongue! The two of them dashed back off the moment their feet hit the floor, eyes wide in anticipation and lips licked as they drew within inches of the switch…

"I am afraid I cannot let you proceed any further, sirs!" Drill Sergeant cried from across the way!

Right as the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm turned around, Drill Sergeant burst forward and tackled them aside, then blasted the ground below them with a bright, burning laser until it glowed with a red-hot light! It was so hot, in fact, that the moment the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm hit the floors again, they screeched and leaped back up!

"Hot, hot hot hot!" They both cried as they bounced up and down, all while they fruitlessly tried to blow off their burning, sore feet.

And while they were busy doing their little dance, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball swooped in front of them and blocked them off from any further view! While the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm gasped and glared them down, Double Trouble just steeled his gaze and whipped back around to where Spyro and Dark were helping Chihiro back to her feet, then shouted out as he waved to them!

"Got it, Doubs!" Chihiro cried as she lurched back to her feet, gave Double Trouble a thumbs up and turned back to both Spyros, "Come on, guys, we've got no time to lose!"

The Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm snarled and tried to chase after Chihiro, Spyro and Dark as they bolted towards the final switch, but Double Trouble quickly zapped the clones back and flung them into the rails! The Evil Tiki Man shot its blank glare at Double Trouble, then waved its staff around and shot an entire fleet of clones right towards Double Trouble, but Double Trouble didn't even flinch! He just spun around his staff and evaporated them all in one single, magic blast! As the last of the clones disappeared into purple sparkles, the Evil Tiki Man summoned another quintet of clones and turned its glare back on the Evil Grub Worm while it bounced off the floor and landed on all four feet.

"Evil Grub Worm, hold these goons off! I need to stop them from activating that switch!" The Evil Tiki Man demanded as it waved its staff back at the Evil Grub Worm!

"Can't do, I'm afraid!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it lurched sideways and tried to forced itself back into proper balance, "I'm kind of busy at the moment!"

Right as the Evil Grub Worm finally shook itself off, Wrecking Ball squealed with glee while he slammed forward and shot the Evil Grub Worm right into the control panels! Sparks flied as it popped out from the dented metal of the control panel and shook itself off, then it growled as it charged back into Wrecking Ball!

"You little brat!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it curled back into a ball and shot after Wrecking Ball, "You'll pay for that!"

The Evil Tiki Man shuddered as Wrecking Ball and the Evil Grub Worm traded blows, but another blast of magic from Double Trouble forced it to forget them and toss up another shield! As Double Trouble's lasers bored into the Evil Tiki Man's shield without him even breaking a sweat, the Evil Tiki Man grimaced. Sweat poured down its brow as it strained to keep its shield up high, then a sudden shock from a spark of lightning caused it to leap aside and completely shatter its shield! While Double Trouble's lasers shot through and completely melted off parts of the railing behind it, the Evil Tiki Man's eyes trailed back over to the dented control panel the Evil Grub Worm slammed into not moments earlier.

The Evil Tiki Man whipped out its staff while its gem glowed with power, but instead of shooting back at Double Trouble, it crafted a massive explosion that covered the entire area surrounding in purple mist! As the mist choked out any of the sights surrounding and obscured Double Trouble's view, the Evil Tiki Man teleported over to the dented control panel and pushed down rows of colorful buttons, flickered switches, pulled levers and more!

And while it went to town on the panel's controls, the ceiling rumbled open and dropped masses of Arkeyan robots, all shiny and new and ready to fight!

Cries of shock and clanging noises of combat rang across the battlefield and pulled the Evil Tiki Man out from the panel, then it slipped forward and teleported back to the Evil Grub Worm's side! The two of them grinned as they surveyed the sea of red and gold, then cackled as they slipped underneath the cover of battle!

Not that Chihiro or anybody else noticed, for they had their hands full with the sudden onslaught of robot warriors ready to kill!

Drill Sergeant charged down an entire row of robots before him with such speed that his wheels shrieked against the metal floors, then as they crashed against the floor he drew into a pause… But that didn't last long, for several smaller robots leaped onto his body and toyed with his blaster! Drill Sergeant let out a mechanical squeal, then rushed back and forth across the floors. But no matter how fast he went, those robots couldn't be shaken!

"AUGH! UNHAND MY BLASTER AT ONCE!" Drill Sergeant cried as he swerved around and tried to shake the robots once more, though all they did was hold on tight and cackle, "AND DO NOT MOCK MY PLIGHT, EITHER!"

Double Trouble just barely swept out of the way as Drill Sergeant nearly grazed him, then shouted out at Drill Sergeant and shook his staff! However, as Drill Sergeant drew out of view with no caution heeded, Double Trouble just sighed and shook his head, then ducked as a magic blast flew right over him! With a low growl, Double Trouble whipped around, shot a blast of magic right back at the offending robot, and skidded out of the way as Wrecking Ball burst forward!

"Ooh, I see a new snack!" Wrecking Ball cried as his eyes fell on Drill Sergeant!

While Drill Sergeant squealed and rushed back with those robots still clung tightly to his blast, Wrecking Ball wrapped his tongue around the robots and yanked them into his mouth in one clean swoop! Wrecking Ball gulped them down, perfectly content at first… But his peaceful look soured as he gagged and hacked out smoke and fire!

"Ew, ew!" Wrecking Ball cried as flames poured out from his gaping mouth, "Robots taste yucky!"

Wrecking Ball whimpered as flames continued to pour out from his mouth, but thankfully a blast of water from above doused the fires! Wrecking Ball paused for a moment, then a sudden splash of water directed his attention back up to the ceiling!

There, Spyro circled around the vault's ceiling who he shot blasts of water down at the robots below! The water torrented down on the armies like heavy rain and made quick work of them as they short circuited, but their aim was reckless and didn't differentiate between friend or foe…

And Dark Spyro found that out the hard way as one doused and unveiled him right as he went to shadow dash a robot by surprise! Dark grunted as he shook the water from his head, then blasted away the robot with a burst of purple fire and glared back up at Spyro.

"Hey, watch where you're shooting!" Dark shouted as he huffed out lavender smoke, "You're not the only one trying to wipe these things out, you know!"

But, Spyro didn't even reply! He hardly even glanced down at Dark while he shot off more water blasts and drenched the robot armies below!

Much to Dark's displeasure as he gritted his teeth. "Listen to me when I'm talking, dangit!"

"You can worry about that later, Dark!" Chihiro cried as she jumped forward and summoned a sword, "Those creeps are almost to the last switch!"

Even though the volume of the battles around were great, Chihiro's words hit every ear in vicinity as everyone turned to the very last switch! In the heat of battle, they had completely forgotten about the switch, and that was their fatal mistake—for the Evil Grub Worm and Tiki Man were just about ready to slam it down!

Dark and Spyro both froze in their places, but Chihiro just slammed her feet against the floor while wings manifested on her heels!

In the blink of an eye, she dashed forward and blasted the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm in the back, then sped up to the switch! Chihiro dug her heels into the ground as she cast her gaze back at the evil minions… Then smiled. The two of them were firmly unconscious on the ground, no twitching limbs or fluttering eyes—seems her surprise attack had completely caught them off-guard!

So, she turned her attention back to the switch, then flicked it with a quick chirp! She frowned as the remaining moments stayed peaceful, but then a purple light manifested from across the room and pulled her attention back to the heart of the vault!

There, an oval-shaped, purplish-pink light shone brilliantly and burned with such raw power that everyone around shuddered in its wake! It was so bright and so enchanting, it was almost like a star that had been trapped a bottle, and with the sparkles that rained down from it that almost wasn't too inaccurate a description!

"That has to be the Eternal Magic Source!" Chihiro cried as she leaned forward and dashed off, "Don't worry, I'll get—"

Before she could finish, however, something slammed into Chihiro's back and tossed her down! The wings vanished from Chihiro's heels as she collapsed on the floor and whimpered, then steeled herself as cackling sounded above her!

"You should really be more careful, you know!" The Evil Tiki Man howled as it zoomed past Chihiro, "You never know when your enemies are faking a knockout!"

"Indeed!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it bounced onto Chihiro's back and leaped towards the Eternal Magic Source, just to add insult to injury, "You're quite the careless one, aren't you?"

Chihiro grunted as she turned over and tried to claw forward, but then her whole body tremored and forced her down on the floor! She could only watch as the Evil Tiki Man and Grub Worm dashed over the swarms of Arkeyan robots and flew directly to the Eternal Magic Source, then grinned as they latched onto its heart! Their cackles only grew louder and more energetic as the Eternal Magic Source's energy fed into them, then finally they let go off the source and glowered over everyone with a vibrant violet glow!

The Evil Tiki Man whipped out its shiny, polished staff towards the Arkeyan robots as the robots all turned and brandished their weapons back at it, then with a shake of the staff, that same magic energy burst from the staff and siphoned into the robots!

The robots screeched for moments as that same purple glow spread among their ranks, then as they bulked up, their eyes glowered with a new sort of malice! All at once, they turned around and fixed their fancier weapons right on Spyro, Dark, Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball and Drill Sergeant!

"I'll be taking this!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it wrapped its tongue around the Eternal Magic Source and dashed across the vault!

"Hey, give that—" Dark cried, then stumbled back as an array of swords were shoved in his face, "Back?"

