skylanders-after-the-end

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Culprits and Witnesses

It was a peaceful morning in Skylands. A scenery of pinkish and yellow clouds illuminated by the rising sun. Snap Shot and Wolfgang were enjoying that moment together. They were sitting underneath the cherry blossom tree where they used to train and bond. Lying on top of the soft green grass, their arms around each other and a light breeze brushing past them. Everything was perfect.

“I wish it could always be like this.” Wolfgang’s eyes were calmly set on the sun. “Just you, me and the endless skies.”

“Me too.” Snap Shot sighed and turned quiet. “As gorgeous as this view is, you know what it means.”

Wolfgang sighed as well, only more annoyed than calm now. “Yeah.”

Not a second passed before a giant version of Dreamcatcher appeared in the sky right in front of them. “The sun is rising you guys, you know what that means.”

The couple rolled their eyes before lovingly looking at each other one more time.

Snap Shot opened his eyes to find himself back inside his cell at Cloudcracker Prison. It was all a dream. However, he’s not upset about it. Him and Wolfgang made a deal with Dreamcatcher so that every night they could meet each other in the dream realm and enjoy their time together, even if it’s not real.

The reptile got out of his cell and on his way to the cafeteria for breakfast, he felt a large fluffy arm wrap around his shoulder.

“Hey sleepy head.” Wolfgang smirked as he joined Snap Shot and they could spend some time in the real world, only surrounded by other villains.

Before the cafeteria entrance, Dreamcatcher appeared in front of the two once again, this time in her regular size. She didn’t say a word and just stared at them with expecting eyes.

Wolfgang shoved his hand inside a pocket of his pants and pulled out a small plastic figure of a unicorn, their end of the deal. “This is all I could find around here.”

“Sir Blueberry Twinkles!” Dreamcatcher used her telepathic abilities, which have been reduced to only lifting small objects inside the prison, to hold the toy in front of her. “Finally I can reunite him with his sister! Thanks, tonight I will take you somewhere special.” The floating head winked before flying off whilst enjoying the small toy horse.

The couple giggled before finally entering the cafeteria to fill their hungry stomachs.

Later that morning, the paralyzed Tuff Luck was found. She was brought into the hospital immediately where Whirlwind would take a look at the strange trance the feline was in.

“I have never seen anything like this before.” Smolderdash was as appalled as everyone else to see the lifeless, cloudy blue eyes of the Life Skylanders. “What happened to her?”

“Maybe this has something to do with Hex’ curse?” Stealth Elf could only think of the witch when she saw those eyes, despite the fact that Hex’ curse turned them pitch black. “Perhaps some kind of side effect?”

“That can’t be it. Everyone was freed from Hex’ curse when she surrendered, and this isn’t undead magic anyway.” Whirlwind has been studying all kinds of injuries and even curses for years, but this was new to her. “This is something completely different.”

Unaware to them, Tuff Luck was currently trapped inside her own mind experiencing her greatest fear. There was no way for her to give any sign through her body, she had no control anymore.

As the Skylanders continued to speculate, a deep voice emerged from the shadows. “May I take a look?”

Everyone turned around to see the dark dragon Blackout standing behind them, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. “Of course, maybe you know more than us.” Whirlwind moved aside for the dragon to join the group.

Blackout moved his head closer to Tuff Luck and squinted his eyes while staring into hers. Suddenly the horn at the tip of his snout began to glow in a dim green light before he backed off. “Whoever did this must have access to some kind of psychic powers.”

“We figured that much.” Stealth Elf thought about some possible suspects. “But that color and her completely frozen body… we’ve never seen that before.”

“No… not in this form.” Blackout closed his eyes and focused for his horn to glow brighter. “She’s fighting. She’s trapped inside her own mind and there is no way for her to break free.”

The others gasped upon hearing that shocking revelation. “Is there a way to help her?” Smolderdash didn’t hesitate for a moment and was already looking for answers.

“I’m afraid not.” Blackout opened his eyes again and his horn stopped glowing. “She’s under the influence of some force very similar to dream magic. A so-called nightmare prison.”

“Dream magic?” Stealth Elf wasn’t hearing that term for the first time. “Then I think I know who did this.”

“Oh, yes of course I did!” Dreamcatcher just finished placing her most recent toy horse on the ledge of her window, adding it to her collection. It’s a hobby she discovered ever since she’s been locked back inside Cloudcracker Prison and found an abandoned unicorn toy.

“How? You’re behind bars and your powers are limited, there’s no way.” Stealth Elf glared at the floating head through the bars of her cell before she turned around to face the elf and Blackout who have come to question her.

“Oh no, I didn’t do that. I mean I did see your friend in the dream realm. The poor thing was so lost and afraid, but unfortunately I was too busy helping those two lovebirds so I couldn’t do anything about it.” Dreamcatcher’s dirty grin made it clear that she was being sarcastic.

Blackout was standing behind Stealth Elf and didn’t say a word yet. He was trying to use his advanced knowledge to figure out what was going on. “If you were able to see her then others can enter the nightmare prison, so she can be saved.”

The Air villain turned to the dragon and gained a curious look. “Hey, I know you.” She was staring at Blackout who kept his dead serious expression. “Weren’t you one of those creepy dragons that spread nightmares all over the realm? I hope you know by now that that’s my thing.”

“I don’t associate with that clan anymore.” Blackout remembered the Dark Stygian. It was a clan consisting of gargoyle dragons just like him who would give nightmares to villains until they started to abuse that power. “I stopped them just like we stopped you, but there’s another force out there.”

“So, you’re saying it wasn’t her?” Stealth Elf’s eyes went from Dreamcatcher to Blackout.

“No, I keep watch over her at night. She can manipulate dreams to an extent, but not this drastically and not to the point where it gets dangerous.” Blackout kept eye contact with the accused.

“You’re stalking me? Ugh, creep!” Dreamcatcher scoffed at the two Skylanders once more before turning around. “But he’s right, I have nothing to do with this.”

Blackout didn’t ask any further questions and left while Stealth Elf spitefully stared at the back of Dreamcatcher before going as well.

Meanwhile Smolderdash went to get some advice elsewhere. She entered the Magic Realm where she stumbled upon Déjà Vu who was happy to help. The two made it to one of the highest magical towers in which many Skylanders of the respective element reside in. They were looking for someone.

“Are you sure she’s here?” Smolderdash floated across a long wine-red carpet along the blue stone floor leading inside.

“It’s where she spends most of her time as far as I know.” Déjà Vu turned her head left and right to observe countless shelves filled with books, potions and other ancient relics.

The inside of the building was much bigger than the slim exterior led to believe. The two Skylanders turned and pushed many objects aside in search of a specific one. “Hello?” Smolderdash finally exclaimed, hearing an echo throughout the giant circular room.

Déjà Vu was searching on the other side. After some brief scans of every corner, she finally spotted something. “Smolderdash, look!”

The fiery humanoid hurried to the timelord, who was staring at a pink bottle with cyan, oval-shaped jewels on the side and a diamond cork on top. “That’s it!”

Neither of them knew how to approach the relic. Finally, Smolderdash decided to just grab the bottle before shaking it. When nothing happened, she placed her other hand onto it and gently rubbed. The bottle reacted by trembling, which caused the Fire Skylander to drop it and back off. Finally, the cork flew off and the bottle emitted a dazzling cloud of purple smoke. A slim figure emerged out of it and grew larger with every passing moment, casting an enormous shadow on the Skylanders looking up in awe.

The being reached the point where it was so big that it hit the ceiling. After a painful hiss, it proceeded to shrink instead and adjusted itself to a size more suitable for the room. When the smoke ceased, the giant Ninjini finally appeared in front of the visitors. “Who has summoned the great Ninjini… oh it’s just you.”

Déjà Vu’s eyes curved underneath her mask, indicating a smile, while Smolderdash remained rather baffled. “Ninjini, we’ve been looking everywhere for you!” The fellow Magic Skylander was excited to get a chance to talk to one of the most skilled Skylanders of all time.

“Sorry about that, I just discovered a new spell which can warp reality, so I had to retreat into my bottle to concentrate.” Ninjini, and genies in general, were known for their great amount of power. They can grant almost any wish and thus hold the power of infinite creation. “How can I help you?”

“There was an incident last night.” Smolderdash wasn’t sure how to best describe the situation, but she just needed to know if Ninjini was more knowledgeable regarding the issue. “Tuff Luck was put in some kind of trance, they were talking about dream magic. Her eyes were completely light blue and foggy.”

“Dream magic?” Ninjini knew a good deal about that. “Genie magic does have a lot in common with that, only that there’s an entirely different realm for dreams.”

“Do you know any way to manipulate it?” Déjà Vu was curious. “I would use my time powers, but that would most likely lead to way more problems.”

“You shouldn’t do that, you’re right.” Ninjini pointed her finger at the sorceress while looking into another direction. “I wish I could help you, but unfortunately I can’t access any sort of dream magic. While wishes often stem from dreams, ultimately they are what someone wants in reality. Dreams are far more… unpredictable.”

“I understand.” Smolderdash wasn’t disappointed, but she did wonder what else she could do. “If it turns out that it wasn’t Dreamcatcher then there must be someone else with the power to manipulate dreams.”

“And create nightmares.” Déjà Vu reminded her companion of the dark side to that special kind of magic.

“Right…” The Fire Skylander looked up to Ninjini and nodded with a smile. “Thanks for your time.”

“Always. I will let you know if I find out anything else.” The giantess turned around to pick out some more books for her private studying session while the two Skylanders made their way back to the Academy.

The sun has set and there were no clear answers as to what happened with the unfortunate Tuff Luck. The Skylanders gathered once more to discuss another strategy.

“We have no idea what happened, and our main suspect seems to be innocent.” Stealth Elf spoke to the group in front of her, not realizing how glum she sounded. “I suppose we will have to take other measures.”

“Like what? I don’t think the perpetrator will just show up and tell us.” Spitfire joined the discussion after seeing what had happened and wanted to find a solution. “All we can do is hope for Tuff Luck to snap out of it and tell us herself.”

“She’s not snapping out of it, not that easily.” Blackout’s deep voice traveled through the crowd like a wave. “If even Ninjini can’t reverse it, then we have to catch the enemy and force them to do it.”

“Or perhaps…” Smolderdash announced an idea that just popped into her head, drawing all the attention towards her. “Kaos has something to do with this.”

“Kaos never did something like this, I doubt he even could.” Stealth Elf didn’t even consider the small tyrant despite him posing a serious threat numerous times. “I can’t stop thinking that this has something to do with Hex.”

“Hex’ powers were all absorbed and stored safely where no one can find them.” Spitfire had to remind the elf of what happened a week ago. “And besides, her magic is undead, so dark and scary. Not exactly dream magic if you ask me.”

“Guys!” The conversation was interrupted by Whirlwind soaring towards them with a worried manner. “It happened again!”

The Skylanders followed the hybrid to the inside of the library where Gearshift was on the floor with the same cloudy eyes as Tuff Luck. She was all alone, and no one was even nearby, so there were no witnesses.

“How could this happen?” Stealth Elf was shocked and her eyes were glued to the motionless body of the robot. “And why her of all people? Can she even dream?”

“I cannot.” Everyone jumped up in surprise when Gearshift responded. The Trap Master blinked and suddenly her eyes went back to their normal navy, silver and red colors.

Whirlwind couldn’t explain to herself what just happened. “Gearshift? How did you-”

“Break free from the trance? Magic usually does not show great effect on my systems, so in the case of a trance, hypnosis or other forms of paralyzation, I can simply reboot myself.” The robot stood back up as if nothing happened.

“Well, do you know what happened? Did you see anything?” Smolderdash didn’t fully believe that everything was completely fine, but Gearshift wasn’t one to lie.

“I did, in fact.” Everyone listened eagerly as the Tech Skylander recalled the event. “Before I fell into that trance and blacked out for approximately twelve minutes and twenty-one seconds, a cloaked figure ambushed me.”

“A cloaked figure?” Spitfire tried to think of a villain who could be capable of something like that. “Did you see their face?”

“I saw a mask inside the hood, not the face.” Gearshift described the intruder as precisely as she could. “They are using it to curse their victims. Whatever you do, do not-”

“Up so soon? Didn’t you enjoy the nightmare I made for you?” A mischievous voice echoed through the library, and everyone frantically looked around themselves.

“There!” Smolderdash pointed to the cloaked figure they’ve been looking for. He was standing on top of some wooden platforms near the ceiling.

The mysterious figure jumped down while the heroes all pulled out their weapons and were ready to strike. “You’re the one who’s doing this, aren’t you?” Stealth Elf hissed through her mask while tightly holding her daggers.

“Guilty as charged.” The voice was deep, too deep almost. It didn’t sound natural, more like a distorted recording. Everyone could tell that it was a man talking, yet they didn’t recognize him. “I should’ve known that the robot wouldn’t fall prey to my curse, what a waste.”

“Do not look into his eyes, that is what puts you under the curse!” Gearshift remarked before the figure got closer and purposely attempted to look into each pair of eyes.

The Skylanders tried to turn their eyes away, but they still managed to catch glimpses of the mask. It was a frightening twisted grimace painted in dark and cool colors. No one thought much about it until Smolderdash took a closer look, avoiding the eyes. “Wait… that’s the Mask of Power!”