Spyro, Dark, Wrecking Ball, Drill Sergeant and Double Trouble all winced and trailed backwards as the weapons drew closer and closer towards them, then finally their frowns grew wider as their backs hit the wall. There was nowhere to turn, for the entire way around had been crowded off by those bulky, souped-up robots!

"Surrender now, intruders!" The head of the robots cried as it shoved its blades just inches away from Spyro's muzzle!

Spyro, Dark, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball just snarled and bated their breath, nobody willing to speak…

"Surrender? No way!"

Except for Chihiro! A bright burst of cyan light signaled her arrival as she teleported right in the center of the fray, and though she was still trembling hard, a fire of defiance shone in her warm, brown eyes! Chihiro grunted as she lunged forward a bit, but she quickly shook it off as she pulled herself back up and summoned a sword made of magic.

"We're not just going to give up now!" Chihiro proclaimed as she thrust her sword at the head of the robots, "We came all this way to get the Eternal Magic Source and finish the Core of Light! If we just gave up here, all that work would just go to waste!"—Chihiro drew back with her sword clasped tight still—"So no, we're not gonna leave this place without the Eternal Magic Source!"

However, the robots didn't seem inclined to fight after hearing that—no, they seemed more terrified than anything as their eyes went wide and sparks erupted from their tops!

"The intruders have come to steal the Eternal Magic Source!" The robots cried at once as they fled after the escaping Evil Grub Worm, "Secure the Eternal Magic Source! Secure the Eternal Magic Source!"

With the crowds finally dispersed a bit, Spyro and Dark both leaped into the air and soared after the masses of fleeing robots, but before anyone else could make chase, another hefty crowd of robots closed in on them!

"You are not going anywhere, intruders!" The robots all boomed as one massive, intimidating voice!

Chihiro grunted as she squeezed the hilt of her sword even tighter, but before she could even make a move, a massive swarm of bright, glowering lasers tore through the crowds! While Chihiro leaned back and narrowly dodged getting hit by one blast, Double Trouble and Drill Sergeant swerved in front of her! Double Trouble grinned as he looked over his shoulder and spoke to Chihiro, and she only shared his confidence as she nodded and leaned down.

"Got it!" Chihiro cried as she leaped forward! Her feet planted on the head of one robot and bounded off for extra air, then as she soared forward, she whipped around and gave Double Trouble a thumbs-up. "I'll make sure we get that Eternal Magic Source back in no time!"

Chihiro grunted as her feet hit the floor, then she dashed forward without a second thought… And stumbled back as a bunch of red and gold metal blasters popped out of the floor! The blasters were quick to fire their blasts with their aim fixed right on her, but Chihiro was just as fast to dodge their blows! As she weaved between two blasts of solid light, she grunted and ducked under another, then popped up and tossed her sword in the air!

The sword hovered in midair for mere moments, its cyan light brighter than normal and only growing in brightness by the second as it shifted and morphed and bubbled… Then finally, the light faded and it returned to Chihiro not as a sword, but a giant hammer! Chihiro grinned as the hammer's handle fell into her grip, then she slung it over her shoulder and leaped forward!

"Who wants to play whack-a-blaster?!" Chihiro cried as she swung her hammer forward and went to smack down one of the blasters, but it escaped into the floor just before she could land the killing blow!

As her hammer slammed against the ground, Chihiro hefted it up and swung it towards the rightmost blaster, but it disappeared as well! Chihiro gasped as it dove into the depths below, then screamed and twirled aside as the blaster behind her popped back up and shot a blast that just narrowly grazed against her back! Chihiro spun around and heaved her hammer up, but her breath was heavy as she lurched down and closed an eye. Chihiro whimpered as she forced herself to stand to full height… Then a crash from aside caused her to gasp and stumble back!

Just ahead of her, an opening had been forged through the waves of Arkeyan soldiers, one flanked by broken, robotic corpses and sparking machinery, then out from it burst Drill Sergeant! As he zoomed out of the fight scene, a massive, rainbow-painted explosion burst where he once fought and scattered broken robot parts all across the vault, then from that explosion flew Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball!

Wrecking Ball squealed with glee as he burst through and tackled through the blasters, but he wasn't bothered at all by how they exploded behind him! He just giggled as he landed and turned around, then his grin faltered as his attentions turned back to the Spyros…

Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Chihiro all followed his gaze, then winced and frowned themselves—because Spyro and Dark were definitely having trouble.

Just at the entrance to the vault's halls, the two of them dodged blast after blast from the Arkeyan robots who had blocked off the way ahead, but they were so preoccupied with the robots that nothing else crossed their minds! Before they knew it, they ended up crashing into each other and collapsed on the floor! The two of then grunted as they tried to pull themselves back up, but before they could, a laser blast shot into Dark Spyro and tossed him across the floor!

"Dark!" Spyro cried as he whipped around and dashed after Dark, then froze as Dark grunted and barely pulled himself off the ground!

"Don't worry about me…" Dark grunted as he shuddered and tried to push himself up further. He spat out a couple pained coughs, but the determined look in his crimson eyes didn't falter as he shot his glance back at Spyro.

"Just get the Eternal Magic Source!"

Spyro seemed hesitant as he stepped back, but finally his gaze became cold and serious as he turned tail and flew back towards the robots! His body glowed with a new speed as he tore through the robots and dove into the halls ahead. Then, he dashed back out as a robot teleported behind him and went to strike! Right before the robot could hit him, Spyro teleported out of its range and dashed back down the halls, but the robot made chase... And got tossed out the tunnel as a pile of flaming scrap!

Chihiro frowned and stepped forward, everyone else around her ready to follow as well…

"Not so fast, dragon!" The Evil Grub Worm cried from down the halls.

But the sound of blaring sirens and the room being dyed red with light stopped them all in their places!

"Warning, warning!" A mechanical voice blared ahead, "Security protocols initiated! Lockdown commencing in twenty, nineteen, eighteen…"

"You're not getting away!" Spyro cried, his voice held strong again the sirens as a flash of purple burst from the hallways!

As the purple light faded, Chihiro gasped and bolted off towards the entryway.

"Spyro!" Chihiro cried as she teleported off while the doors crashed down over the entryway!

§

Right as the door crashed down behind them, Chihiro teleported beside Spyro and both of them winced as the door slammed to a close. For a moment, they both paused and caught their breath… But then the rumbles of the ceiling above pulled them back to the present! While they were busy taking a breather, the other doors were shutting down at rapid speed!

"Looks like we're gonna have to book it, Gold!" Chihiro shouted as she grabbed Spyro's paw!

Spyro nodded and squeezed her hand tight, then the two of them were enveloped in a cyan glow as they nudged each other's heads! The light flared even brighter as they turned back around to where the doors were getting ready to slam shut, then they narrowed their eyes and took a step forward.

"Ready, set…" The two of them said in unison as they leaned forward and dashed off, "GO!"

One by one the doors slammed behind them, but Spyro and Chihiro were moving so fast that they hardly noticed—all they cared about was catching up to the Evil Grub Worm! The two of them ducked and rolled as another door slammed behind them, but when they finally came to a stop the door ahead was nearly closed! So, they only squeezed their hand and paw tight, and in a bright flash of purple light, they bolted off and slammed a hole right through the door!

The crashing of slamming, closing doors echoed behind them and mingled with the faint scent of burning smoke as they blazed through each and every door and left nasty holes in each one, until the light of an open door cascaded over their flaming body!

"There it is!" Chihiro cried from within the safety of their burning flames as she pointed ahead!

There, right ahead of them, was the last open door that shone bright, stark white light through the halls! And more importantly, right within its confines sat the Evil Grub Worm, all lackadaisical and without a care in the world as it stroked the Eternal Magic Source with its tongue!

Spyro and Chihiro smiled and nodded at each other, then with one last burst, their comet grew bright like an evening star and barreled through the last, open door in the halls before it slammed right into the walls!

"Ack!" The Evil Grub Worm shrieked as it jumped back and yanked the Eternal Magic Source towards it with its tongue, "What was that?!"

Though their impact was so massive that it dented the hallways' metal walls and completely extinguished their comet's fire, Spyro and Chihiro were left perfectly unharmed as they dropped down and glared at the Evil Grub Worm!

"Alright, buddy, hand over the Eternal Magic Source!" Chihiro cried as she pointed an accusing finger towards the Evil Grub Worm, "And maybe we'll let you go free…"—Chihiro giggled and winked—"No promises, though!"

However, the Evil Grub Worm didn't seem intent on giving up the Eternal Magic Source at all! It growled and stepped back while its tongue wrapped tight around the Eternal Magic Source like a child cradling their favorite toy, and its eyes narrowed with scorn as it showed off large, sharp tusks.

"You'll never get the Eternal Magic Source!" The Evil Grub Worm vowed as it pulled the Eternal Magic Source closer to itself and hugged it tight, "This little ball of magic is my ticket to becoming Lord Kaos's right-hand worm, and I'm not going to let the likes of you rip it from my claws!"

The Evil Grub Worm cackled, then rolled into a ball and bowled its way down the hall's open floors!

"SO LONG, SUCKERS!"

Chihiro gasped, then tapped her feet and leaned forward as magical wings manifested on the heels of her boots.

"After that grub worm, Golden Boy!" Chihiro cried as she dashed off without a second thought!

"Right!" Spyro shouted as he leaped into the skies while his eyes flashed a striking violet.

Though the Evil Grub Worm was fast, Chihiro and Spyro were just as fast, if not even faster! As it balled down the hallways, the two of them screeched after it with such speed that they all kicked up massive clouds of silvery dust in their wake… But despite the dust storm that had formed around them, Spyro and Chihiro were hardly discouraged! Rather, the purple of Spyro's eyes turned to a striking sky blue, and with one flap of his wings the dust completely dispersed from a massive gust of wind! The sudden disperse of dust coated paintings left a firm layer of sparkly grime on the floors and stopped Chihiro in her tracks with a nasty sneezing fit…

But most importantly, it had completely thrown off the Evil Grub Worm! It had shrieked to a stop just outside of the halls' boundaries and right towards the massive bridge that lead them to where they were started. Its normally blank eyes were red and watery while it sneezed up a storm, but most importantly, in its sneezing fit, it had completely dropped the Eternal Magic Source, which harmlessly hovered right next to it!

"Ugh, accursed sneezing fits!" The Evil Grub Worm lamented as it tried to rub its eyes with its tiny, stubby legs, "I don't have time for—"—the Evil Grub Worm stopped short as its snout started to snuffle and sniff, then finally it broke into another round of sneezes—"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

And while it sneezed and groaned, Spyro just beamed and flapped his wings, all while his eyes returned back to their natural golden color. He finally had an opportunity, and he was definitely going to take it! So, he flapped his wings and flew ahead… Or so it seemed.

Rather, while he was in mid-flight, he disappeared into thin air, then popped into existence right behind the Evil Grub Worm and right on time to snatch the Eternal Magic Source out from right beside it! Massive winds kicked up all around Spyro from the sheer force of his blow, and they were so powerful that they immediately knocked the Evil Grub Worm on its back!

"WHAT WAS THAT? WHOEVER IT WAS, YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it helplessly wiggled and jostled its stubby little legs in some fruitless attempt to get on its feet.

"That would be me!" Spyro cried from up ahead!

The Evil Grub Worm frowned and stilled its movements as it turned its upside-down gaze to the front of the bridge, where Spyro flew in place and grinned as he held the Eternal Magic Source tight in his front paws!

"Seems you're the sucker here, buddy!" Chihiro cried as she rounded the corner and dashed out the hallway! She sneezed for a moment, then grunted and wiped her nose before she stood tall and firm with her hands on her hips. "You're completely surrounded! There's no way you'll get out of here with the Eternal Magic Source now!"

The Evil Grub Worm spun around to face Chihiro, then gasped as its already-bloodshot eyes turned red not from irritation, but rage! It made a massive grimace that showed off all its sharp little fangs as it flailed its legs even more furiously than before, but even with all the might it could muster, it couldn't possibly get back on its feet!

"CURSE THESE TINY LITTLE LEGS!" The Evil Grub Worm wailed so loudly that it shook the entire vault around them! It snarled as it whipped back around to Spyro, then it narrowed its bloodshot, red eyes as it licked its lips!

"You haven't won yet, you fools!" The Evil Grub Worm proclaimed as its eyes narrowed and burned with rage, "I have another trick up my sleeve, you know!"

Spyro and Chihiro both gasped and stepped back, but their shocked gasps only fueled its raw glee as it opened its mouth.

"Or rather, in my mouth!"

Just like that, the Evil Grub Worm's tongue bolted out of its massive mouth and wrapped around the Eternal Magic Source! Spyro gasped and grabbed onto the Eternal Magic Source with all his might as the Evil Grub Worm tried to pull it back, but ultimately it was the Evil Grub Worm that won this game of tug-o-war! Spyro's grip slipped for just a moment, and in that moment the Evil Grub Worm yanked the Eternal Magic Source out of Spyro's paws and right into its mouth! The impact was so great that Spyro slammed down onto the bridge, but The Evil Grub Worm seemed hardly worried about him as it swallowed the Eternal Magic Source whole with one big, satisfied gulp!

Spyro and Chihiro both froze as they fixed their eyes on the Evil Grub Worm, who only let out a series of low cackles as a bright, purple halo of light glowed around it. Though this halo was small at first, it soon glowed brighter and brighter, until its light had completely enveloped the Evil Grub Worm whole!

With the Evil Grub Worm captive in its grasp, the light grew massive and massive, until it had become an expanding star that glowed so bright it threaten to swallow everything around in its harsh, burning light! And with every expansion, the Evil Grub Worm's laughs grew deeper and more bellowing, until those laughs were so massive that they shook the vault's walls and sent dust and crumbs of rocky metal cascading down from the ceiling and into the boiling waters of below!

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she teleported beside Spyro and lifted him off the ground, "What happened to that thing?"

"I don't know," Spyro replied as the bellowing laughter around sent waves crashing against the foundation of the building, "But whatever it is, I don't think it's gonna be good!"

With one last, bright flash, the light that enveloped the Evil Grub Worm completely exploded with such force that it shook everything around, then as it faded it unveiled… None other than the Evil Grub Worm itself, but, something about it was wrong! It had grown massive, the size of a large building, even, and its legs and antenna and other defining traits had all folded into its body until it was little more than a gigantic ball with a face! That same purple glow radiated around it once more, and though the Eternal Magic Source had disappeared from sight, the strong magic energy the Evil Grub Worm let out meant there was no denying it was where the Source was held!

The Evil Grub Worm cackled as it fell back down onto the bridge with suck force that it formed a nice, big dent in its surface, while its cackles shook the ground below and forced Spyro and Chihiro to cling to each other just to stay stable.

"This wasn't really what I had in mind…" The Evil Grub Worm admitted as it glazed down its bulbous form and licked its lips, then turned that malice-filled gaze back on Spyro and Chihiro, "But, it should be more than enough to deal with you hooligans!"

The Evil Grub Worm cackled as it leaned forward, then its cackles grew distorted and almost demonic as it rolled in place with such speed that it rumbled and quaked the bridge once more! Off like a rocket it shot towards Spyro and Chihiro, so big and imposing that it threatened to completely flatten them! Spyro and Chihiro screamed as they both teleported out of its path just in time and hovered in midair, but even that didn't give them much relief for long! Down below, the Evil Grub Worm had completely stopped in its tracks, then it whipped around and snarled as it glared down Spyro and Chihiro from way down below.

"What, do you think one little jump is going to stop me?" The Evil Grub Worm crooned as it leaned down and jumped up, "You know, you're not the only ones who can catch some air, as they say!"

The Evil Grub Worm slammed down on the platform below and left a sizable crater on the floor, then bounded right for Spyro and Chihiro all which it laughed with a kind of malicious glee!

The two of them squeaked as they dashed out of the way just in time, but they didn't get to breathe any sighs, for when the Evil Grub Worm landed, it spun around and dashed right for them once more! Chihiro screamed as she teleported out of the Evil Grub Worm's rain of terror, then as she popped into existence next to Spyro, she yanked him by the paw and flew up as the Evil Grub Worm bounded forward and grazed their soles!

"Geez, this thing doesn't wanna give up, doesn't it?" Chihiro gasped as she wiped sweat from her brow, then nodded and cascaded to the floor, "Let's see if we can slow it down a bit!"

As her feet hit the floor, Chihiro snarled and held her hands like she was holding a baseball bat all while the Evil Grub Worm hit the ground once more. Its eyes had fixed on her as it turned around, and though Spyro was up ahead, it paid no mind to him as it charged right towards Chihiro! But while it charged, however, Chihiro just summoned a gigantic hammer, then bounded forward and leaped off the ground with one mighty jump! As she leaped in the air and well above the Evil Grub Worm's rampage, Chihiro let out a raging cry and swung her hammer straight into the center of the bridge!

The bridge's metallic stone surface had already been dented some from the Evil Grub Worm's raging terror, but with the blow from Chihiro's hammer was enough to buckle it in and create a nicely-sized depression in its surface!

Chihiro grinned and slung the hammer over her shoulder as she admired her work, then as the Evil Grub Worm bolted back for her she just jumped up and watched as it raced forward… And just fell right into the hole Chihiro created! Despite being stuck like glue, the Evil Grub Worm continued to burrow and roll and dash the hardest it could, and yet nothing freed it from its circular prison!

"Yeah, I'd say that dude's pretty stuck!" Chihiro cried as she turned to Spyro, "Now let's get our Magic Source back!"

"Right!" Spyro cried as he nodded in tandem with Chihiro.

The two of them grunted as Chihiro clenched the handle of her hammer tighter and Spyro's eyes turned orange, then they both dashed down towards the Evil Grub Worm and let out cries of pure rage! The Evil Grub Worm stopped burrowing and boring against the confines of its spherical prison and looked up, but by then it was too late! Chihiro had slammed down on its head with her hammer, while Spyro flapped his wings and cast out a rain of gigantic gears that tore through its belly!

And with the combined force of such powerful attacks, the Evil Grub Worm was no match! It could only stand there as the force blew its round wrecking ball of a body to bits and unveiled the true Evil Grub Worm… Or rather, Evil Grub Worms, for when it exploded, it had exploded into an entire army of Evil Grub Worms that rained down on the bridge!

Chihiro gasped and teleported onto the cracked bridge as the Evil Grub Worms all fell down and cackled in unison, all eyes fixed on her and Spyro as they tried their best to stay afloat in the newfound storm of angry, evil grub worms!