Everyone stared at the Fire Skylander and then again at the mask before gasping when they realized that it truly was the powerful relic. “So, you recognize it. No wonder since you tried to steal it from me years ago!” The foe was walking around the group like a predator circling his prey, turning his head trying to get a look into their eyes.

“Who are you?” Spitfire looked down to the ground as the intruder passed him.

“You know who I am. I’ve spent eons trapped in my own kingdom, unable to fulfill my plan to rule the Skylands with my rightful powers!” The figure was now in front of the group again. He began to levitate with blue energy underneath him and towered over the Skylanders with a mighty aura. “I am the Nightmare King!”

Just before he could launch an attack through the eyes of his mask, a fireball hit him from the side and he fell to the ground. Spyro arrived alongside a few other Skylander to aid their allies. “And you won’t get the chance to do anymore damage!” The leader glared at the enemy who turned away from the heroes.

Instead of surrendering, the Nightmare King began to cackle. He swung his arm and unleashed a powerful wave of magic, throwing everyone to the ground. “You won’t defeat me. Even if you try, I will turn your greatest fears into reality. The one you will have to fight is yourself!” The villain was certain of himself and already knew his plan. “I’m not in a hurry, eventually you will all surrender to the horrors that plague your minds. No one can escape.” With those words the Nightmare King turned around and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The Skylanders looked everywhere, but he was gone. “Perfect, yet another new villain.” Spitfire sighed and waited for Spyro to come up with the next plan to take the threat down.

“I’m afraid so.” Cautiously, almost paranoid, Spyro looked behind himself to see if there was something there. “Skylanders, there’s a new villain in town and he once again wants to take over the Skylands.”

“He also carries the Mask of Power.” Smolderdash remarked.

Spyro’s eyes opened wide, but at this point nothing could surprise him anymore. “Well, then we will need to find a way to take those powers from him. We all know what a single fragment of the mask was capable of, I don’t want to find out what the whole thing can do.”

As Spyro discussed the plan, Gearshift noticed that something wasn’t right. She blinked and her eyes suddenly shifted back to the nightmare state. Inside her mind, or rather system, she saw something familiar, then she heard a deep scream. She couldn’t make out what it was and before she got the opportunity to look closer, she was back in the real world. The robot didn’t think much of it and continued to listen like nothing happened.

In the meantime, at Cloudcracker Prison all the villains were in their cells and supposed to be asleep. Obviously almost none of them were, but they were all quiet so they wouldn’t receive a warning from the guards. Snap Shot and Wolfgang were no exception. After asking the Trap Masters time and time again they were finally allowed to get cells next to each other. Now they could chat as much as they wanted, despite a crystal wall being in between them.

“Did Dream tell you that she was interrogated today?” Wolfgang was using the bones of the chicken he had for dinner to drum against the bars of his cell as so often.

“For what?” Snap Shot was scratching the floor with his sharp gloved claws.

“Apparently a Skylander was found under some kind of dream spell.” Wolfgang did know what the mischievous head was capable of, but he also knew that her powers are very limited within prison walls. “They thought it was her. Shows how much they trust their own energy fields.”

Snap Shot smirked. “You guys did always find a way around that.” After a few seconds the reptile’s smile faded and his scratching along the floor stopped. “Wolfy?”

“Yeah?” The werewolf interrupted his drumming session since he could tell that Snap Shot was about to ask him something more serious.

“What will you do when you get out?” Snap Shot has been thinking about life outside of prison a lot lately, and he can’t help but wonder what it will look like. “We have two more years, but after that we’re free to go.”

Wolfgang was quiet. Unlike Snap Shot, he spent many years behind bars. At this point it felt more like home than any other place in Skylands. “Well, if the queen is really out of the picture, I’ll just try to get as far away from here as possible. Lay low, y’know?”

“Yeah.” That reminded Snap Shot of Wolfgang’s attempt to flee when the Skylanders found them and the other Doom Raiders on that abandoned island. Back then he would have never dared to run away, but things are different now. “I honestly have no idea. I thought I’d be with the Skylanders until I retire before settling down in some swamp and spend the rest of my days shouting at youngsters who are trespassing through my property.” Wolfgang laughed as Snap Shot paused and thought further. “But now I’m here. I have to get away once I’m out, they won’t want me around.” Snap Shot took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. “I can never go back.”

Wolfgang could almost feel Snap Shot’s disappointment through the wall. He knew how respected he used to be among the Skylanders. The leader of the Trap Masters with a track record of catching more criminals than anyone else, including the wolf himself several times. The crocagator told him to not feel guilty about that loss, even though it was his fault. The least he could do now is help him figure things out. “I know what that’s like, losing the life you once had and all the people in it. It’s scary at first and you’re all alone, but eventually you find something new, something that keeps you going. For me it was music and with the Doom Raiders I thought I had discovered my new purpose. Now I realize that wasn’t what I really wanted, not in that way.”

Snap Shot was listening carefully. He loved listening to his partner go on about music, he could tell how happy that made him, but he never expressed anything about his purpose before. “Then what do you want?”

“I want to be free.” Wolfgang’s lips formed a gentle smile as his mind wandered through all the possibilities once he’s out of prison. “No more tyranny and pressure from some greedy ol’ hag. I just want to get out there and share my music, even if no one enjoys it.”

Snap Shot nodded. “That sure sounds like a purpose to me.”

“And I won’t go alone.” Wolfgang added. “I’ll take a grumpy old crocagator with me and maybe, just maybe, he will get into music too.”

“In your dreams!” Both let out a heartfelt laugh before sinking back into their thoughts. “That does sound like something. Getting out there, seeing what no one’s seen before.”

Wolfgang was glad to hear some perspective from the reptile. “And you know the Skylanders; some of them won’t be able to let you go without at least saying goodbye.”

“You’re right about that.” Snap Shot’s sight moved up and out the window. Seeing the star-filled sky gave him a comforting feeling, almost like a spark of hope. “To the future.”

“To the future.” Wolfgang yawned before crawling into his small bed, which has been starting to feel comfortable after so many dreamy nights.

Snap Shot went to bed too and realized that maybe, despite the circumstances, the stay in the prison was exactly what he needed.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 3 #fanfiction #original story #snap shot #wolfgang #dreamcatcher #blackout #stealth elf #smolderdash #ninjini #nightmare king

[skylanders-after-the-end]

A new Nightmare begins

Kaos and Glumshanks were face to face with Kaossandra, who had inexplicably escaped her imprisonment from within the mirror.

“Mother!? How is this possible?” Kaos looked over to Glumshanks who could only shrug his shoulders as the slender woman approached the two. “You were supposed to stay in that mirror forever!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you Kaos.” Kaossandra patted her much shorter son on the head while observing the main hall inside the family castle. “Unfortunately, even I do not know how this could happen. I was inside the mirror, dreading my fate as usual, when suddenly the glass broke and it crashed down. Then you arrived.”

Kaos turned around as his mother kept admiring all the objects and furniture which have been just out of her reach for such a long time. “So, you didn’t free yourself?”

“If I could, I would have done so years ago.” Kaossandra turned to one of the windows, allowing her to get a good view of the castle garden. “But this is something different. I can feel it.”

Glumshanks, who clutched onto Kaos’ shoulders, couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman. “And what’s that, mistress Kaossandra?”

“My powers are weakened, despite not using them for such a long time.” Kaossandra was brooding. “Perhaps… no it cannot be.”

“What cannot be?” Kaos moved away from Glumshanks to better hear what his mother had to say.

“My powers stem from no other source than the Darkness itself, as do yours.” Hearing that, Kaos looked up to the symbol on his forehead which was briefly taken from him by said Darkness once. He knew what she was talking about. “But it’s more than just a power source, it’s a being. If it so desires, it can take our powers in an instant. The only reason it doesn’t is because it needs accomplices and hosts ever since it’s been banished by the Ancients.”

Kaos thought about that, but something didn’t add up. “That can’t be right! When I set the Darkness free and the Skylanders defeated it, my powers were still there! I mean it took a while to get them back, but still!”

“That’s because you can’t just defeat the Darkness, you fool!” Kaossandra hissed at her spawn. “The Skylanders have no idea what they’re up against. The Darkness is far more powerful than anything this world has to offer! They might have been able to destroy its physical form temporarily, but the true Darkness will always remain.”

“Then where is it now?” Kaos was curious but also nervous about what might happen if that dangerous threat was ever to return.

“I don’t know, I can’t connect with it like I used to. That’s anything but a good sign.” Kaossandra thoughtfully looked out the window, wondering why all of this was happening now. “It looks like the Darkness has other plans for the Skylands. One that doesn’t include us.”

Kaos gulped and Glumshanks began to tremble as they all gazed through the single window in front of Kaossandra.

One week has passed since Hex’ and Malefor’s ambush on the Academy. Even though the witch surrendered and destroyed Malefor before more harm was done, the Skylanders lost a beloved ally during the battle. Not to mention that Kaos managed to escape as well.

Spyro was lying in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t feel like getting up today. He hasn’t been feeling like getting up on any of the last few days in fact, but he had to. After a long sigh, the dragon pushed himself up, put his feet on the ground and left his room. He walked through the Academy where he was greeted by his many companions. The leader didn’t return more than a dry “Morning” and some nods. In front of the main entrance, Spyro stopped and looked to his left. He saw Cynder’s monument which was built after her unfortunate passing. In the center was a portrait of the Undead Skylander with black and purple flowers adorning it and some lit candles underneath. Even though it was there to honor and remember her, it always made Spyro feel like his heart was being pierced with a dagger.

“Hey.” Stealth Elf walked up to her friend as her sight went towards the shrine. She let out a heavy sigh. “I really wish that didn’t have to be there.”

At first Spyro had the obscure thought that the elf was suggesting that there shouldn’t be anything to honor their fallen friend, but he quickly realized that she actually meant there shouldn’t have to be anything to honor her in the first place. “Yeah, me too.” They looked at the memorial for a few more moments before continuing their path together. “What’s the plan for today?”

Stealth Elf pulled out a piece of paper which she used to write down all the assignments of the day. It was crumpled and the words were messily scribbled, but it was good enough for her to read it. “There have been reports about the Kaos situation. Some activity at his family castle, so it’s safe to assume that he’s returned there.”

Spyro nodded. “That’s good to hear, then we have to send a team.”

Stealth Elf continued. “Besides that, there were a few evil minions sighted that we should take care of. No Golden Queen though, it seems Sprocket really got the job done.”

“I sure hope so.” Even though the technician told them that she buried the queen beneath her palace, none of them knew that she survived. “Anything else?”

“One last thing…” Stealth Elf was hesitant about that point, but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “Someone needs to check on the villains at Cloudcracker Prison. The Trap Masters have taken some time off after making sure they were all locked up again, but an inspection is overdue.”

Spyro remembered how most of the prisoners had to be released and kept inside the cafeteria in order to make room for the possessed Skylanders until that was resolved. “That won’t be a problem, I can go and check on them-”

“All of them.” Stealth Elf put emphasis on all. Spyro went silent and had an empty stare. He wanted to say something but just couldn’t. When he opened his mouth, the Life Skylander stopped him. “Nightfall already said she’d go. I know you can’t see her yet.”

Spyro closed his mouth again and nodded. “Thanks.” He didn’t look the elf in the eyes anymore and just kept walking straight ahead.

Northwest from the Academy only a few islands away was the infamous Cloudcracker Prison standing in its full crystalline glory. It was currently holding more villains than ever before, ranging from the sinister Doom Raiders to the smallest of greebles. Below the many floors and cells was one dark room hidden in the lower part of the building. It was a big, cave-like area with a dome-shaped forcefield in its center. Inside it was the now mortal Hex, leaning against the solid blue wall of energy.

After giving up all her powers and ending Malefor once and for all, the witch was transported to the prison and locked inside that highly secured room. The Skylanders didn’t want to take any risks since she got closer to defeating them than any other villain before.

During the seemingly endless silence, the only door leading inside the room opened and Nightfall entered. Hex tilted her head slightly to see the dreadwalker through her messy black hair before turning her sight to the floor again. Neither of them talked. Nightfall approached the forcefield and stared at Hex for a good while. “Do you need anything?” The Supercharger’s raspy voice echoed through the room.

“As if you care.” Hex responded dryly, not even bothering to give the Dark Skylander another look.

“You’re a mortal again, you have to drink and eat.” Nightfall didn’t say that out of sympathy, she made it clear that she was just following orders.

“I’m well aware of that.” Hex finally moved her head again before staring back at the ground. “And why did they send you? Do they think that I would talk to someone who’s just like me?”

“I’m nothing like you!” Nightfall hissed.

“You aren’t?” Hex asked with a hint of sarcasm. “You aren’t an outsider? You don’t distance yourself from everyone around you?” Hex remembered how Nightfall was one of the few Skylanders she communicated with from time to time, exactly because of their similarities. “I dare to say that you were closer to me than anyone else. Anyone but…”

“Enough of this, witch!” Nightfall interrupted Hex and had to fight the urge to storm off without fulfilling her duty. “What you did was more than enough to show me what kind of person you really are. And I think nothing of that kind!” Despite Nightfall’s aloof and sometimes antisocial behavior, she did have a strong sense of justice and knew right from wrong. “I sympathized with you before because I thought you were like me. Restrained and quiet, but also loyal. Now I know that you’re nothing but a hate-filled and wicked person!” Hex had nothing to say in response, perhaps because it was true. “I’ll send a meal your way, even though you’re not even deserving of that.”