"What'll you do now, you little pests?" The Evil Grub Worms demanded in perfect harmony, their voices so in sync that they had a choir's tune, "There's no way you'll ever find out which one of us has the Eternal Magic Source!"

The Evil Grub Worm cackled once more, and as they did both Spyro and Chihiro winced and took a step back, then gasped and scrambled back up just inches before they fell back into the ditch Chihiro had created.

"Oh great, an infestation!" Chihiro cried as she winced, released her hammer and transformed it back into raw magic without even realizing, "Just the thing we needed right now!"

Chihiro winced and grappled for her hammer, but as her hand gripped at nothing but thin, open air, she frowned and looked back down… And in that moment, she was completely distracted, much to the glee of the Evil Grub Worms as they launched themselves at her! Chihiro screamed and held her hands tight as she went to summon another weapon, but before the Evil Grub Worms could even hit, a blast of fire rocketed forward and slammed them all right in their backs!

As they all vanished into puffs of purple smoke, Chihiro grinned and turned back to Spyro, then frowned as he stepped back from the crowd of Evil Grub Worms that stampeded after him!

Spyro hardly noticed Chihiro as he continued walking backwards, then grunted as he backed into another horde of Evil Grub Worms! He winced as their shrill, malice-filled cackles hit his ears and turned around, but it was fruitless—he had been completely swarmed by the entire lot! The Evil Grub Worms all laughed in a mocking chorus as they curled up into balls, then one by one they launched into Spyro and smacked him around every which way! One rammed into his side and tossed him to the ground, then as he staggered back up a second flew into his chest and tossed him back towards the crowds, where a third launched into his back and flung him forward!

"Spyro!" Chihiro called just before a snarl fell over her face.

As she whipped back around to the still-reeling Evil Grub Worm clones that struggled to get off the ground, Chihiro clasped her hands together and summoned a sword out of magic, then dashed forward and slashed them all in half! Her main obstacle conquered, Chihiro let out a mighty cry as she dashed towards the circle where Spyro was kept, her sword raised high and bright as it expanded in size until it was no longer just a sword… It was a cleaver so big in size that it nearly eclipsed Chihiro herself!

Chihiro screamed at the top of her lungs as she leaped over the crowds and slammed her cleaver down into the crowds! While its blade hit the floor, the cleaver let out a shockwave that shook the clones at the front of the crowd right down to the core. But, Chihiro herself hardly noticed as she swung the cleaver's handle around and landed next to Spyro. Her breath was heavy as she lurched down and let the cleaver explode into light, yet a smile still crossed her face as she peered towards Spyro.

"Wanna… Wanna finish these guys, Golden Boy?" Chihiro panted as she held out her hand and chuckled, her breath weak but her fighting spirit strong.

Spyro smiled and nodded in response as he placed his paw on her palm, then the two of them squeezed each other's hands tight. As their firm grasp held strong, their hands glowed with a bright, cyan and purple-striped glow that radiated like a shooting star, so bright none of the clones could tear their eyes away!

"You better prepare yourselves…" Spyro said as he and Chihiro punched their arms forward.

"Cause we've got a double-decker blast with your names on it!" Chihiro exclaimed as the light glowed so bright that it blocked out most else around, "And it's pretty MAGICAL!"

And just like that, that bright light that enveloped Spyro and Chihiro's hands completely exploded and took everything around them with it! The Evil Grub Worm clones cried out as their bodies were completely evaporated in the light, the puffs of purple smoke they vanished into barely visible against its indigo waves! As the blast receded and sparkles rained down from above, Spyro and Chihiro both looked up and beamed… Then a magical purple tongue slapped Spyro across the side! Spyro screamed as he stumbled backwards, and his grip on Chihiro was so tight that she went tumbling with him! The two of them grunted and screamed as they slammed and bounced against the floor, then as their little ride came to a stop, they both grunted and peeled themselves off the floor.

In the moments they had gone on their little flight, the entire way ahead had been completely blocked off by even more of those Evil Grub Worm clones! Their eyes, while blank, radiated with a sheer, intense anticipation as they licked their lips and cackled, their minds surely ablaze with all the ways they were going to wipe out Spyro and Chihiro!

As the Evil Grub Worms launched for her, Chihiro stumbled back and shot off a magic blast into the crowds, but even though the explosion sounded off and lavender smoke wafted into the air, the Grub Worms' numbers had hardly been diminished!

"Geez, there's way too many of these guys!" Chihiro cried as she swung out the way of one Evil Grub Worm clone, then summoned a sword and slashed away another.

"No kidding!" Spyro shouted back as he flamed down a patch of the Grub Worms and stepped back, "We're gonna need some backup if we're gonna clear them all out!"

"Backup, huh?" Chihiro grinned and rubbed her hands together, "Well, I have been wanting to try out that duplication spell…"

As her hands glowed with a crackling cyan light, Chihiro held them out and got ready to cast her spell… But before she could, a loud crash from behind caught her attention and made the magic completely disperse!

All eyes pulled away from the battle and fixed on the doors behind them, which literally exploded open as Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball burst out with an entire army of Arkeyan robot soldiers hot on their heels!

"You're not going anywhere, Skypesterers!" The Evil Tiki Man proclaimed as it shook its staff at the three of them, "Robot army, follow your leader!"

"I don't think so!" Cried the Arkeyan Weapon Master's voice with such strength that it resounded all across the battlefield.

The Evil Tiki Man froze and whipped its head around while its armies all did so in tandem. "What?! Who said that?!"

"I did!"

Right before the Evil Tiki Man or any of its robots could cross over to where Dark Spyro and company were, a massive red and gold wall shot up from the bridge and completely blocked them all off! The Evil Tiki Man let out curses muffled by the wall's thickness as it and robots crashed against it, but no matter what they threw, the wall itself wouldn't budge!

Dark Spyro breathed a sigh of relief, then beamed as the Arkeyan Weapon Master's holographic form flickered beside him.

"Seems as thought I undid the security protocols just in time," the Arkeyan Weapon Master remarked as he crossed his arms.

"I'd say!" Dark Spyro cried as he whipped around and caught sight of the Evil Grub Worm army, "Looks like Spyro and Chi could use a little backup!"

Dark Spyro grunted as he leaped across the bridge, then dove into the shadows cast by the bridge decorations and leaped out just in time to tackle down an Evil Grub Worm clone! While it crashed into the bridge face-first and exploded, Dark Spyro soared high above the battlefield and spat out a rain of burning purple fireballs that crashed against the battlefield, a functional meteor shower that cast its fury across the bridge!

As the Evil Grub Worms exploded into bits or screeched as they tried to take cover from the flames, Double Trouble swept into the crowd and spun his staff around, then with one mighty swipe, his staff cast out a string of lasers that slammed into the Evil Grub Worms and blew them up in clouds of rainbows and sparkling magic!

"Oh, oh, my turn, my turn!" Wrecking Ball cried as he zoomed forward and leaped off the ground! Wrecking Ball unfurled himself and grinned as the Evil Grub Worms' eyes turned to him. "It's wreckin' time!"

And just like that, Wrecking Ball curled up once more and slammed down right on the head of one clone, then as it exploded he bounced off and slammed into another! The explosions only continued as he leaped out from the explosion and conked the rest, all while he left a fury of purple, smoky explosions in his wake! And while he bounced off, Drill Sergeant zoomed forward, hot on the trial of several squealing Evil Grub Worms as he zapped the ground behind them with red-hot lasers!

It was utter chaos on the one bridge, with clones being torn through left and right at such a furious pace that lavender smoke clouded the bridge and obscured most of it from view… And in the chaos of it all, nobody noticed the metal wall behind them creak and bend in on itself.

"Free at last!" The Evil Tiki Man cried as it and the robots it helmed burst out of the wall. It let out a low grin as its eyes fell back on Spyro and Chihiro while it pointed its staff across the bridge. "Evil Grub Worm, get the Eternal Magic Source to Lord Kaos! I'll take care of these pests!"

But, the Evil Grub Worm didn't hear the Evil Tiki Man at all! The Evil Grub Worm has grown panicked as it skittered around purple bonfires and the magical remains of its clones, its breaths shallow and its eyes wide as dinner plates. The Evil Grub Worm gasped as it jumped out the way of a purple fireball, then stumbled backwards and rolled back into the bridge's railing!

"Ugh…" The Evil Grub Worm grumbled as it teetered back and forth, then burped out a cloud of sparkly purple magic, "How unpleasant… I hope nobody saw that…"

But across the battlefield, somebody certainly did notice! As Spyro dove out from another purple smoke cloud, his eyes went wide while he leaped into the skies and far out of the dying clone forces' reach!

"There it is!" Spyro cried as he flew past the battle and towards the Evil Grub Worm, "That's the real one!"

The Evil Grub Worm grunted and shook its head, then as it turned back and saw Spyro dashing towards it, it screeched and stumbled back on all fours! Just before Spyro could grab onto it, it curled off into a ball and stormed back down the bridge… But before it could make a great escape, it slammed into a bright cyan wall and flew off!

"Owch!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it hit its head and uncurled itself, then rubbed the newborn sore on its head with its tongue, "Just what was that?"

The wall, in response, shuddered and exploded into a burst of cyan light, then as a shadow cast over the Evil Grub Worm it screeched and stumbled back at who it caught before it!