The dreadwalker turned around and left without another word. Hex remained sitting on the floor, her knees bent and her arms on top of them. She didn’t know if she would ever see the blue skies or floating islands again, but what the witch did know is that she did what she considered to be right for her.

Meanwhile at the Academy hospital on top of one of the many beds was an impatient Wild Storm. A week has passed since he was taken out by a mysterious dart out of nowhere and Whirlwind demanded another checkup. The knight was tapping his armored fingers onto the steel bed frame, eager to finally get a result.

After another minute the hybrid entered the room. “So, Wild Storm.” The Air Skylander began whilst holding a wooden board with her paw. “There are still some traces of the venom which was injected into your body and nearly made you unconscious, however you endured it very well and don’t have anything to worry about anymore. I must say I’m impressed by how quickly and easily your body processed it.”

When the head of the hospital says something like that it must mean something. “Thank you, Whirlwind.” The Sensei turned to the ledge of the bed and stared at her with his glowing eyes inside his mask. “Do you know what exactly that was?”

“Well, it was a paralyzing toxin commonly found in nightshades and other nocturnal plants. I can’t tell you where it came from but maybe it would help to inspect whatever hit you.” Whirlwind didn’t find anything unusual on the knight when he was brought in, so she was curious about what happened. “Tidepool was the one to bring you here, maybe you should ask her.”

Wild Storm nodded before Whirlwind excused herself. He really should talk to Tidepool, not only about this but also everything else that’s been going on between the two. They haven’t properly spoken in months and when Wild Storm lost control Tidepool suddenly confessed that she loved him. Even though he was in his beast form and his memory was cloudy, that is the part he remembers most clearly.

Wild Storm soon left the hospital and went to look for Tidepool. He spotted Boom Bloom nearby and approached her to find out that the quickshot should be in her room. The Air Skylander followed the advice and entered the long hallway with several Skylanders’ rooms. Eventually, he reached Tidepool’s. Everyone had their own personal doorplate attached so they would know whose room it was. Tidepool’s was a gorgeous depiction of the ocean with sea creatures like squids and whales just like the ones that aid her in battle. He knocked on the door and after hearing a neutral “come in”, the knight slowly entered.

When Tidepool turned around and saw the familiar figure she froze in place. Wild Storm closed the door behind him before the two stood still and stared at each other. “Wild… what brings you here?” Tidepool already knew the answer, but she didn’t know what else to say.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Wild Storm began.

“I wanted to talk to you too, actually.” Tidepool responded with the same intention, which lead to another moment of tense silence. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It definitely has.” Wild Storm never wanted to cut his friend off like that, but he saw no other way to keep the beast inside him away from her. “I wanted to ask if you know what happened that day when I… lost control.”

“Oh…” Tidepool expected to hear such a question, but she wasn’t quite prepared. She was nervous. She didn’t know if he remembered anything. If he remembered what she said. “You want to know why you ended up in the hospital I assume?”

The knight nodded and sat onto a wooden chair in the corner of the room.

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about as well.” The Water Skylander turned around to grab something. She held it in her hand and moved it closer to Wild Storm for him to see. “You got hit by this dart and almost became unconscious. I guess because you were in your beast form you took it pretty well, but anyone else would have been down for hours.”

“Whirlwind told me that, but it sounds like you know more about this.” Wild Storm observed Tidepool as her expression was getting more nervous and her eyes focused on the small missile. “Do you know where the dart came from?”

“I have an idea, yes.” Tidepool turned around again and took a deep breath as her back was facing the Air Skylander. “That’s why I have to go away for a while.”

Wild Storm was caught off guard. “What?”

The Water Sensei turned back around holding her two squid guns, only that they were missing the grips, so they were just regular squids. “I know this is sudden and I can’t tell you what it is, but there’s something I must do.” She looked down at her marine pets in her arms as they turned their heads to look back at her. “I also want to ask you for a favor.”

Wild Storm didn’t understand what was going on, but he wanted to help his friend, nonetheless. “What is it?”

Tidpeool took a step forward and moved her squids towards the knight. “Can you look after them while I’m gone? I can’t take them with me, it’s too dangerous. I would ask someone else but… you’re the one I trust the most.”

Wild Storm stared at the two squids and then at Tidepool again. He never really knew those animals as anything other than weapons, but after giving it some thought he took them into his arms, despite the slimy feeling. “Of course, I would love to.” He observed the squids while they were gently moving across his arms before looking back at his friend who had a saddened but also certain look on her face. “But Tidepool, where are you going?”

“I really wish I could tell you, but I can’t.” The Sensei was hoping that this wouldn’t upset the knight, but his willingness to care for the squids gave her confidence. “Any word about this mission could put you and every other Skylander in danger, I can’t do that to you. You have to trust me.”

Wild Storm was looking deep into Tidepool’s eyes, he can’t remember the last time that has happened. He knew her well, despite their recent hardship, and he knew that she could take care of herself. “I trust you.” Tidpeool’s mouth formed a smile and she pet her squids goodbye. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful.”

“Always.” Tidepool responded and her eyes met those of Wild Storm again. “I don’t know when I can come back, it might take months, even a year, but you can’t tell anyone about this. If someone asks just tell them that I’m on a longer journey and I will be back later, hopefully no one will notice.”

Wild Storm nodded and had to twist his hands to prevent the squids from falling down. “And what about these two? Is there anything I have to know?”

“Don’t worry, they can take care of themselves. I just want you to keep an eye on them, so they don’t get into trouble.” The Water Skylander gave her pets a stern look before they nodded to assure her that they’ll behave.

“If they’re as tough as their owner then I have nothing to worry about.” The Senseis smiled before another wave of awkward silence washed over them. Wild Storm thought if there was anything else he had to say. Ultimately, only one thing came to his mind. “I’ll miss you Tide.”

Tidepool looked at Wild Storm and felt her heart beating inside her chest. A part of her just wanted to hug him and confess her feelings all over again. Her love towards him hasn’t changed, even if he still didn’t know it. However, she had to hide it again because she knew that this was more important than that. “I’ll miss you too.”

After those words the friends hugged each other one last time before Tidepool stepped out of the room, threw Wild Storm one more look, and closed the door, not knowing when she would come back. The knight stayed in her room and sat on the bed with the squids clinging onto his arms. “Guess it’s just you and me now.” This was not what Wild Storm expected when he came here, but he could tell that whatever Tidepool had to do was important. He hoped that they could finally spend time together again so he could confess that he loved her too. But he would have to wait, just like Tidepool did.

The next day was an exciting one for the Skylanders. Eon’s niece Aurora was gone for several months on a mission to look for remaining portals connected to Earth, and she has finally returned. An entire crowd of Skylanders was eagerly waiting at the port until her airship arrived. When Aurora opened the door and stepped outside, she was greeted by loud cheering and clapping. With a smile the Sensei got off the ship and rejoined all her friends and allies. Even though she had many things to share, there was one person she wanted to talk to before anyone else.

Master Eon was sitting inside his office, busy with some overdue paperwork. Suddenly someone knocked on the door. “Enter.” The spirit answered bleakly, unaware of who just entered the room.

When Eon lifted his head, he was at a loss for words. Even though he was expecting his niece to come back home any day now, he was still shocked to finally see her again. “Hey uncle.”

“Aurora!” The relatives were about to go in for a hug, but then stopped themselves. “It’s… wonderful to see you again.” They awkwardly stood in front of each other since they were unable to hug due to Eon’s ghostly state.

“It’s good to see you too!” Aurora sighed while looking at the ghost of her uncle. It’s been years since the attack that destroyed his body and she missed hugging him and feeling some kind of physical contact to her last family member, but she was eternally grateful that he was still there in the first place. “There are so many things I have to tell you!”

“Then do tell!” Eon said with glee as he magically pulled out the chair in front of his desk for Aurora to sit on.

After the swashbuckler told Eon all about her journey and the portals she’s discovered, he was impressed to hear that there are in fact still some active portals which could potentially transport the Skylanders back to Earth. Of course, there was no need for that after the Skylanders were freed from their imprisonment on the foreign planet and managed to return to Skylands for good.

“It was amazing uncle, I have never even seen some of the places I went to!” Something not many Skylanders knew was that Aurora has spent many years lost in another realm. She only managed to escape alongside the other Light and Dark Skylanders after the destruction of Cloudcracker Prison which released them from their respective realms. “I only remember all those books and drawings that we used to have years ago, but I never thought I’d see those places for myself! And how much they’ve changed!” The Sensei was as excited as a child.

“I’m glad that you had the opportunity to visit them.” Eon was the happiest he’s been in a long time. He was desperately looking for his niece after her disappearance, many years of hopeless searching. When she then finally returned, he was already a spirit and felt like he could never have the same bond with her again, but they tried making the best of it. However, Eon’s smile faded into a frown as he had some bad news to share. “There’s something you need to know.”

Aurora was curious. “What is it?” Before Eon could answer, the Light Skylander guessed it herself. “Oh, you mean what happened with Hex? The entire Skylands have heard about it! I can’t believe she would do something like that-”

“There was something else.” Eon hated to interrupt his niece and tell her something even worse, but she had to know. “During Hex’ ambush when some Skylanders were corrupted, Kaos managed to escape.”

Aurora went silent. Her family had a long and complicated history with that of Kaos’ and his escape could only mean trouble. “Well, then we’ll just take him down like we always do. Right?”

“It’s not only him this time.” Now came the part Eon feared the most. In the last few days, he has felt unsettled, a familiar feeling. He tried to figure out what it was and used his powers to look for a connection until he finally knew. “Kaossandra is free as well.”

This time Aurora was not only quiet, but visibly shocked, almost afraid. “Ka- Kaossandra?” The Sensei’s mind was rushing as she recalled all the stories she had heard about the dark Portal Mistress. “But she’s been trapped in that mirror for years, how…”

“I don’t know, but I can sense that she broke out of it. Her aura has no equal.” Eon has a past with Kaossandra, but he preferred to not talk about it, even with his niece. “I’m not sure what her and Kaos are up to, but with everything that’s happened recently I have reason to believe that we need to brace ourselves for the worst.”

Aurora slowly nodded, still lost in thoughts. “I understand.” She slowly raised herself up from the chair and made her way to the door, completely absent-minded. “I will get back to training as soon as I can and… I will watch out.”

As she closed the door behind her, Aurora reached into the collar of her armor with Eon’s face engraved on it. She pulled out a necklace with a small golden key attached to it. She looked at it for a few moments and sighed before hiding it inside her armor again and walking along.

Eon remained in his office for the rest of the day and couldn’t help but worry. He thought about the past year and everything that’s happened. The betrayal of the reformed villains and Snap Shot, Malefor’s return, Hex’ curse. It almost made Eon doubt the trust he has in his loyal Skylanders. All those events reminded him so much of the past, where he was betrayed by Kaossandra as well.

The day came to an end and the Academy progressively shut down. After Aurora’s return and all the exciting news everyone was tired and ready for bed. Tuff Luck had just finished her patrol at Cloudcracker Prison and was heading to the Life Realm where she would enjoy the vast and untouched nature.

As the Life Trap Master was strolling through the Academy, she heard something nearby. There was no one else there besides two guards at the main entrance, but she was too far away to be hearing them. There it was again. The feline swiftly summoned her Traptanium warblades and listened carefully. She heard something behind her and turned around whilst swinging her blades, but she didn’t strike anything. Before she could move another inch, a cloaked figure appeared right in front of her. The Trap Master furiously looked into its face and what she saw terrified her. The figure wore a gruesome mask with glowing blue eyes which stared right into the Trap Master’s soul. Before she could attack the intruder, Tuff Luck’s jade green eyes were suddenly filled with a light blue fog. The Life Skylander stood there like a statue, she couldn’t move and her weapons fell to the ground. The figure in front of her calmly walked away and turned into thin air, disappearing from the Academy.

Tuff Luck found herself on a grassy field. The last thing she remembered was seeing that strange figure at the Academy, but now she was on this small, isolated island surrounded by a pitch-black sky. Even though there was no source of light to be found, she could see herself and the grass underneath her as clear as day. When she looked further a forest appeared right in front of her, but instead of the usual joy she experienced seeing a forest, she gasped in horror. The trees and plants were slowly decaying and falling apart, as if a plague was passing right through them. Tuff Luck was terrified as the decaying forest began to spread until she was surrounded by it. This was her biggest fear, for all the nature in Skylands to die off. The feline ran away but there was no end to the forest, she just kept on screaming and running in agony. While she was experiencing all that in her head, Tuff Luck’s body was standing still at the Academy, her foggy blue eyes staring into the distance. It was nothing but a shell, while Tuff Luck’s mind was hopelessly lost.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 3 #kaos #kaossandra #spyro #hex #nightfall #aurora #eon #tuff luck #original story #fanfiction

[skylanders-after-the-end]

An update... yet again

For the few people who still bother to keep up with this blog, hello. Unfortunately I return from my hiatus without the next chapter, but another message about the current state of the fanfic.

Firstly, I want to apologize for delaying the fanfiction once again. I said that it would continue in fall of 2020 and now it’s almost May... I know. All I can say is that life is currently really stressful. I’m not using that as an excuse, but I can’t lie about it. Even though I have already written several parts for Chapter 3, I still don’t feel confident enough to start it.

Unlike the last 2 chapters, going forward I want to have at least 7 to 8 parts finished before I begin posting so I can keep a consistent schedule and properly pace the story. For that reason, I announce that Chapter 3 will start in August 2021. I have decided to completely skip the last year (I’m sure I’m not the only one) and keep the regular summer premiere with a break after the first half and then finish it until spring of next year.

As for artworks, I also must admit that I have been terribly lazy when it comes to ATE. Though I constantly develop new ideas and started some drawings, I could never get myself to finish them. I focused more on unrelated Skylanders stuff which I post on my main fandom account. Don’t worry, things such as original characters and changes to existing characters (face reveals, new outfits, etc.) will all come eventually. I didn’t forget about the Snow Queen and Angelica, I just tend to go through a lengthy designing process.

With that being said, I hope that those of you who enjoy my stories and artwork can remain patient and look forward to what’s coming up next. Even though the Skylanders fandom is quite small and the chances for a reboot are becoming more unlikely with each day, I do still enjoy the world and characters and maybe ATE can keep it alive just a little longer.

- Sky

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #after the end #fanfiction #original story #update

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Update regarding the next chapter and the future of the series

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I posted one of these entries, but since I recently finished Chapter 2 it's about time I give you all an update.

I will just get straight to the point; Chapter 3 will be delayed. Unlike the first two chapters, which both started at the beginning of August the last two years, the next one won't begin until fall, possibly even late fall depending on the circumstances. I must admit that finishing the last chapter took way longer than it should have. The pandemic and just the overall stress of everyday life made it hard for me to really focus on it regularly. It should have already been done around March/April. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with my work and I didn't want to rush it at the expense of it not ending up as I envisioned.

As for plans past the next chapter, I want to make sure that this project does not overwhelm me as I gain more and more responsibilities in life, but I don't want to give up on it either. I have the story strictly planned out up to the ending of chapter 4, after that it's really just an open road. I have many ideas for many story arcs, but I don't want to drag it out to the point where it becomes repetitive or bleak. There won't be more than 8 chapters, but even that number is unlikely. I want to see how the story progresses and what ideas I finally choose once it's actually written down. Consider this a small heads up for the next few years.

As usual, there will also be some artwork accompanying the several parts. I still have some WIPs for Chapter 2 which should be done before the story continues.

2020 has been a crazy year and by the looks of it, it's not getting much better. During this time our main priority has to be the safety of others and ourselves. I hope you're all staying safe and strong and hopefully we will hear from each other again soon!

- Sky

#skylanders after the end #skylanders #fanfiction #original story #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #update

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Enigma without his hood! After unmasked Knight Light follows my design for the mysterious sorcerer.

His skin is a pale blue, as his regular design already reveals, and his hair is white. He has no pupils and since he's from another world he has small elf ears rather than the ones we know from other Skylanders.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #fanfiction #fanart #enigma #original design

[skylanders-after-the-end]

No powers. No curse.

A quick drawing for my favorite scene from the chapter 2 finale. And yes I know she has short hair but the story isn't canon anyway.

There will soon be a post about the future of the series and when the next chapter is coming, so stay tuned!

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #hex #fanfiction #fanart #traditional drawing

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Revenge

Déjà Vu opened her eyes. She was laying on a hard surface with a soft touch. The Skylander slowly lifted her head to find herself inside a small circular room surrounded by bookshelves. In the center she saw the backs of Spyro, Enigma and… herself? The timelord stood up and finally recognized the place. It was the house to which they travelled shortly to find the Book of Destiny. Seeing herself right in front of her made Déjà Vu realize that this must be another one of her time tricks. However, when she stepped closer to the trio of the past, she phased right through them, as if they weren’t even there. The Magic Skylander didn’t think much of it as the book attracted her attention instead. The pages were turning at such a fast pace that Déjà Vu couldn’t make out anything. Finally, it stopped. It was the same page and the same cluster of words scribbled onto it, just like the first time. Only this time something was different. She could read the words ‘An alliance destined to destroy’ once again, but soon another word was added to the sentence - ‘itself.’.

Déjà Vu opened her eyes. She quickly observed her surroundings. This time she was in bed inside a room of the Academy Hospital, which made far more sense. Nevertheless, the dream she just witnessed revealed something that none of them thought of. The complete sentence was ‘An alliance destined to destroy itself.’. The Skylanders figured out that the alliance was between Hex and Malefor, but they weren’t destined to destroy everything, they were destined to destroy each other.

Far away from the Academy, Spyro soared through the grey skies. His look going straight ahead as the wind rushed by. He occasionally had to flap his wings to keep himself airborne. Next to him appeared an airship which could barely keep up. Smolderdash was on top of it amongst other Skylanders. “Spyro, what are you doing!? We have to work together to-”

“I’m not following that plan!” The leader immediately denied.

Meanwhile Sprocket and Roller Brawl were inside the cockpit. The vampire struggled to steer the ship, but her time with the Superchargers didn’t leave her completely clueless. Sprocket was busy building the power-absorbing device from some of the parts from the destroyed Core of Light. It was a metallic spherical capsule, not much bigger than the engineer’s head, but it should be able to contain all of Hex’ immense powers.

The Skylanders originally wanted to use that to put an end to the witch’s undead reign, but Spyro had other plans. “They’ve gone too far they don’t deserve mercy! I will take care of them!”

Smolderdash was worried to hear such bitter and ruthless words from the dragon. He didn’t sound like himself. “Spyro please, you don’t want to do this!”

“I know exactly what I want to do!” The Magic Skylander constantly fought back the tears forming in his eyes. Cynder’s death broke something inside of him and the dragon was fueled by his overflowing emotions. He dived down and left his allies, going his own way. Down to the underworld.

Many years ago, when Eon just founded his heroic group of Skylanders, the leader first met the infamous witch Hex. She has been an undead for centuries and when Eon heard the stories of her battle with Malefor, he knew that he had to find her. Hex never stopped doing good and helping people, despite all the fear and distrust she received. Eon however was able to see through her gloomy appearance and frightening powers. He recognized her as the hero she was.

Eon recruited Hex and soon invited her to the Academy which was almost done with construction. The present Skylanders were quite wary, some even scared, but they trusted their master. The dark sorceress was just as cautious as everyone else, she learned to not trust anyone, even heroes. She was surrounded by suspicious looks, but she didn’t bother to appeal to any of them.

While Eon introduced the witch, Spyro was the only one to step forward and properly welcome her. “Hello! I’m Spyro, the first Skylander Eon recruited and kinda the leader here.” His cocky grin and wide eyes surprised Hex, but not enough for her to return a smile.

Eon then retreated to his office and left Hex alone in front of the crowd. While all eyes were set on her, she just asked one simple question. “Where do I reside?”

Spyro called Chop Chop over who would guide the fellow undead to her room. She didn’t speak to him nor anyone else on her way there.

The other Skylanders stayed at the center of the Academy and immediately began gossiping about their latest member. “Where did Master Eon find that one?” Stealth Elf was anything but thrilled with the new face. “I avoid judging a book by its cover, but I can’t help it if it’s locked with black leather belts.”

“Go easy on her Elf. I’ve heard the stories too, how she joined Malefor and cursed her village, but if Eon trusts her then we should too.” Spyro looked across the Academy and spotted Cynder talking to some fellow Skylanders. Lost in thoughts, he only kept his eyes on her. “Things are not always as simple as they seem.”

In present day, amid a raging blizzard was a singular air balloon struggling to stay on its course. Enigma did his best to stay inside the aircraft and prevent the countless snowflakes and sharp winds from tearing through the balloon. The Trap Master received a message from his Traptanium sigil, and it led him to this area. His fear of heights had already vanished, all he wanted was to make it through the storm alive.

When the sorcerer finally spotted an island covered in snow, he used it to land the balloon and get out. He spoke a quick spell that engulfed the air balloon with an aura which kept it in place so it wouldn’t get swept away. The Skylander’s cape was flowing in the wind and he had to remain balanced to not get blown away himself. He couldn’t give up now, he felt that this was important. Enigma kept following the glowing light of his sigil which became brighter with each step he took in the right direction. The Trap Master had to jump from island to island until he eventually reached a larger one. His staff glowed brighter than ever before. That’s when Enigma knew it, he found what he was looking for.

The Magic Skylander saw a familiar body dressed in white in the freezing snow, it was almost invisible. Upon closer inspection however, the sorcerer gasped in shock. It was Knight Light, but in the place of his wings was a large red stain which colored the snow underneath as well. Enigma fell onto his knees and carefully touched the fallen Skylander. He couldn’t bear the wind blowing against his hood anymore, so after many years of anonymity, he took it off. He revealed his blue skinned face and pearly white hair which followed the raging winds. His white eyes stared at the unconscious angel with worry. He didn’t know what happened, but he knew that he had to get him back to the Academy as quickly as possible.

The bars between Dr. Krankcase and Boom Bloom were lowered. The Doom Raider was back inside his cell despite all his efforts to help the Skylanders.

“Are you sure I have to go back here?” The mad scientist didn’t expect much, but he did hope that his actions would change something. “I mean, didn’t I redeem myself now?”

Boom Bloom sighed. Even though she had a better understanding of her creator and decided to bury the hatchet, she remained wary. “One good deed cannot erase all your bad ones. I’m sorry.”

As the plant mutant was about to walk away, she felt something grabbing her hand. She turned her head to see Krankcase with an awkward yet somewhat calming smile on his face. “Hey, I’m… sorry about your friend.”

The Life Sensei appreciated the gesture and gripped his hand in return. “Thanks.”

The Skylander left while Krankcase looked after her longingly. It was still a long way to redemption but having a genuine connection to his most beloved creation was enough to satisfy the scientist for now.

Meanwhile at the prison cafeteria, a few Skylanders struggled to keep a bunch of villains at bay. They all had to move there due to the lack of cells for the cursed Skylanders, so now they were all free and eager to escape.

Snap Shot was sitting on a bench with his arms crossed and smirked upon the sight of the excited villains while Bushwhack and Head Rush tried their best to restrain them. “You think they’ll manage?”

Wolfgang, who was sitting on top of the table next to the reptile, tilted his head slightly. “Hard to tell, maybe if they served tacos they could calm them down for a while.”

The two laughed and continued to joke around. Head Rush desperately scanned the room until she laid her eyes on the duo. She approached them, making their smiles fade more with each step. “Snap Shot, we need your help!”

Snap Shot gave her a baffled look and thought he wasn’t hearing correctly. “You need my help? For what?”

The Trap Master hated to admit it, and since Snap Shot was a prisoner this was a very unprofessional decision, but after thinking it through once more, this was really the only solution she could come up with on the spot. “You need to calm the villains down. You used to be our leader you have to do something now! Please!”

Wolfgang started to cackle immediately, but Snap Shot didn’t laugh, he didn’t even smile. He looked at Head Rush and then stared at the countless villains swarming through the cafeteria like headless flies. Wolfgang’s laughter ceased when he saw that the crocodile was actually thinking about it. What else was there to lose?

Snap Shot finally stood up and stepped into the crowd. He hopped onto a table and unleashed a high-pitched whistle. All the villains halted and stared at the blue reptile, who admittedly didn’t know what to say now. “Hey everyone!” Snap Shot didn’t sound very convincing, but after throwing the equally clueless Wolfgang a look, he had a moment to think of something. “So, I know that today is very exciting for all of us.”

“Who let the Ex-lander talk!?” A voice yelled before the crowd giggled.

Snap Shot ignored the comment and moved on. “I know you have no reason to listen to me-”

“Then why are you trying?” Another insult that lead to a wave of laughter.

“Because I know what you want.” Snap Shot silenced the crowd with a sharp response. “You want to get out, and now seems like the perfect time since half of the Skylanders are locked up and you’re here.” Snap Shot took a breath before continuing. Surprisingly, no one interrupted him this time. “But take it from the guy who locked each one of you up at least once, this is not your way out. The Skylanders will always find you, it may not be fair, but it is what it is. You’re all here for a reason and the fastest and easiest way for you to get out is if you stay patient and prove that you’re worthy of your freedom. And wouldn’t it feel so much better knowing that you’ve earned it? Finally being able to live without the constant fear of being imprisoned?”

The crowd was silent and even the Skylanders and Wolfgang were impressed by Snap Shot’s speech.

Before he went on however, Snap Shot cleared his throat and decided to finish. “So, what do you say, will you choose the path of reformation?”

There was a moment of looming silence. The villains blankly stared at the reptile and his eager eyes. In a split second everyone went back to running amok and forgot every word Snap Shot just said.

Wolfgang and Snap Shot made their way to the cafeteria entrance and rushed outside, locking the doors behind them. They looked at each other briefly before bursting into laughter.

“Ya really thought that would do anything?” Wolfgang grabbed his stomach as he spoke through his laughter.

“Nah, but it was worth a shot.” Snap Shot calmed down for a second before starting to cackle again.

Wolfgang opened his eyes and looked at the amused reptile just for his own laughter to cease. It wasn’t often that he saw him like this. Ever since they met, Snap Shot was either mad, frustrated or sad. But now the werewolf saw something he had never seen before. Happiness.