"Sorry, buddy!" Chihiro cried as she crossed her arms and grinned, her stature tall and confident as she imposed herself over the Evil Grub Worm, "You're not getting away this time!"

The Evil Grub Worm screeched as Chihiro readied a sphere and went to shoot, then turned around and scrambled backwards right as Spyro dashed for it! While it backed up, Chihiro's sphere slammed into the ground underneath it and tossed it face-first into the ground, but it hardly noticed this as it curled into a ball and zoomed back across the battlefield!

"Don't let it get away!" Spyro cried as he turned around and flew back after the Evil Grub Worm!

"Got it!" Chihiro cried back.

She and Spyro joined back together as they tailed the Evil Grub Worm through the smoking grounds, then joined hands once more and teleported away! In a flash they reappeared just inches behind the oblivious Evil Grub Worm and got ready to strike… But before they could, Chihiro looked up and cast a shield instead!

As a purple magical blast bounced off the shield and shook the shield so hard that it evaporated in an instant, cackles filtered through the arena!

"Did you really think you could win with a cheap trick like that?" The Evil Tiki Man crooned as it hovered up and flew right in Chihiro's face, "Well, you're absolutely mistaken!"

Chihiro grunted and released Spyro's paw as her brows tensed. Her hands twitched as if she was ready to attack, but she clasped it and held it as if to temper her own impulses.

"After all, we, and by we I mean myself of course, are the most brilliant and efficient of Lord Kaos's minions! You may have beaten those other imbeciles, but you were merely lucky as to get the weakest links in the chain! We're on an entirely different level from those…"

The Evil Tiki Man stroked its puffed out chest as it floated back and forth, all while its braggartly spiel progressively grew more long-winded and less coherent… And Spyro and Chihiro were having none of it as they looked towards each other and rolled their eyes.

"And that's why…"

"Hey, catch!" Chihiro shouted as she lobbed something bright and colorful towards the Evil Tiki Man!

The Evil Tiki Man grunted as it snatched the object—a round, sparkling magic sphere that sizzled like a fire—from the skies, then grunted as it turned the sphere around in its hands. "Just what is this thing?"

Well, the Evil Tiki Man didn't get to find out, because the sphere exploded in its hands and took the Evil Tiki Man with it! As it vanished in the sphere's explosion and came out a pile of tiny spheres itself, Chihiro and Spyro both grinned back at each other.

But the Evil Grub Worm was more horrified than anything as it stopped in its tracks!

"Evil Tiki Man!" The Evil Grub Worm cried as it stumbled back.

As Spyro and Chihiro turned their eyes back on it, the Evil Grub Worm gulped and went to run... But before it could, a magical net shot out and wrapped around it! The Evil Grub Worm grunted as it tried to push and tackle its way out of the net, but it was no use! The net itself was bound together much too tightly for it to escape!

"Let me out of here, you buffoons!"

"Alright, if you insist!" Spyro cried as he held the net tight. In one mighty swing, he yanked the net upwards with no mind paid to the Evil Grub Worm's terrified cries, then slammed it back down onto the bridge. "I'll let you out—in pieces, that is!"

The Evil Grub Worm screamed in pain as it splattered against the floor, its screams the last remains of its presence as it exploded into scattered spheres… And the Eternal Magic Source! The Eternal Magic Source's purple light shone bright as it phased though the disintegrating rope and flew up to Spyro and Chihiro, then rested itself in Chihiro's hands!

The two of them let out soft, barely-heard gasps as they basked in the gentle, yet powerful light of the Eternal Magic Source, but not for long.

A soft whoosh sounded beside them and drew their attention back to the bridge, where the spheres had all swept themselves off the floor and scattered towards the robots! And those robots, they were so confused by the sudden loss of their leader, they didn't even know what hit them! One moment they were standing around, aimless and confused, next thing they knew, those tainted magic spheres had seeped into their chests and completely rattled them to their cores!

As the robots collectively shuddered and glowed with an ominous purple light, Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball all winced and stepped back. The four of them stood frozen, only able to watch as the robots grew bigger and bulkier!

The robots' blank eyes became bright and ominous as spikes burst from their backs and shoulders, while the weapons they carried became bigger, heavier and much spikier. A powerful aura of magic pulsed off of their mechanical bodies as they whirred with a new life and fixed those eyes of their on Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball…

"That can't be good," Dark Spyro said as Double Trouble wrung his staff and chattered beside him.

Dark winced and took a step back as one of the robots lunged forward, then screamed and scrambled backwards as the robot slammed its massive, spiked mace straight into the ground with such force it nearly created a hole in the bridge!

"Yeah, definitely not good!"

Dark winced as he skidded back, then yanked his mouth open and cast a massive, purple fireball right towards the robot that had tried to smack him down, one that was soon joined by a magic blast courtesy of Double Trouble and a rocket from Drill Sergeant! Their three attacks fused into a massive, white-hot burst that slammed right into the robots chest and engulfed it in flames! Dark and Double Trouble both gasped in glee while Drill Sergeant beeped as his laser cannon spun around, but their smiles quickly faded as the robot extinguished the flames with a single shake! And worse yet, their attack had left no singe marks, melted metal or any other signs of damage. The robot didn't even seem slightly worn down as it slammed its mace against the palm of its robotic hand!

Double Trouble and Dark Spyro both winced while Wrecking Ball whimpered and scrambled back, then all three of them jumped on Drill Sergeant and dashed away as the robots stampeded after them! They ran their hardest as the robots bounded after them with strides so powerful that it shook the bridge and sent broken chunks of metal falling into the waters below, but those robots were relentless! As the three of them finally got ahead of the robots' grip, one of the robots shot out a magic blast straight for Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball… But before anyone could make another move, a bright flash of light wormed its way right between the two warring parties and completely neutralized the robot's blow!

"Man, these guys look tough!" Chihiro exclaimed as the light vanished and dropped her at the heart of the battle. Despite the tough stature of the opponents before her, Chihiro seemed hardly intimidated as she turned around and whistled. "All that Arkeyan techy stuff and that corrupt magic… That's hardly fair!"

Chihiro chuckled, then turned back to Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball while she bounced the Eternal Magic Source in her hands.

"Why don't we level the playing field?"

As Spyro flew up to the back of the group, everyone beamed, held out their hands (or tongue, in Wrecking Ball's case), and let out one unified, excited cheer.

"Alright!"

They all held out their hands, and in response the violet glow of the Eternal Magic Source became brighter and much more brilliant! Then, that glow trickled away from the Eternal Magic Source and seeped down into everyone's bodies! Though its glow was bright and harsh, none of them were particularly pained or harmed… In fact, it was quite the opposite! They all beamed and laughed as the light flooded into their bodies and let out a bright flash as their appearance shifted in response!

Double Trouble's skin turned from blue to purple while his eyes went from their normal green to more of a tealish color, and his red wooden mask and braces became a deep, royal blue with golden accents instead! The once white feathers of his mask were dyed a bright crimson and his skirt was dyed in shades of deep blue and gold. Even his staff shifted in color, as it had turned gold while its feathers and jewel were bright red!

Spyro and Dark's horns stretched further and further until they were twice their prior lengths and curled at their tips, while the fins of their tails became sharper and almost arrow-like in appearance! The two of them smiled and bumped their wings against each other, then peered back to Wrecking Ball, Drill Sergeant and Chihiro.

Massive tusks had sprouted from an ecstatic Wrecking Ball's lower jaw while sharp spikes lined Drill Sergeant's drills! Wrecking Ball jumped up and down and blabbered out excited gibberish as Drill Sergeant tried to calm him, but Chihiro just chuckled and stepped back. Though she had no physical changes, a bright purple glow of power radiated from her body, and in the moment she seemed like the spirit of magic itself had found its way into her body!

Really, all of them radiated with a newfound power, and the robots seemed to notice this as they leaned in while their weapons charged with magical static and energy!

"Alright, everyone!" Chihiro cried as she punched a fist into her palm, "Ready to scrap metal and take names?"

"You bet!" Everyone else cried in unison.

Chihiro smiled one last time, then with a snap of her fingers she crafted a magical backpack, slid the Eternal Magic Source inside and slung it on her back.

"THEN LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And just like that, both sides jumped into the heat of battle, the magic energy and flaring fighting spirit from them so bright that it could be seen from miles around!

Spyro was the first to strike as he let off a round of fireballs bright and large as the sun and streaked with stripes of purple magic, then as those fireballs melted a row of robots into a messy pile of metallic goop, he leaned back and grinned.

Just ahead of Spyro, Dark Spyro leaped out of the shadows and tackled down the robots that had looked over their fallen comrades, but he didn't stop there! Rather, he just whipped back around and spat out a purple fireball, then charge right into it! As his horns hit the flames, the fires circled around him and burned even brighter as it incinerated all those around!

Behind them both, Wrecking Ball rolled into a massive bowling ball and rushed towards an entire platoon of robots! The robots grabbed their arms and charged after Wrecking Ball, but that ended up being their biggest mistake, as Wrecking Ball flattened them without even losing speed!

And while he rolled down with such intense speed that it made the bridge rumble, Double Trouble summoned an entire army of large clones, then spun his staff around and zapped them with magic spheres right as they jumped into the fray! Explosions resounded all across the bridge, so loud and intense that it rumbled everything around and brought the robots who weren't caught in the blasts to their knees!