As Snap Shot’s laughter toned down as well and he looked at the mesmerized wolf, they both just stared into each other’s eyes. One pair of striking yellow eyes with the typical slit pupils and a pair of dark brown eyes with deep black pupils. Wolfgang suddenly moved his head forward and pressed his lips against Snap Shot’s. It was a brief, surprising kiss and the werewolf pulled away almost immediately.

The two stared at each other once more and Wolfgang was anticipating a reaction, but nothing happened. He became insecure and thought that he had made a mistake. “I- I shouldn’t have done that. You must hate me-”

Before the musician could say another word, Snap Shot pulled his head closer and returned a longer, more passionate kiss. Their lips parted after a few moments and they looked into each other’s eyes again. There was no tension, no insecurities, just a warm feeling which the two of them could feel throughout their entire bodies.

While Spyro and the other Skylanders headed off to look for Hex, Tidepool used the opportunity to look for Wild Storm instead. The Water Skylander followed the footsteps that he left behind while sprinting off in his beast form. All she wanted was to help him, yet she felt terrible. The Sensei disregarded his feelings and let her emotions get the better of her. She thought the knight was the one drifting away, but it was actually her all along.

Tidepool soon found the rogue Wild Storm on a small abandoned island. She noticed that he was struggling. Struggling for control, or perhaps to transform back? She didn’t know why his beast form was taking over, but she wanted to be by his side. “Wild Storm!”

The beast swung his large head around and stared at the Quickshot with his glowing white eyes on top of his mask. He then turned back around before starting to shake and flinch. Tidepool saw that he was slowly shrinking, but moments later he grew right back to the beast’s size.

“I know you’re in there! You don’t have to run away from me, we can do this together!” Tidepool looked for the right words to calm him down, but the beast only responded with an agonizing roar. “Please Wild Storm, I’ve lost you once, I can’t lose you again! Come back to me, please!” Tidepool’s eyes teared up as she moved closer to her friend step by step.

Wild Storm kept on flinching and fighting with himself, but the Sensei didn’t back off. She carefully reached out to him and was about to touch his back, when suddenly Wild Storm erupted in a tremendous roar. Tidepool fell back on her rear and watched as he slowly transformed back, falling face front to the ground.

“Wild Storm!” Tidepool rushed towards her companion and fell onto her knees before grabbing his arms. She turned him around to see that his eyes were closed. He was unconscious. She looked down and spotted a dart stuck inside his leg. She pulled it out and inspected it. There was a symbol inscribed into it, a symbol that caused Tidepool to gasp and drop the dart. She quickly turned her head, anxiously looking into every direction.

There was fear in the Skylander’s eyes as she was shaking the knight. “Wild Storm wake up! We have to go, please wake up!” Tidepool kept looking around herself in distress. Something wasn’t right. She continued to shake Wild Storm until he finally opened his eyes. “Thank the ancients! We have to go, now!”

Tidepool placed the Air Skylander’s arm around her shoulders and lifted him up. Wild Storm was quite big and thus heavy to carry, but he soon regained his senses and used his own feet to get back up. While Tidepool still had to assist him, he could walk on his own. The Water Skylander didn’t stop observing their surroundings, all the way until they’ve reached the Academy. Only once they entered the collection of buildings and towers she exhaled with relief and helped Wild Storm get to the hospital.

Once Wild Storm was taken care of, Tidepool exited his room and wandered through the hospital halls. She held the dart which the knight got shot with in her hand and kept staring at it while turning it with her fingers. She peeked through a window to look back at the vast area outside where the Air Skylander was mysteriously assaulted. A haunting feeling overcame the Sensei. She was frozen in place and just thought about that moment, that dart. Tidepool quickly shook it off and continued walking, she couldn’t concern herself with that now.

In another room, Whirlwind and Buckshot were standing next to a silver iron table. There was a white cloth covering a figure on top of it. The dragoness couldn’t hold back a tear from running down her cheek while the faun looked down in devastation. They knew what it was, but neither one could bring themselves to say it.

The quiet somber moment was disturbed by the sound of doors being slammed open and hasty footsteps. The Skylanders turned around to see Enigma, surprisingly without his hood, carrying a blood-soaked Knight Light in his arms. “Someone, please help!”

“Enigma!?” Whirlwind was perplexed by the sight of the Trap Master’s striking white hair and pale blue face. No one has seen him like that before. The dragon then directed her attention to the unconscious angel instead. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. He probably fought his former Guardian companion and she took his wings.” Enigma was out of breath, he explained everything as quickly as possible so they could move on to saving Knight Light. The Magic Skylander placed his friend onto a hospital bed and blankly stared at his motionless body. “He’s lost so much blood, I don’t know if it’s too late.”

Buckshot pressed his fingers against the patient’s neck. “He has a pulse! We can still save him!” Whirlwind hurried to grab her medical instruments and potions and immediately called for backup.

Buckshot didn’t work at the hospital, he just followed Whirlwind to support her after the tragedy. Enigma observed as the hybrid and many helpers consisting of mabu, foxes and even Skylanders surrounding Knight Light. The sorcerer had to move a strand of hair out of his face and back into his loose backwards hairstyle. He then turned his head to see many more Skylanders laying in bed with injuries, and finally the table covered with the cloth. “What happened here? Did you stop Hex?”

“No, they are looking for her and Malefor as we speak. The corrupted Skylanders are all locked up. But…” Buckshot slightly turned his head to see the haunting cloth out of the corner of his eye. “We’ve had losses.”

Enigma set his white eyes on Knight Light again. Seeing him there all butchered and on the verge of life and death, it made the Trap Master feel terrible. He was the last Skylander to see him, he knew that Angelica had it out for him, yet he ran away. Not this time. He couldn’t run away this time. “I have to go.”

Enigma swiftly walked out of the hospital and left the Academy behind once again. He used the same air balloon as before to fly off. His fear of heights was always there, looming over him like a dark cloud, but his determination was stronger. Enigma wasn’t sure where he’s headed, but he knew what he was looking for and why. He would make it up to his friend.

Back when Hex first joined the Skylanders, it didn’t take her long to earn the role of the loner. She never talked to anyone unless it was necessary, she disappeared as soon as she returned from a mission and no one dared to get close to her due to her immense and terrifying powers. One day, Cynder decided to change that.

The dragoness knocked onto a dark wooden door inside the Academy. Back then, the Skylanders didn’t have their Elemental Realms to reside in yet. Nevertheless, Hex isolated herself by choosing a room which was located in the most abandoned corner of the Academy. Cynder did that too at first, but she moved closer to the center when she became more comfortable being around the Skylanders.

“Hex?” Cynder slowly moved her head through the door to see Hex with her back turned towards her. She was standing in front of a large black cauldron with a glowing green substance inside.

Cynder was about to leave, but the sound of the witch’s gloomy voice stopped her. “Come in.” Cynder did as she was told and closed the door behind her.

The room was simple. It had a dark stone floor and walls, just like the rest of the Academy. Hex put some furniture inside as well, all made of dark wood with gothic accents. As an undead, she didn’t really need any basic things that mortal beings did, such as a bed to sleep in or a table to eat at, but nevertheless those objects were there. Cynder stepped towards the sorceress and her cauldron in the middle of the room and peaked inside to see the color of the substance shift from toxic green to a warm orange.

“Why are you here?” Hex kept circling her hands above the cauldron to stir the liquid while speaking to Cynder without looking at her.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but I just want to… talk.” Cynder abruptly moved out of the way when a lid zoomed past her and landed on top of the cauldron.

“Talk about what?” Hex finally directed her sight to Cynder just to show her cold neutral expression. Not a hint of emotions in her eyes.

“About you.” Cynder gulped as Hex floated towards a chair next to the table. “You’ve been here for some time now and you’ve barely talked to anyone. I mean, you don’t have to, I get it really.” Cynder remembered how she also refused to communicate and bond with the Skylanders when she first arrived. “I just want you to know that we’re your friends and you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not afraid.” Hex stopped in front of the dark table and turned her head. “But you are. Everyone is.”

Cynder didn’t expect to hear that. “I’m not afraid of you, nor are the others! They’re just-”

“Suspicious because of the stories.” Hex finished the sentence. “Fear and hate, those are the only two things I’ve been met with for the last centuries. I didn’t expect it to be any different here.”

“But why?” Cynder was confused. “Eon trusts you and you’re doing good things, I’ve seen you on your missions. Why is everyone afraid of you?”

“I wish I knew.” Hex sighed as she pulled out a chair and lowered herself onto it.

Cynder thought for a moment. She heard the other Skylanders talk. Talk about the stories of Hex and how she joined the undead just for the sake of power. Yet she’s here, as a Skylander. Cynder just couldn’t see her being evil. “What about those stories everyone keeps talking about?” The dragon hesitated to continue, but after taking a breath she finally asked what’s been on her mind all along. “What about Malefor?”

Hex looked at Cynder, she saw the eagerness in her eyes. She didn’t just want to know the truth, she wanted to know about Malefor. “Do you want to hear my story?”

Cynder nodded and got closer before lying down in front of the witch.

“Ever since my transformation, rumors about me joining Malefor to gain more power spread like wildfire. The people of my village accused me of cursing them, making their crops decay and children fall ill. I can’t say for sure if it truly was due to my powers or an average plague, all I can say is that I didn’t do it on purpose. I was unfamiliar with my undead powers at that time.” Hex thought back to the day where her once closest friends who she considered family dragged her out of her house and attempted to burn her alive. “After I was cast out, I spent many years alone, mastering my newfound witchcraft. I could not reverse the transformation, so instead of fearing it, I controlled it. That only made everyone more afraid. They forgot who I used to be and only saw a frightening witch casting dark magic, they didn’t feel safe. Nevertheless, I remained loyal to my oath to protect the innocent people of Skylands, whether they like it or not.”

Cynder saw Hex in a completely different light. She was misunderstood and did everything she could to prove that she wasn’t evil. It reminded the dragoness so much of herself. “And what about Malefor?”

“Malefor was the reason for all this.” Hex looked down at her ashy blue hands and dark robes. “But not in the way everyone thinks. He found out about my great amount of power when I was still a mortal and tried to hunt me down. Many people were hurt and lost their lives because of that, until one day I’ve decided to put an end to it.” The sorceress remembered that day like it was yesterday. The day where everything changed. “I descended into the underworld and gathered all my strength to face him. We fought for hours, I lost the hope of making it out alive, but somehow I did.” Hex looked Cynder right into her anticipating eyes. “I defeated Malefor.”

“It was you.” Cynder exclaimed with awe in a whispering tone. She was the one who defeated her tormentor, she was the one who freed her from his influence. Hex helped Cynder become who she was today. “Then what happened?”

“Due to the raw undead magic of the underworld and Malefor I was changed. I became an undead myself and my powers got corrupted. When I returned, I told everyone that I’ve defeated Malefor just like I said I would, but they didn’t believe me. They thought I joined him because of my appearance and increased powers. That’s when it all came crashing down.” Hex arose from her chair just for Cynder to follow her. “And that’s the true story.”

“I can’t believe it.” Cynder was in shock. “All this time you’ve been accused of joining Malefor when you’ve actually freed me- everyone from him!” The Undead Skylander looked emptily through the room and got an idea. “We have to spread that story!”

“It’s no use.” Hex stopped the dragoness from running outside and fulfilling her idea. “I told many people this story, you are the first one to believe me. And besides, this has nothing to do with Malefor anymore. They believe I’m evil on my own accord.” Hex looked down to the ground. “I’ve learned to live with it. It doesn’t matter what they believe, all that matters is the truth.”

Cynder was disappointed, but also understanding. She knew best how hard it can be to convince others that you’ve changed, no matter how hard you try. She nodded and smiled and gave Hex one last look before leaving her room. “Thank you, Hex. For everything.”

This was the first time anyone’s thanked her in centuries. Hex couldn’t help but feel somewhat warm inside. A feeling she hasn’t felt in a long time and which she’s dearly missed. Perhaps she wasn’t completely alone after all. Perhaps there was still hope left.

After many hours of flight Spyro finally reached the underworld. The airship with the remaining Skylanders and the power sphere followed, but they couldn’t catch up to him. The dragon flapped his wings rapidly, almost manically. So many thoughts rushed through his head. He was sad, angry, disappointed, frustrated, but there was no time to waste on that. He couldn’t grief his friend, not yet. He had to find Hex and put an end to her and Malefor’s wicked scheme.

The Magic Skylander passed many places throughout the haunting realm. Some familiar, some not. All until he finally reached the one he was looking for – the Creepy Citadel.

Hex was still in the throne room of the citadel. Neither Malefor nor any Skylanders have arrived. She was all alone, thinking. Was this truly what she wanted? Would she be the Skyland’s greatest villain? Hex thought she was certain about her decisions, but she was beginning to doubt herself. During that quiet moment, there was a crashing sound above her, and the witch immediately looked upwards. Spyro flew through a newly created hole in the ceiling as he charged towards Hex with flames in his mouth.

The witch easily blocked the attack with her magic. Spyro soon landed on the cold ground and continued to furiously shoot fireballs. Hex already created a bone wall in front of her and cast a spell to deflect the projectiles. The purple dragon spread his wings and was about to rush towards the villain until a giant claw abruptly pinned him down from above.

Malefor arrived just in time to stop the Skylander from going after the sorceress any further. “My, my, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry.” He grinned as the small dragon squirmed and clenched his teeth trying to break free.