With the robots rumbled, Chihiro had the perfect opportunity! She summoned a sword and gripped it tight, then dashed forward and side-swept a robot off its feet! While it fell down behind her, Chihiro dashed out from underneath it, then leaped up and screamed as she sliced another robot in half! The other robots chased after her and went to slice her down with their own swords and axes, but before they could, she jumped back and flung out her hand! Her sword glowed a bright, pale glow as it laid suspended in the air, then when she reclaimed it, it shifted in shape until it was no longer a sword, but a giant hammer instead!

Chihiro lurched forward as she gripped her hammer tight, then let out another, bellowing cry as she leaped forward and slammed her hammer down on the robots! With a grunt, she hit the ground and grinned and kicked over the flattened pancake that was once a robot, then lifted her head and panted. Chihiro leaned down and panted as she gripped her hands tight around the handle, while behind her the sound of crackling static caught her attention! She lifted her head and turned around...

Right as Drill Sergeant charged forward and skewered a bulky robot in the chest with his drills and tossed it off the side of the bridge!

All around them, the robots that once plagued their quest were little more than scrap metal and melted, robotic corpses, the wreckage strung across the bridge and the many craters that had formed within it during the battle.

"Think… Think it's over?" Chihiro panted as she slung her hammer over her shoulder, then screamed as something slammed into her chest and tossed her across the bridge!

As she rolled to a stop and clutched her gut, Chihiro grunted and forced her eyes open while she pushed herself off of the ground. Just across from her, amid the wreckage and the shocked looks of everyone else around, a robot stood tall and menacing on the bridge as it carried a gun in one hand… And the Eternal Magic Source in the other!

"After that robot!" Spyro cried as he flew after it, only to get tossed back as the robot whipped around and shot a blast at him!

While Spyro tumbled backwards, the robot blew the smoke off of its gun, then aimed the gun down at the bridge and pulled the trigger.

Another bright, smoking blast of magic shot from the gun in an instant, one so intense that it seared a gigantic hole right through the bridge! And the bridge was already so shaken and wrecked from the earlier battles, that this one hole was the last thing it needed to completely buckle and crumble to bits!

Spyro, Dark, and Double Trouble were all quick to leap into the air, while Drill Sergeant was levitated up by Double Trouble's magic and Wrecking Ball had quickly found a ride on Dark's back.

But, Chihiro wasn't as quick to respond as they did, for she could only look down as she tumbled into the abyss! Chihiro screamed and grappled for the ceiling, but before she could cast anything, Spyro swept down and caught her on his back! Chihiro panted and wrapped her arms tight around Spyro as he swept back up to the top, then her eyes fell on the beginning of the bridge, the one part of it that remained!

There, in the time it had taken them to fly away from the bridge's remainder, the robot had already reached the end, and stood silent as it pointed a finger to the ceiling, almost as if it was signaling for something. Was it trying to escape? Well, it wasn't getting out on their watch!

As they all swept down onto the platform, the robot shrieked and stumbled backwards, but instead of falling down into the waters below or anything else, metallic walls all raised around the arena and blocked off any escape or entrance.

"Your access has been denied!" The Weapon Master bellowed from the outside world.

The robot whirred in panic as it looked for an easy out, but no matter where it turned, everything had been completely blocked out! The walls had blocked it off from the outside world, and the front was completely blocked off by Chihiro, Spyro, Dark, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant and Wrecking Ball!

With no other options, finally it let off a mechanical snarl as it dashed forward and summoned a large, purple sword made of magic and went to strike… But before it could land a single blow, its sword was intercepted by a sword of Chihiro's own! Their two swords ground and shrieked against each other as both Chihiro and the robot tried to overpower each other, but while the robot strained and hissed, Chihiro was perfectly calm as she cracked a sneer! With a simple flick of her hand, Chihiro summoned a second sword and slashed it right against the robot's side! The robot screeched as it was tossed aside as its sword vanished into light. then it grunted and beeped as it bounced against the floor. Its beeps turned to low, static-y buzzing noises as it lurched up with a noticeable, sparking gash in its arm!

The robot's eyes flashed red while it staggered back up and got tossed back against the walls by Wrecking Ball! The sparks in its open wound sparked bright as it screeched in pain, then slunk down and lifted its head right as a blast of fire and magic light propelled by a speeding drill sped towards it! And worse yet, it had come in so fast that the robot could only watch as the blast slammed right into its chest and blew it to bits!

The explosion was so loud and intense that it completely ruptured the walls around, and Chihiro, Spyro, Dark, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball might have followed suit if not for the shield Chihiro and Double Trouble had cast at the last moment! As flaming bits of metal and rubble flew all around the vault and dropped into the oceans below, Chihiro and Double Trouble smiled and dropped the shield.

There, in the center of the wreckage and the flaming junk heap that was once their robotic opponent, the Eternal Magic Source shone bright as it hovered above the platform!

"Gotcha!" Chihiro cried as she teleported over and swept up the Eternal Magic Source in a magic container. With the Eternal Magic Source held firm in her grasp, Chihiro smiled and turned back to the others. "Now that we finally have what we came here for, it's about time we went home!"

"I couldn't agree more," the Arkeyan Weapon Master boomed.

As his voice faded out, a part of the platform glowed bright, then a teleporter appeared on the ground in a flash!

"This teleporter will take you back to the beginning of the vault—I have already arranged a chain to return you to the island. Make haste, now!"

"You bet!" Chihiro grinned as she dashed towards the teleporter, "Let's go, everyone! We've got a Core of Light to finish!"

And with resounding cheers of glee, the others all followed her on the teleporter and disappeared in a flash.

§

Everybody heaved heavy breaths that rattled their entire body as they dashed up the chain, guided solely by Chihiro and the Eternal Magic Source as she nestled it closer and closer to her chest. Though they were all tired and worn from the battles prior, it was a good kind of tiredness, the exhaustion that came with well-earned success. And it did little to dissuade them as they dashed up the chain! After all, they had an extremely important delivery to make, and they were going to make it no matter what!

Though the Vault's halls had gone dim once more and the lights that remained had barely shed any sort of identity as to where they were, or more importantly where they were going, as they ran further stark, white light filtered in and unveiled not the metal walls and stark coldness of the Vault… But the dull, grayish autumn lighting of the outside world! The light shone bright as they all burst through the vault's entrance, and for a moment everyone froze and grinned.

After being stuck in such a stuffy old vault, it was nice to feel their breeze on their faces and smell the scents of fresh air as it wafted across the noses. And though it provided some relief, the length stretch of sky ahead showed that they still had a lot of running ahead of them!

Chihiro sighed as the chain stretched across the sky and disappear over the horizon, then hugged the Eternal Magic Source's container tight and close to her chest.

"Hey, Weapon Master dude!" Chihiro shouted as she leaned forward on the chain, "We're ready to go now!"

But, even though Chihiro had shouted so loudly that her cries echoed across the vast skies and sent a couple of wild birds flying in the distance, it seems as though they were in vain. The chain made no motion aside from its faint bounces and sways underneath the weight of everyone at once, nor did it sparkle any more than it usually did.

"Welp, guess we're walking there," Chihiro remarked as she shrugged her shoulders, oblivious to the tired sighs of everyone behind her. Though the others were quite weary, Chihiro's smile stayed stuck on her face as she magically crafted a backpack, then tossed the Eternal Magic Source inside and slung the backpack over her shoulders. "Better not waste any time!"

Chihiro hummed a tune as she took a step forward… But before her foot could land, the entire chain was tossed high into the skies with such intensity that it sent everyone flying! Their screams echoed into the distance as the chain's magic pulled them down and glued their feet to its links once more, and just in time for it to dip down and fly back up like a plucked string.

While the chain itself steadied, everyone's legs shuddered like fresh, wobbly jelly as they exchanged wide-eyed, clenched teeth looks with each other.

"Just what was that?" Spyro asked as all four of his shaking paws wrapped around the chain, just to be safe.

"I don't know!" Chihiro shouted back as she peered into her backpack.

Her face was twisted into a frown as she peered inside, then she breathed a sigh of relief and closed it back up when she realized the Eternal Magic Source was still there. Her relief, however, was short lived, because shortly after the chain started to rumble and draw forward, almost as it something was pulling it ahead! And while that chain drew further, Chihiro only hissed and clenched her teeth.

"But something tells me we're in for a bumpy rideeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

And just like that, the chain jolted forward with such speed that everything around blurred into a mass of blobby colors and streaking lights! The wind rushed against them with such intensity that it practically pinned their eyelids to their faces while their cheeks flapped in the wind, and yet they were still glued tight to the chain itself and could barely move!

"MY EYES ARE DIZZY!" Wrecking Ball cried as the chain shot further into the distance.

"I THINK THE BLOOD'S RUSHING TO MY HEAD!" Dark Spyro shouted.

"ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ONE BEEP BOP!" Drill Sergeant shouted as the lights in his mechanical eyes became massive streaking swirls, "ZERO ONE ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO…"

"I don't even know what that means!" Spyro wailed before he leaned a little too far forward and slammed face-first into Drill Sergeant's back!

But while everyone screamed and cried and shouted, Chihiro just winced and screwed her eyes shut.

"This is even worse than a rollercoaster!" Chihiro cried as the wind slammed across her face and made her squeal, "Someone get us off this thing!"

Chihiro winced again, but not from the harsh wind or speeds so fast it would make the average person sick. No, like a light at the end of the tunnel, something small and white stuck out at the end of the chain, a light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel… And from that dull light, the shape of Ancient's Peak's oceans with their stone platforms drew closer and closer, then finally the Weapon Master came into view! But not just him, either. An entire crowd had formed on the tiny platform that the Weapon Master called home, all in tense anticipation of their return from the Vault!

"I'm telling you, please be patient!" The Weapon Master exclaimed as he glared down at Hugo, "I understand your concerns, but they will arrive in due time!"

"How can you say that when there's something definitely wrong? After all, I saw Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball come out of the portal room twice! TWICE! And there's only one of each of them!" Hugo exclaimed as he thrust two fingers into the Weapon Master's face, then chuckled and looked aside, "Well, one normal Double Trouble, anyways."

Hugo shook his head and gestured out to the open seas. "If those were their evil clones trying to steal the Eternal Magic Source, then surely there's even more trouble waiting for them! We need to send another team out before—"

"Hugo, look!" Gill Grunt shouted as he shook Hugo's shoulder and turned Hugo towards the chain, "They're back!"

"They are?" Hugo gasped and turned his attention towards the chain, then those shocked eyes grew so wide that they practically popped out of his head, "They are!"

Like the townsfolk who waited for news of the monster's defeat, everyone on the platform all kept close and tight as they followed Hugo in gazing out towards the incoming chain!

The Weapon Master, however, hardly shared in their concern as he held out a hand that drew the chain further and further in. His face was steel-cold and his eyes were narrowed as the chain sank further and further into his palm, then finally he grabbed the chain with another hand and yanked it forward! The last of the chain disappeared into the depths of the Weapon Master's palm, and just like that everyone was released of their metallic rollercoaster ride and slammed face-first onto the stone platform!

As their bodies hit cold, solid stone, everyone around crowded so tightly around them that it packed out the whole stone island and made it near impossible to keep footing! Heck, Chihiro and Spyro had to scramble aside before they got stomped on and poor Wrecking Ball was squeezed between Terrafin and Eruptor, then finally popped out from between them and landed in Gill Grunt's arms! Right beside them, Drill Sergeant nearly fell into the depths if not for Dark Spyro and Double Trouble pulling him onto dry land!

But, all this chaos and crowding was hardly noticed, for everyone's attention instead focused on Chihiro as she stood up and cleared her throat.

"Don't worry, everyone!" Chihiro proclaimed as she flipped open her backpack, then whipped out the Eternal Magic Source and held it out for all to see, "We got the Source!"

As the Eternal Magic Source's container rested in Chihiro's hands, the Eternal Magic Source glowed even brighter like a purple star against the warmth of the evening sun… And everyone seemed to notice as they oohed and aahed and whispered among each other! And with every word and cheer, the Eternal Magic Source glowed brighter and brighter, almost as if it was basking in the attention!

"Why, it really is the Eternal Magic Source," Hugo whispered as he held out his paws and gently lifted the container from Chihiro's grip, "I almost can't believe I'm holding it with my own two paws!"

"It's quite radiant," Voodood gasped as he peered over Hugo's shoulder, while the soft chatter behind him seemed to affirm this.

But while everyone else was gazing in awe and rambling among each other in sheer awe of the Eternal Magic Source's power, Flynn just sauntered up and laid an arm on Hugo's shoulder with such force that it forced Hugo to lean forward!

"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty and sparkly and all," Flynn said as he flicked his ears, "But are we gonna put this thing in the Core or not?"

Hugo scoffed as he pulled himself up and glared at Flynn, then a firm cough caught his and everyone else's attention.

"If you'll excuse me," the Weapon Master said as all eyes fixed on him, "While I am quite relieved that the Eternal Magic Source has been released… You are taking up quite a bit of space."

And it seemed as though in that very moment, everyone realized that perhaps crowding together on a very small stone slab island was probably not the best idea. They all grimaced as they examined the very tightly-packed crowd they had formed, then a wave of sighs and mumbled apologies washed through.

"Anyways," Hugo said as he turned around and hopped on a nearby wooden raft, "I guess you have a point. We really should get this back into the Core of Light!"

A series of raft rides and teleports brought everyone back to the beaches' sands, and they all stormed up the stairs that lead back to the heart of the island with one mind and one single speed—fast! After all, this was the moment they had been waiting for! The Core of Light would finally be completed at last, and nobody wanted to wait a moment longer for it to happen!

Everybody held their breath as Hugo pressed the Eternal Magic Source back into Chihiro's hands and withdrew his book, and in that moment the entire island was so quiet you could practically hear everyone's heartbeats. This was the moment of truth, but anything could happen now. Even though the Core's completion was near-completely assured at this point, the crowds around couldn't find it in themselves to rest, not until the moment had happened.

The anticipation grew thick as Hugo recited the chant, all while the Eternal Magic Source's purple glow grew brighter and brighter, until it stretched well past its container's boundaries and shone like a beacon against the warm evening skies! Then, as the last of the words left Hugo's lips, the Eternal Magic Source rocketed out of its container and shot straight into the Core of Light like a shooting star!

As the lid of its container slammed into the ground and vanished, the Core of Light shone with a bright purple radiance… Then orange, blue, red… Before anyone had even known it, the Core of Light was swarmed in a rainbow's radiance! And as this rainbow seeped into the Core itself, everything around moved with a rapid speed and sleek smoothness, oh, it was such a beautiful sight! The Core of Light was finally completed, and now it was perhaps even better than it was before!

Gasps were had, jaws were dropped, some even shed tears of joy and hugged each other as they cheered in relief! Finally, their hard work had come to fruition!

Then, their joy turned to silent wonder as the Core made a shrill, hisslike noise while the Crystal Eye atop its peak shone like a kaleidoscope in every color there was. This rainbow lingered within the Crystal Eye's body for a few moments, then shot a massive beam of rainbow light into the skies! This beam grew thicker and brighter by the second, until it became so massive that it covered the entire island in a veil of rainbow light and raining sparkles!

Then… It vanished.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, that beam of light was gone, but in its place the Crystal Eye spat out even more bright laser beams! These beams turned into comets that shone bright and colorful against the setting sun and orange skies as they screeched across the skies and dashed away, never to be see again… But why?

"Hey, where d'you think those things are going, anyways?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Hugo and shoved her hands in her pockets.

Hugo hummed for a moment as he rubbed his chin, then he lowered his paw as a smile crossed his face.

"If I had to take a guess…" Hugo said as the rainbow light reflected across the lens of his glasses and gave him a bit more peaceful a look than he normally held, "I'd say they've gone to clean up the mess Kaos made."

§

"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS, YOU BUFFOONS, YOU BLOWHARDS!" Kaos cried as he pounded his fists against his portal with such rage that it might've cracked the portal's stone if he was stronger, "THERE AREN'T ENOUGH WORDS IN THE DICTIONARY TO CONVEY HOW MAD I AM AT YOU!"

Kaos snarled so hard that the muscles in his face ached from the sheer amount of rage he felt, but that was just another thing he could blame on his stupid, stupid, utterly idiotic minions! Those absolutely fools, how dare they have the audacity to come back to him after failing a mission of such utmost importance! Well, he could hardly say they came back, seeing as how they had been blown to bits during their utter failure of a mission. That made Kaos's evil heart of hearts a little less angry at their blunder… But only by a little.

After all, the Skylanders had gotten the Eternal Magic Source, and surely with every moments he stewed in his entirely justified evil rage, they inched closer and closer to putting it in that awful Core of Light! It would sit there, stewing in their grasp when it should be in his possession, far away from anyone who'd be able to stop him! But, because his minions were too useless and incompetent to finish one simple task, that would never come to be! Oh, just the thought of it made his blood boil with rage!

"WHY! WHY! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" Kaos cried as he leaped onto his portal and stomped as hard and as furiously as he could, "WHY IS IT THAT I GET THE MOST USELESS, MOST UTTERLY INCOMPETENT EVIL MINIONS SKYLANDS HAS TO OFFER? WHY?"

Kaos snarled as he stomped down one last stomp that was so mighty it sent a magical shockwave that rattled everything in his evil planning room! As it should of course. This failure was so great he couldn't see past his rage well enough to think of what to do next, and if he had to feel like this than so would everyone else!

"WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?"

"Lord Kaos?" Glumshanks called as he cracked open the door of Kaos's evil plotting room with one hand, "Something told me you weren't in a very good mood right now…"—Glumshanks grinned as he lifted a saucer with a pristine teacup on it—"So, I brought you your favorite hot cocoa! And with extra marshmallows, just how you—"

"YOU FOOL!" Kaos cried, his voice so loud it sent out another shockwave that flung the cocoa right into Glumshanks' face, "COCOA ISN'T GOING TO FIX MY ILLS RIGHT NOW!"

Kaos dug his fingers into his magnificent scalp as he hopped off his portal and paced around the portal room. "THE PORTAL POSTER AND THOSE SKYLOSERS FINALLY GOT THE ETERNAL MAGIC SOURCE! ANY MINUTE NOW, THEY'RE GOING TO—"

KA-BOOM!