“Of course he is, his friends have been turned into mindless monsters.” Hex stayed calm as usual in the presence of others. She couldn’t reveal the thoughts and feelings going through her head. “And he’s here to take us down, isn’t he?”

Spyro grunted before finally giving up trying to break free from Malefor’s grasp and stayed put, still as furious as ever. “What do you want!? Haven’t you done enough damage already?”

“Nothing will ever compensate for all the suffering I had to endure!” Hex made her point clear. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me, and if you dare to try, I will repeat the curse once more until there’s none of you left.”

During the confrontation, Smolderdash, Sprocket and Roller Brawl quietly landed their ship at the very back of the citadel and carefully made their way to the heart of the building where the throne room was. Sprocket carried the power sphere which could absorb Hex’ powers. This was their only chance.

“What will you do now, huh!?” Spyro’s eyes were filled with rage, they lit up like flames. “Are you the new Undead Queen? Will you turn the Skylands into a barren wasteland? Tell me!”

Hearing the Skylander refer to the witch as the Undead Queen didn’t sit right with Malefor, but he held himself back. Hex clenched her fist as she floated towards the dragons. “I will make sure that you suffer like I did for all those centuries. I always had to take things as they came, I had no choice. Now neither do you.”

“Was it your choice for Cynder to die!?” Spyro couldn’t hold his tears anymore and shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice breaking in the process followed by a stuttering breath.

Hex’ eyes widened. Spyro’s devastated look was enough for her to know that he was telling the truth. “What?” For the first time she was caught completely off guard. This was not part of the plan. “She can’t be dead, that’s-” The witch suddenly stopped. There was only one reason why that could’ve happened, and Hex moved her head up to look into its spiteful eyes. “You…”

Malefor returned a blank stare followed by a sick smile. “Guilty.”

Hex began to move backwards. She thought she had everything under control, but this wasn’t supposed to happen. “I told you to not kill any of them! You were supposed to scare them, nothing more! And out of all you chose Cynder-”

“Did you actually believe I would listen to you?” As the dragon was talking to the distraught witch, the trio of Skylanders that carried the power sphere have reached the throne room and hid behind the crumbling dark walls. “You may be more powerful than me, but even you cannot stop me this time!”

Sprocket held the sphere tightly in her hands and carefully peeked through a hole in the wall, followed by Smolderdash and Roller Brawl. They were told to use the weapon when Hex is distracted, so they were ready to strike at any moment.

“You never had any control over me, Hex!” The dark sorceress’ sight went from Malefor’s triumphant visage to the ground. She didn’t know what to do. “In fact, I have been controlling you the entire time! You were too blinded by vengeance and hatred to realize. This is what I was striving for all along, for you to break and turn against everyone until eventually your rage wears off and I finish what you started. You were only the means to an end, you always have been.”

Tears were streaming down Spyro’s face as he was still trapped under the giant dragon’s steel claw in a fury of anger and sadness. He then noticed that his companions were present and visible behind the wall. Malefor’s eyes spotted them too and the three quickly ducked down, but he already saw them. Instead of attacking however, he continued to speak down on Hex. “And I’m sure you all wonder how Hex got through the shield at the Academy. The Skylanders did remove her page from the book, but that didn’t matter. It’s because deep down she still believes she’s a Skylander. She wants to believe. No matter how wicked or cruel she may be, at the end of the day all she wants is to be a hero.” The Undead King kept his eyes on Hex, and it seemed like he was able to see right into her soul.

The witch moved her head back up with a death stare. She glared at Malefor as he was teasingly smiling to her face. In his silver armor plates, Hex saw the reflection of Sprocket who slowly approached her from behind. The sorceress turned around and reached for the Tech Skylander to grab the sphere she was holding with her magic. Sprocket fell with shock as Hex’ dark magic engulfed the device in mid-air. Roller Brawl and Smolderdash revealed themselves too and huddled around the engineer, watching their last chance at victory hover in front of their eyes.

“Destroy it Hex! This is their last shot!” Malefor lost his attitude upon seeing the sphere. He knew exactly what it would do to Hex, and even worse to him, if the Skylanders get to use it.

“Go ahead, Hex. You’ve won.” Spyro spoke words no one ever hoped to hear. “You did it, you’ve defeated the Skylanders. There’s nothing standing in the way of your revenge now.” He has never sounded this defeated, he just embraced his fate.

Hex only focused on the sphere. The Skylanders’ terrified expressions and Spyro’s hopeless look surrounded her while Malefor’s sinister eyes were looming over her. She had to decide. The witch then proceeded to raise her other arm and suddenly unleash a powerful beam of magic at the device.

Malefor’s first eager smile curved into a frown when he realized what was happening. “No!”

Spyro, Sprocket, Smolderdash and Roller Brawl observed the bright beam which enlightened everything around Hex alongside a mighty gust of wind.

Hex remained steady and kept emitting more and more undead magic towards the power sphere. She wasn’t destroying it, she was using it.

Malefor raised his claw and freed Spyro from his grip. The smaller dragon stayed in place and just watched in awe while the wind blew the tears out of his eyes. “Stop it, you foolish witch! You will destroy us both!” The dragon attempted to get closer, but the force of Hex’ powers was so strong that he couldn’t move an inch.

While she kept on feeding the device with her magic, the witch slowly turned her head and looked Malefor dead in the eye one last time before turning back towards the sphere.

Malefor eyes widened in horror before he looked behind himself. His long sharp tail suddenly started to deteriorate and turn into dust which was immediately blown away by the wind. “No!” The dragon screamed in agony as more and more of his body decomposed and he soon fell to the ground after losing his legs to hold himself up. The Undead King roared horrendously as his entire body, up to the final tip of his horn, turned to dust and the dragon ceased out of existence.

The undead magic exiting Hex with ghastly and frightening sounds began to change her as well. Her dress shifted from the raven black colors to a pale blue and the horns of her headdress turned into black strands of hair. She blinked and instead of the white glowing eyes she had blue irises surrounded by a minty green skin. Finally, all the magic has left Hex’ body and was stored inside the sphere. The metallic orb fell down with a clang as it was radiating undead energy. Hex slowly sank to the ground as well before falling onto her knees. She was back in her mortal state. No powers. No curse. “It’s over.”

While the Skylanders stared at the witch and were paralyzed, a sparkling purple flame engulfed the villain before making her disappear into thin air. Spyro was in his awakened form and used his teleportation ability to send her right to Cloudcracker Prison, just like the Doom Raiders the first time. His transformation didn’t last long and with a bright light he changed back, huffing and breathing heavily. “It is.”

The Skylanders cautiously approached the sphere which was already shifting into a darker shade due to the immense undead powers it absorbed. Sprocket used her energy glove to create a containment capsule around it. “This should keep it safe.” The engineer grabbed it before looking at her allies with relief.

Spyro inhaled. Malefor was gone, Hex was defeated, and her powers were concealed. It was over. One more time the leader thought about the phrase he read in the Book of Destiny. Now he realized that it was never complete, there was always a part missing. “An alliance destined to destroy itself.”

At Cloudcracker Prison, all the imprisoned Skylanders who have been affected by Hex’ magic started to transform back. One after the other lost the lifeless black eyes and came back to their senses, confused as to why they were behind bars. The Skylanders on guard happily released them and the entire facility was filled with relieved hugs and worried chatter.

The villains that were currently in the cafeteria willingly returned to their cells after seeing the dozens of Skylanders surrounding them. Snap Shot and Wolfgang, who have found a private place to spend time together, kissed each other goodbye and returned to their cells as well.

All the other people throughout Skylands that Hex cursed were freed as well. Many awoke with glee and joy to see their families and friends again, others were faced with the gruesome sight of a loved one killed at their hands. No matter how good or bad it ended, everyone was glad that it was finally over.

When Spyro, Sprocket, Smolderdash and Roller Brawl returned, they were greeted with mixed reactions. Some cheered because of their victory over Hex, yet the ones who weren’t cursed remained quiet. The word spread fast and Stealth Elf heard what happened before they arrived. When Spyro stepped off the airship, the elf pulled her mask down and embraced her friend. She whispered words only the two of them could hear which made the leader break down in tears again.

The rest of the day was spent mourning the loss of a beloved Skylander. Someone who was struggling to become the best version of herself her entire life and when she finally did and gained the courage to stand up to her fears, she was taken from them. She believed that there was more than meets the eye, because she knew from experience that there always was. The Skylanders grieved their fallen ally and friend Cynder.

A shrine to honor the dragoness was put up in the center of the Academy. Every Skylander and anyone who could come to the Academy at the time was there. Silence loomed over the heroes like a curse. No one said a word, everyone barely moved. They all took their time to remember Cynder and what change she truly made in the Skylands. After a while, one Skylander after the other left, paying their last respects before returning home to rest. Eventually everyone was gone except for Spyro. He sat right in front of the shrine for the entire day. Hours passed, the dragon didn’t move. He kept gazing at the portrait of his deceased friend and the dark flowers surrounding it.

Cynder has always been more than a friend to him, they had a connection. As much as he despised him, Spyro remembered Malefor’s words about how the three of them were connected. Now he knew that it was true. Spyro was the only dragon left and he felt that something was missing. This driving force that always empowered and motivated him to become better, to treat others better and to give second chances. None of that would have been there without Cynder. She was taken too soon, Spyro was certain of that, but nevertheless the time she had she used to its fullest. When she was once this insecure and sometimes cruel companion who he had countless arguments with and each one seemed to drive her further away, she finally managed to become something extraordinary. She grew beyond herself, jumped over her own shadow and confronted her demons. Cynder was more than a Skylander, she was an inspiration.

On the next day, the first thing Spyro did was to visit Eon’s office. He shared his report about the recent mission and they discussed the fate of Hex and the Skylands after the effects of her curse. A knock on the door interrupted the conversation before Sprocket slowly entered.

“I’m really sorry to disturb, but there’s something I have to show you.” The technician wore a black sweater accompanied by equally dark pants. She never dressed herself in many dark things, even back when her mother forced her to wear certain clothes, but in memoriam of Cynder she was willing to wear the funeral attire for a while. “I know we all have a lot on our minds right now… and we need some time to process everything.” The Tech Skylander felt terribly uncomfortable bringing this up during this time of grief, but she felt like she had to inform the leaders of the Skylanders as soon as possible. “When I confronted the Golden Queen and destroyed the palace she hid in, I found something very peculiar.”

Eon and Spyro stared at the engineer patiently as she pulled out the containment capsule holding the glowing brown orb which she found in the debris of Golden Queen’s palace. “This orb was the only thing that survived the collapse. It was right in the middle of the ruins and some rocks orbited it. I’m not sure if it’s what I think it is, but-”

“The Earth Orb! You found it!” Eon exclaimed with awe and relief before grabbing the relict. “We have been looking for it for years but never managed to find it. We thought we lost it forever!”

Eon already showed Spyro the Light Orb which was in his possession and he told him about all the Elemental Orbs which were scattered across the Skylands. It wasn’t their main priority, but the spirit advised that they should keep an eye out for them. “What does that mean? Is it like a new Eternal Earth Source?” The dragon was riddled.

“Not exactly. The orbs are not as powerful as the sources, but if all of them were to be found and brought together, it could create a new Core of Light!” Eon finally recognized a spark of hope during these dark times.

Sprocket was hearing about this for the first time and she was getting quite overwhelmed by the number of new things she’s learned in the last few days. “That’s great! Then why aren’t we looking for the other ones?”

“It’s not that simple. Those orbs have been lost centuries ago. We now have the Light and Earth Orbs, but the remaining ones could be at the farthest corners of the Skylands. It could take years to retrieve them all.” Eon was always a motivator and tried encouraging the Skylanders to go beyond their limits, but after all those years he found this quest to be hopeless.

“Well, if we were able to find the Eternal Sources, then we can also find the orbs!” Spyro looked at Sprocket who nodded in agreement. “I promise you master, we will find the remaining orbs and create a new core, one which will keep all enemies at bay!”

Eon chuckled. Even during this time Spyro managed to keep his hopes up and follow his heart. “I’m sure you will, but you deserve to take a break first.” The dragon’s smile faded as he was reminded of the current situation. “I know how hard this is for you, please don’t overstrain yourself.”

Sprocket put her hand onto the Magic Skylander’s shoulder as a sign of comfort and partnership. Spyro took a deep breath and let it out again. The sorcerer was right, as usual. “Thank you, Eon.”

The spirit nodded as the two Skylanders left his office and went on with their day. He then looked down to the Earth Orb in his hand and formed a fist to make it vanish. He put it somewhere safe, somewhere not a soul could find it.

As Spyro was about to return to his room, Stealth Elf suddenly appeared in front of him in distress. “Spyro, I hate to tell you this right now but something bad happened!”

Spyro didn’t believe it could get any worse than it already was, but he was proven wrong once more. They rushed to a secured room inside the Academy where many Skylanders gathered around and looked down in horror. After Spyro managed to get through the crowd, he understood what it was all about. “Oh no.”

There was a single broken jar on the ground. It didn’t seem that terrible at first sight, but considering the room they were in and what was inside that jar, no one could hide their concern. “Kaos is free.” Everyone just stood there in shock and without a clue what to do now. Just when they solved one problem, another one was already arising.

The free villain and his henchman Glumshanks were able to escape during the chaos of Hex’ attack. One of the corrupted Skylanders knocked the jar they were in down and while they were still shrunk, the two sneaked out and left the Academy. Over time they grew back to their regular sizes and made it to Kaos’ fortress.

“Ah, home sweet home!” Kaos exclaimed, followed by an echo that sounded through the large entrance hall inside of his residence. “Now that we’re finally free again, we can begin plotting our ultimate plan to take over the Skylands!”

“You mean like the last twenty ultimate plans to take over the Skylands?” Glumshanks has lost hope years ago, and there was no reason to gain any now.

“It will be better this time!” Kaos was determined. “The Doom Raiders are out of the way and that witch has weakened them! This time we will do exactly what she did and take the Skylanders out one after the other!”

Glumshanks watched as the small tyrant went on about his plan when he noticed a mysterious purple glow at the back of the hall. He stared at it with surprise and saw a cloud of smoke appear as well. “Um, master…”

“Don’t interrupt me, Glumshanks! You should have already written everything I just told you down!” Kaos kept facing the troll and was completely unaware the ominous occurrence.

Glumshanks pointed his trembling finger at the light which now spawned a slim figure inside the smoke. “You should really see this.”

With an irritated expression, Kaos turned around only to gasp in shock upon the sight at the end of the hall. As soon as the smoke faded, they saw a large shattered mirror on the ground as a dark heel stepped onto one of the shards. Kaos’ and Glumshank’s heads slowly went up to see Kaos’ mother Kaossandra standing on top of the mirror she’s been trapped in for years, surrounded by purple lights and smoke.

The woman smiled sinisterly as she looked down on her son and his henchman. “Hello darling, did you miss me?”

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #chapter 2 #finale #original story #fanfiction #hex #malefor #spyro #cynder #déjà vu #smolderdash #sprocket #snap shot #wolfgang #enigma

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Destined to Destroy

The Skylanders were all armed and ready for whatever was hiding in the strange purple fog surrounding the Academy. Spyro peeked through the hexagonal forcefield to make out anything inside the mist. Suddenly purple flames crashed onto the shield and moved across it in a line before disappearing. Another burst of fire hit the shield on the side and then on another spot nearby. The Skylanders were as tense as ever and they gripped their weapons even tighter.

When Spyro carefully moved towards the shield and played with the thought of exiting it, a familiar purple visage appeared right in front of him. “Boo!” The dragon jumped back, and all eyes were set on Malefor who laughed maliciously before flapping his wings to lift the fog around himself. “You Skylanders never give up, do you?” The Undead King landed on top of the shield and scratched the surface with his steel claw, creating an unbearable piercing sound.

Spyro stood in front of his allies protectively and looked the villain straight in the eye. “You’re not going to win, Malefor! We’re not afraid of you!”

Malefor stared at Spyro with a deadly look and grinned. “I’m not the one you should be afraid of.”

Upon those words, a tall and slim silhouette appeared inside the fog. The Skylanders were baffled to see a raven black robe slowly phase through the forcefield until the figure’s ghostly face was revealed.

“Hex?” Everyone stared at the witch in disbelief as her dress floated in the wind accompanied by her dark purple cloud underneath. Spyro didn’t understand. “How is this possible? Only-”

“Skylanders can pass through the shield.” Hex finished his sentence. “Isn’t that what I am?”

“H- how did you… Calliope.” Spyro’s confused look became furious after realizing that the fairy has once again deceived him. “I should have known!”

“It doesn’t matter, we ripped her page out of the book! She shouldn’t have been able to get through!” Stealth Elf previously checked every page in the Book of Skylanders to remove the witch before connecting it to the shield.

“Apparently it didn’t work. The book must have embraced her even without a page, she was one of the first Skylanders after all.” Spyro’s eyes were set on Hex as she floated there with her intimidatingly cold expression. “But she’s not one anymore!”

In the next moment, Buckshot pulled his bowstring back and aimed an arrow directly at the dark sorceress. Hex simply moved her head and grabbed the arrow when it was right next to her. While everyone stood there like frozen, she threw the arrow back in the direction it came from. The Skylanders moved out of the way in time, allowing the projectile to hit a stone wall instead and explode on the impact.

“Attack me again and Gearshift up there will lower the shield.” Hex and the Skylanders looked up to one of the towers where a cursed Gearshift had her hand on the lever which could deactivate the forcefield and expose the heroes to Malefor’s fury.

Spyro was once again at the mercy of his enemy and he hated it. “You may be powerful, but even you can’t defeat all of us.”

There were nearly a hundred Skylanders present. All representing an individual challenge for the undeads. “I’m well aware of that, but I’m not here to fight.” Hex had no hint of fear or doubt in her eyes, she knew exactly what she was doing.

The witch began reciting an ancient incantation in a gibberish language. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, they were pitch black. She rose further into the air and a misty whirlwind appeared around her body as the sorceress lifted her arms above her head and her palms emitted dark magic.

“Skylanders, run!” Spyro exclaimed before the heroes fled into every direction trying to get as far away from the witch as possible.

When Hex finished her spell, the orb in her hands imploded before sending out dozens of dark projectiles. No matter where or how far the Skylanders went, the curse found all of them. It always hit one of a pair until half of the Skylanders were affected by the undead magic. They all began to choke and tremble before falling to the ground. Their friends and allies watched in horror as the cursed heroes laid there motionlessly before rising up with the haunting black eyes.

Spyro looked behind himself with shock when he saw the possessed Stealth Elf slowly walk towards him while pulling out her daggers. He turned his head towards Hex whose eyes reverted back to white before she calmly observed the chaos. The leader clenched his teeth with rage and his eyes lit on fire. “You’re a monster!”

Both kept looking at each other with nothing but hatred. The witch then did something which she hasn’t done in decades. She smiled. But it wasn’t a happy smile, it was a dark, sinister smile. “I know.”

The villainess turned around and passed through the shield again to leave the Academy, letting the Skylanders deal with the catastrophe she’s created.

As the witch was floating away, Malefor appeared next to her. “Is this your plan? Making them destroy each other?”

“They will find a way to subdue the cursed ones, you should know that by now.” A pessimistic statement, but that didn’t worry Hex. “Once they come for me, they will realize that they have no choice but to surrender. Otherwise their friends will stay like that forever.”

Malefor wasn’t too thrilled about the lack of destruction in that plan. “And when will we destroy them?”

Hex suddenly stopped and spun around to forcefully hold the dragon in place with her magic. “You will not kill a single one of them, they will do that by themselves. Do you understand?”

Malefor nodded the best he could before the witch released him and descended back into the underworld. The Undead King however remained close to the Academy.

Knight Light was soaring high through the endless skies. The Light Skylander kept going straight ahead and didn’t stop for a second. He passed one layer of clouds after the other until he finally reached the top – the Highlands.

The angel landed on the last layer of clouds underneath him. His divine origins allowed him to walk on them as if they were solid ground. No other area in the Skylands was this close to the sun. It felt almost like another world seeing the sky and clouds colored in yellow and orange hues. The Skylander kept walking for a while until he finally spotted who he was looking for. “Angelica!”

The Guardian with a halo over her head turned around to face her former companion. The white sash around her body had the golden Guardian symbol of a winged shield with a halo above it which shimmered in the sunlight. “That was sooner than I thought. You really want to be rid of those wings, don’t you?”

“I’m not giving you my wings!” Knight Light wiped the confident grin off the Guardian’s face. “I was deemed worthy of these wings years ago and I have done everything to prove it! I deserve to keep them!”

“How many more times do I have to say it until it gets through your thick skull!? The superiors have made their decision! There’s nothing you can do about it!” Angelica’s patience was wearing thin.

“They may be your superiors, but they’re not mine anymore!” Knight Light remained persistent. He would not stand for such injustice. “They have no right to take what rightfully belongs to me!”

Angelica let out an annoyed, almost angry sigh. “Fine. You want to keep your wings and stay with the Skylanders? Then so be it!” The ambassador stepped across the clouds in a quick pace to get closer to Knight Light before creating a hole in the cloud next to him to present a gruesome sight. “You want to be with them? A bunch of good-for-nothing heroes that occasionally turn against each other?”

Even though it wasn’t nearly as close, Angelica’s powers allowed Knight Light to see the Academy as if they were only a few feet above it. He saw all of his friends and allies fighting against each other. Hex’ curse has finally reached them. “No…”

“That Hex has to be stopped, and so do her little monsters.” Angelica closed the gap in the clouds before walking away. She stopped after a short walk and turned around while stretching her arms out. Out of nowhere, an entire fleet of radiant soldiers riding on pegasi appeared behind her. “Now we will take care of it!”

Knight Light knew exactly what that was. The Holy Cavalry. An elite Guardian group that strikes to kill anything it considers bad or impure. They are one of the most powerful forces in all of Skylands. “You can’t do that, they’re innocent! There has-”

“Attack!” Angelica completely ignored the knight and commanded the cavalry to strike.

The winged horses rushed past Knight Light who shielded himself with his wings. He turned around to see them all head into the same direction. Without a doubt they were going for the Academy and the Skylanders. He couldn’t let that happen.

Knight Light started to run before spreading his wings and letting himself fall through the clouds. The angel flew as fast as he could, but he could barely even keep up with the elite forces. The Trap Master gathered all of his strength, he tried to think of something that could make it possible for him to stop them. He thought about all the lives at stake, all his friends. He couldn’t let them all die because of his feud with the Guardians. Suddenly Knight Light was glowing in a radiant light. He became faster with every passing moment until he turned into a bright orb. With the speed of light, the Skylander flashed past the cavalry and appeared far ahead of them. The angel has gained a new shimmering pair of golden wings and his entire armor was upgraded to have yellow feathers and golden pieces of armor shaped like the sun. His new Traptanium scimitar, which now had a majestic golden handle and an even longer and sharper blade, was glowing as the Light Skylander turned his upper body and grabbed his weapon with both hands. He unleashed a mighty shout as he swung his scimitar with full force, sending a giant wave of light straight at the Guardians. The ones that got hit vanished upon impact, and Knight Light continued to swing his blade and send out light waves until there were none left.

When the enemy was defeated, Knight Light realized that something strange happened. He looked at his armor and wings before glowing once more and transforming back to his original look. As much as he wanted to know what that was about, there was something far more peculiar. The cavalry wasn’t defeated, they simply vanished. No fallen pegasi or soldiers anywhere. Then it hit the Trap Master. They weren’t real, they were an illusion. With newfound determination, Knight Light ascended back into the clouds.

The entire Academy was caught in the heat of battle. Skylanders fought against their allies like they were sworn enemies, but no one was capable of hurting them.

Smolderdash just dodged an incoming ice javelin from the possessed Chill while Spyro used his horns as gently as possible to keep Stealth Elf’s deadly daggers away from him. “Spyro, what should we do!? Those are our friends, we… we can’t fight them!”

“I know, I know!” Spyro had to keep it together, no matter how difficult the situation was. “We have to get them somewhere where they can’t hurt anyone, then we have to take care of Hex!”

Nearby, Boom Bloom was using her thorn whip to grab the corrupted allies and throw them away from the others. She overheard Spyro’s words and got an idea. By creating a barrier of thorns around her, the Sensei could escape the mob of zombie-like Skylanders and run away from the Academy.

Cynder was standing on the other edge of the island. Smash Hit, High Volt and Nightfall approached her with eerie noises. The dragoness braced herself for the worst, but to her surprise, the Superchargers just dashed past her and attacked some Skylanders behind her instead. When Cynder spotted more possessed heroes, she noticed that all of them completely ignored her. Nevertheless, the Skylander did her best to protect her allies and fight alongside them.

A portal near Cloudcracker Prison was activated and Boom Bloom exited the transporting light. Without hesitation, the Life Sensei stepped inside the crystallized building and sprinted past the cells filled with grunting and yelling villains. Finally, she reached the one she was looking for. “Dad!”

Dr. Krankcase was sitting on the small wooden bench inside his cell and lit up with surprise when he heard someone call for him. “Boom Bloom?” The scientist scuttered to the bars that separated him from the Skylander. “What are you doing here? Is-”

“There’s no time to explain!” Boom Bloom pushed a button next to the cell to remove the bars. “Our best engineer is missing, so you’ll have to help us.”

“O- okay, but what should I do?” Krankcase pushed his hand underneath his hat to scratch his head before Boom Bloom grabbed his other hand to drag him back to the entrance.

“I’ll explain it on our way there! I just hope it works.” The scientist needed a moment to pick up the pace with his many legs, but once he did, the duo ran back to the portal that would get them to the Academy.

Spyro and some of his allies were able to barricade themselves inside Eon’s office. They used the shelter to come up with a plan while the possessed Skylanders were trying to break through the door and windows.

“How do we stop this? Nothing we tried to undo the curse worked!” Smolderdash didn’t want to panic, but it was obvious to everyone that she did.

“We need to get rid of Hex’ powers, that’s the only way to stop this!” Roller Brawl anxiously looked into every direction as loud bangs and hollow screams could be heard outside.

“We can’t!” Cynder reminded everyone about what she told them recently. “We don’t have anything powerful enough to contain her magic. We have to find another way!”

“There is another way.” Spyro spoke and everyone’s silent attention was on him. “We have to kill her.”