Kaos shuddered as another wave of feedback ran through the portal room with such force that it made everything jump, from the portal to the furniture to Kaos and Glumshanks themselves! Kaos winced as he rolled around while an empty potion bottle fell off a shelf and shattered from impact, but not because the bottle itself had broken. Rather, something more concerning weighed on his mind, for Kaos certainly didn't make that explosion! He would have known if he did! And if he didn't make it, then that could only mean one thing.

"Glumshanks!" Kaos said as he turned to Glumshanks, though Glumshanks seemed more interested in wiping the cocoa off his face than answering Kaos, "GLUMSHANKS! ANSWER ME!"

Glumshanks gasped and fixed his eyes on Kaos as he stashed away a cocoa-stained rag in his pocket. "Yes, Lord Kaos!"

"… What was that?"

Right before Glumshanks could answer or Kaos could ask once more, the shades in Kaos's plotting room flung open as if by a magic force! And from them, blinding, shining, utterly hideous rainbow light poured into Kaos's beautiful evil plotting room! It was so harsh and hot, Kaos practically felt like his skin was going to melt!

"Wait, light?" Kaos exclaimed as his narrowed eyes peered at the open window, "If light's coming all the way here, then, that can only mean…"

Kaos gasped and shielded his eyes with his hands as the rainbow light grew so intense that his skin bubbled and burned like it was on fire, then as it let up just slightly enough to give him a rare moment of relief, he whipped his head around to Glumshanks. Though the light had put Kaos in so much pain that he could barely even stand and forced him to give everything in his entire, magnificent evil body to keep his eyes open, he wasn't going to go out just yet!

"GLUMSHANKS, STEER US TO THE OUTLANDS, FAST!" Kaos demanded before another flare of blinding light seared into his eyes and made him scream out without even thinking, "NOW! BEFORE ALL THIS LIGHT MAKES ME MELT!"

"ON IT, LORD KAOS!" Glumshanks cried as he stumbled to his feet and bolted across the floor!

The harsh rainbow light beat down on Glumshanks as he cry out in just as much pain as Kaos himself felt, but that didn't stop good, reliable Glumshanks! Glumshanks held an arm over his eyes as a makeshift shield from that unrelenting light, then stormed to a steering wheel positioned right at the end of Kaos's plotting room!

With one spin of that steering wheel, the whole castle lurched around and shot off like a rocket that soared far, far, away from all that hideous light! But, like a lion after its prey, the rainbow light chased after them and its multi-colored glow seeped through the window panels as it tainted everything in Kaos's sight with raw, pure power!

Kaos whimpered and curled on the floor as the light burned around him and made his eyes water, a rare moment of weakness that he, as Skylands' most brilliant evil mastermind could hardly call his proudest. And if that wasn't bad enough, the castle flew so fast that it slammed him into the back wall all while his whole body pulsed with pain! Kaos cried as he smashed into the floor, then whimpered again as he curled up into a ball and shuddered. Though this behavior was hardly fit of an evil overlord such as himself, he couldn't really care when his whole body felt like it was about to give in on him! The massive pain he felt turned everything from his head to his toes numb and cold, save for the heart that beat as fast as a jackrabbit in his chest. Would this be the end for Kaos, the ultimate evil overlord of all Skylands? Would he never see the dark of night or light of day ever again? (The irony in that last part wasn't entirely lost on him, but he could hardly call it funny given how he felt)

Kaos whimpered and closed his eyes while his heartbeats pumped in his ears… But then, relief came in the form of the burning feeling on his skin fading away. Had they finally escaped that awful light? Its harsh, melting glower faded enough that Kaos could prop his eyes open a bit further, and the searing pain that encapsulated his body had turned to little more than aches and creaks. Though his now opened eyes were quite blurry, he still felt much better than he did all of a few moments ago.

Kaos panted as he got up to his knees and held a hand over his rapidly-beating heart. Though it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, Kaos resisted its panic and trudged over to the windows to sneak a glimpse. His mouth was steeled into a frown as his eyes struggled to fix themselves on the outside world. Once they corrected themselves, however, Kaos's cold frown turned to a warm smile—because finally, they had left that awful rainbow light behind! Instead, all he saw were stretches of pale, smoky gray clouds that hung in a dull blue sky! Finally, some relief! For a moment, he genuinely thought he was going to die!

"This is bad, Lord Kaos!" Glumshanks exclaimed as he bit his trembling lip and dashed to Kaos's side, "All that light coming out of nowhere can only mean that the Skylanders finally finished the Core of Light!"—Glumshanks winced as he grabbed the blinds' cables and pulled them back down—"What are we going to do now?"

"'What are we going to do?'" Kaos echoed as he staggered back to full height, all while a small smile stretched further and further across his mouth, "That really is the question of the hour, hrm?"

With the light gone and his body fully ridden of the pain it caused him, Kaos's evil genius head had finally cleared of all the pain and agony and anger of earlier. In fact, even though it was only a little bit ago that all this had occurred, it all felt as distant as a past memory! And now that his mind was clear, he had the perfect idea of how to handle this trying situation! It was so magnificent, so diabolic, so utterly ingenious it made chills run down his spine!

Kaos made a small chuckle as he lifted his head high and puffed out his chest. Why, nothing of that momentum could possibly stop him in his tracks for good! This was hardly a setback, in fact, he could hardly call it an annoyance! Yes, this was all just one step in the works of a magnificent strategy! Kaos cackled the most gleeful, most brilliant evil cackle he could possibly make! Why yes, this was all according to plan!

"Er, Lord Kaos?" Glumshanks said with a strangely concerned tone as he looked back at Kaos, "Are you okay? You're not taking this too badly, are you?"

"NOT AT ALL, DEAR OLD GLUMSHANKS!"

Kaos let out another devilish cackle as he gazed towards the ceiling, his smile so wide it engulfed the lower part of his face.

"Not at all?" Glumshanks blinked his eyes and shook his head like he couldn't believe what Kaos had just said, "But, the Skylanders just reconstructed the Core of Light! It's all over now!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK…" Kaos pointed towards Glumshanks then gestured towards the ceiling, "BUT THAT'S WHAT A FOOLISH FOOL WOULD THINK! IN REALITY, THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!"

Kaos made a round of low chuckles as he placed his hands behind his back and paced back and forth. Oh, the excitement coursed through his body with such intensity that he wanted to leap and jump for joy, but as an evil ingenious emperor he did have an image to maintain.

"As a matter of fact, I completely meant to fail all those times before! It was all a part of my genius plot!" Kaos withdrew his fingers and drummed them together as he looked side the side, "I was just baiting those Skylosers, letting them think they've won by letting them fix their stupid Core and lull themselves into a false sense of security… But once they let their guard down…"

Kaos pointed his finger to the ceiling as raw energy flowed within him. "I'LL KILL THEM ALL, JUST LIKE I DID WITH EON!"

Kaos's giggling fits returned once more as he spun and bounded and bounced all around the room. He was so excited, he could hardly contain himself! The thought of enacting his new evil ploy, the look on the Skylosers' faces as he wiped them from existence, the cries of that awful portal poster as she begged for mercy… Oh, it was too much for his heart to contain! He felt like it would explode any second if it stayed in his head any longer!

"IN FACT, I'LL INITIATE THIS PLOT RIGHT NOW!" Kaos stopped in his tracks and whipped back around to Glumshanks, "GLUMSHANKS!"

Glumshanks stood straight as a stick with eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Yes, Lord Kaos?"

Kaos flung open the door and grinned as he spun out of his plotting room, all while he practically exploded from anticipation.

"READY OUR ARMIES! START THE CANNONS! PUT UP EVERY SECURITY MEASURE YOU CAN THINK OF! ARM OUR MACHINERY, PRIME THE SUPER-SECRET WEAPONS, MAKE ME SOME PREEMPTIVE VICTORY COCOA! AND TELL ALL OUR FORCES TO STANDBY FOR AN ALL-OUT ATTACK ON THE SKYLANDERS' BASE!"

"Lord Kaos, are you sure you're alright?" Glumshanks asked as he tried to follow after Kaos, "You kind of sound like you're bargaining with yourself right now—"

Glumshanks grunted as the door slammed right in his face.

"… Alright, I'll get going."

Kaos made a low chuckle as he rubbed his hands together, then a flash of green hidden within the pipes and tubes and other assorted machinery guts of the halls caught his eyes. Wait, was that what he thought it was?… Yes, that would be perfect!

"MARK MY WORDS, SKYLOSERS! YOUR VICTORY IS ONLY MOMENTARY!" Kaos proclaimed as he turned to that green glow and shook a fist, "WHEN I COME TO YOUR STUPID LITTLE ROCK AND DESTROY YOUR PRECIOUS CORE OF LIGHT AGAIN, THEN YOU'LL KNOW TRUE FEAR!"

And just like that, the green glow went dark, all while the sound of a fly buzzing faintly echoed around the halls. But, Kaos just grinned as he caught a faint, metallic body zoom as far as it could, then steepled his hands together as he rested them under his chin.

"All according to plan~"


Fun fact time! Spyro and Dark's Magic Source powerups are a nod to their Mega Ram figures, Wrecking Ball and Drill Sergeant's are nods to the series two figures from Giants, and Double Trouble's is meant to be a nod to his Royal Double Trouble variant! Anyways, Happy Holidays, everyone! Whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a good one!