“What!?” Cynder always feared that it would come to this. “Spyro, you promised-”

“I know what I said Cynder but look around you!” Spyro stepped closer to his friend and looked into her shocked eyes. “If we don’t stop her, hundreds, thousands will die, including our friends!” Cynder turned her head. No one was glad about that decision, but it’s what had to be done. She looked back at Spyro and after some more moments, she sighed. The dragoness lowered her head and didn’t say a word, Spyro knew what that meant. “I’m sorry.”

All of a sudden, the door slammed open and Boom Bloom and Krankcase rushed inside before quickly closing it again. Boom Bloom summoned her vines to lock the door and keep all the possessed Skylanders out. She turned around to a bunch of bewildered faces. “I can explain!”

Before anyone could say a word, there was a loud blasting noise which got louder with each moment. The Skylanders peeked through the window to see a giant blue Arkeyan approach the Academy.

“Oh Ancients, what now?” Smolderdash was overwhelmed by the sudden flood of events.

“Don’t worry! Whatever that is, it won’t be able to get through-” Just before Spyro could finish, the Conquertron phased through the forcefield. “Nevermind that.”

The robot landed on an island nearby and the Skylanders eagerly waited as the sounds of explosions and bullets could be heard outside. Once again someone attempted to open the door but failed due to the vines. Shortly after that, the door got blown up and Sprocket stepped in through the smoke before immediately creating a new impenetrable steel door.

Finally, Sprocket leaned against the door with an exhausted and terrified look on her face. “What in Skylands is going on here!?”

There was a moment of silence and tension. The Skylanders were face to face with a Doom Raider and Sprocket who’s returned from her quest to find the Golden Queen. No one knew where to start. “I had an idea.” Boom Bloom finally spoke up.

Everyone watched Krankcase wave carefully with a nervous smile, indicating that he had no evil intentions. Even though Krankcase was a villain, right now they had no choice but to try everything. Spyro sighed. “What is it?”

Krankcase took some steps forward to elaborate. “Boom Bloom told me everything. You need to find a way to get rid of your zombie friends without… getting rid of them.” The scientist approached the many screens and technological devices behind the Skylanders and began to type. “During my time posing as a Sensei here, I had the opportunity to study your technology and I might just have a way to help you.”

“How?” Cynder stepped closer.

“By redirecting the energy of the portal at the entrance of the Academy straight to Cloudcracker Prison.” The Doom Raider pushed a button and the screen displayed a link from the Academy to the prison. “Now everyone who enters that portal will be sent directly to a cell and remain locked up there!”

While Krankcase kept explaining the operation and answering questions, Smolderdash looked over to Sprocket and got an idea as well. “I think I know how we can defeat Hex.”

Sprocket needed a second to process what she just heard. “Wait, what?”

Everyone’s attention was on Smolderdash while Sprocket figured out what was really going on. “Maybe we don’t have to kill her, there might be a way to absorb her powers.” Cynder didn’t believe that anything she was about to suggest would succeed, but she was willing to listen. “The Core of Light was destroyed, but not all of it.” The Fire Skylander turned her head to look at the still confused Sprocket. “Sprocket could use the remaining parts to create some device that could store Hex’ powers. The Core did hold the Eternal Undead Source after all.”

That was a quite strange idea. Spyro wasn’t sure what to think of it, but after allowing a Doom Raider to reprogram their security system, nothing seemed too far-fetched anymore. “We have to give it a shot. The less lives are lost the better.”

Sprocket’s confusion grew with every second, but Smolderdash and Roller Brawl made sure to catch her up to speed on their way to the remainders of the Core of Light.

Krankcase was hectically typing onto the keyboard as the corrupted Skylanders outside kept on pounding and screeching. The entire world was upside down, but there was something that Spyro least expected to see. After hearing that Hex might be spared after all, Cynder’s mouth formed a subtle smile. It wasn’t much, but it did bring Spyro some comfort in those trying times.

After Krankcase managed to connect the Academy’s portal to Cloudcracker Prison, everyone was told to lead their corrupted friends to it. Meanwhile Tidepool made her way up to the control room. Inside was the possessed Gearshift, her hand on the lever which would lower the shield instantly. The robot’s locked state was disturbed by something hitting her hand away from the lever.

Tidepool held her squid guns and aimed them at the Trap Master. “Hands off!”

Without saying a word, the robot summoned her Traptanium gear and started attacking the Sensei. Tidepool used her agile skills and summoned her marine friends to aid her, but Gearshift wouldn’t be shaken off so easily. Her programming allowed her to precisely dodge each attack and calculate the most effective counter attacks. In an inattentive moment she was able to hit Tidepool and throw her against the wall. As the Trap Master slowly approached the Quickshot and raised one half of her gear, a lightning bolt suddenly struck and catapulted her back.

To Tidepool’s surprise, Wild Storm entered the room. His sword still crackled with lightning bolts as he looked over to the fellow Sensei. “Are you alright?”

Tidepool nodded before seeing Gearshift build herself up again and get ready to take the knight on as well. The Air Skylander rushed forward to engage in combat with the robot. They both dealt heavy blows with their weapons, but neither one was able to defeat the other. When Wild Storm realized that Gearshift was only using his attacks against him by redirecting their force with her spinning gear, the Sensei leaped into the air and thrusted his sword downward. Gearshift simply turned her gear to be vertically in front of her and stopped the knight’s sword right before it could pierce through her head by moving the gear inside the split of the sword. She did a backflip and the teeth of her gear caught and threw Wild Storm’s sword away, leaving him defenseless.

Now Wild Storm only had one option. Tidepool observed in horror as the Sensei began to swell up and transform into a beast. Once he was done, he unleashed a mighty roar and dashed towards Gearshift on all fours. She could fight him back at first, but the beast quickly gained the upper hand and smacked the Trap Master with his claw to send her flying through the glass window. A few moments after Gearshift landed on the hard ground outside, she lifted herself up and twisted her joints and limbs back into place before heading off instead of returning to the control room.

Tidepool was relieved, but that was short-lived when she saw Wild Storm turn around, still in his beast form. The enormous creature slowly stepped towards Tidepool whose back was against the wall. “Wild Storm? It’s me, Tidepool!”

The beast didn’t listen and continued to get closer while growling menacingly. “I know we haven’t been on the best terms lately and it’s my fault, I know that. I should have never treated you the way I did, you didn’t deserve that!” The beast was getting closer and closer and Tidepool just spouted everything that was on her mind. “Just the thought of my best friend leaving me made me so emotional, I didn’t know what to do! I couldn’t lose you, but in the end, I did.”

Wild Storm’s transformed face was now right in front of Tidepool. She felt its warm breath on her face as the beast towered over her. She could only think of one thing to say in that moment. “I love you, Wild Storm.”

The beast’s eyes opened wide and he backed up. He stared at the humanoid who just confessed her long-hidden feelings in silence. Suddenly he jumped out of the broken window and ran away from the Academy. Tidepool looked after him while the wind gently blew through her seaweed hair. She watched as he exited the forcefield and felt the urge to go after him, but she had to help the Skylanders first.

Knight Light returned to the Highlands looking for Angelica. He flew across the area above the clouds until he finally found the Guardian with her back turned towards him. “Angelica!” The Skylander landed at a safe distance from her. “What’s going on here!?”

“I see you’ve managed to save your friends.” Angelica didn’t face the Skylander while talking. “That doesn’t change the fact that your wings belong to us.”

“That wasn’t the Holy Cavalry that you summoned, it was an illusion!” Knight Light was confused and angry at his former companion. Why would she send out an illusion of the elite forces?

“Well if you don’t give in already it will be them the next time!” Angelica finally turned around to face the angel with her spiteful blue eyes. “How many more times do I have to ask you!? The superiors want your wings! You have to return my wings!”

Angelica referring to the wings as hers made Knight Light realize what was truly going on. “Your wings?” He had to stop for a moment. The knight noticed Angelica’s baffled gaze when she realized that she’s exposed herself. “The superiors don’t know anything about this, do they?”

Angelica stared at Knight Light and instead of further denying it, she finally told the truth. “I tried everything to convince them to take your wings. You’re not a Guardian anymore, you don’t need them! But they just waved their hands at me, they didn’t care!”

“You can’t just take them from me! They were given to me and they’re a part of me now, you can’t change that!” The wings of an angel were a privilege to have as a Guardian, but he always considered Angelica to be satisfied with her role despite not having any. “Why do you want my wings so badly?”

“Why I want them? You dare to even ask that!?” Angelica was in disbelief. “We used to be a team, Knight Light! We were both supposed to get our wings together!” Angelica thought back to the days when the two of them would go on missions without any wings or halos. They were equals. “But nothing was ever enough for you! You started to go on missions on your own, talk with high-ranked Guardians just to get those damned wings! And when you finally did, you took off without ever looking back. You left everyone! You left me!”

For the first time in a long time, Knight Light could see an emotion other than jealousy and hatred in Angelica’s eyes, she was hurt. “When my time finally came to receive wings of my own, the superiors denied it, because they were afraid that I would follow the same path as you. Instead they gave me this.” The Guardian pointed to the halo hovering above her head. “They made me a Divine Ambassador, the highest rank behind the superiors. One would think that any Guardian would kill to get that role, but once you get it you realize what it truly means.” Angelica held her arms and looked down. “It’s a loyalty oath to the Guardians. It binds you to the superiors like a chain so that you can never deny them. You can never leave.”

Knight Light couldn’t believe what he just heard. He knew that the Guardians had another side to them, that’s why he left in the first place, but he never imagined that it would be this bad. “Angelica…”

“Don’t ‘Angelica’ me!” The woman suddenly became furious again and glared at the Skylander. “This is all your fault! Because of your selfishness I’m destined to be a servant forever!” With a quick flick of her wrists, the Guardian pulled out her holy daggers. “You ruined my life!”

With those words the Guardian leaped towards Knight Light with both blades, which he managed to block just in time with his scimitar. They got into a feisty fight, dealing fast strikes and counters. They both went through the same training, so they knew each other’s tricks. However, Knight Light’s wings gave him a clear advantage. He used them to maneuver himself around Angelica and put greater force into his attacks. The Guardian on the other hand was able to move around in a floaty manner, granting her higher speed and precise slashes.

The former friends fought tirelessly, yet neither one of them could win the upper hand. Finally, Angelica was sick of it and decided to use her halos. She summoned a bunch of the light rings and sent them flying towards the Trap Master. He was able to fend them off with his Traptanium scimitar, but as the number increased, he became overwhelmed. Angelica used the opportunity to dash towards him and slash the angel with her dagger going upwards. She struck his face, leaving a cut across his left cheek, and sent his hawk mask flying. The Skylander fell onto the clouds with exhaustion and looked up as the Guardian stepped closer.

“I’ve spent years wondering what I did wrong to deserve this.” Angelica clenched her fist and created halos around Knight Light’s hands, legs and wings, keeping him pinned down and making him unable to move. “For such a long time I blamed myself, then the superiors, then even fate itself, until I finally realized whose fault it truly was.” She grabbed Knight Light by his golden blonde hair and moved his head up to look her in her sinister cold eyes. “Yours.”

Angelica directed her sight to Knight Light’s wings and created another set of halos at the tips to stretch them. “Now I will finally take what has always been rightfully mine!”

Angelica gripped her blade and with a quick strike she cut the wings off. Knight Light felt an unbearable pain throughout his entire back. He didn’t move, he didn’t blink, he didn’t even breathe. The pain rushed through his entire body as he heard his wings thump onto the clouds and blood ran down his back. Slowly the Skylander sank into the clouds until he fell through them and down the grey sky. His wings were gone, he couldn’t catch his fall. Knight Light closed his eyes as the pain flooded his senses and he fell further and further down. Then it all went dark.

Back at the chaotic Academy, some Skylanders have decided to hide inside the library while their zombified allies were roaming outside. Star Strike and Enigma were sitting in a quiet corner where they could talk in private.

“I know that we have bigger worries right now, but Enigma…” Star Strike hesitated. “You remember that thing that escaped the Path of Doors the last time we went there? I just can’t stop thinking about it.”

The mage was sitting right next to the alien, yet his mind seemed to be somewhere entirely else.

“I feel like it was something dark… something evil!” Star Strike gasped and held in for a second. “What if it was the Darkness?”

“We have banished the Darkness years ago, that’s impossible.” Enigma finally engaged in the conversation before looking outside a window again to stare at the grey clouds through the shield and fog.

“The Darkness could have not been defeated that easily. We have to find out what that was before it becomes a problem as well!” The cloaked Skylander was deeply worried, but Enigma was barely listening.

Suddenly Enigma’s Traptanium sigil started to glow. The Trap Master grabbed it and felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Then a vision appeared to him, he couldn’t figure out what it was, but he sensed that it was urgent. “What is it, Enigma?” Star Strike asked.

“I have to go.” Enigma pushed himself up before spotting an exit at the back of the library, leaving his distressed friend behind.

The Magic Skylander turned invisible and managed to sneak past all the possessed Skylanders before getting inside an air balloon. Before he could take off, his fear of heights kicked in. However, there was no time to cast his usual spell. After taking a deep breath, Enigma removed the rope bounding the balloon to the island and rose into the sky. For the first time in many years the sorcerer was facing his fear head-on.

Hours have passed. Hours of fighting and luring their possessed allies to the main portal at the entrance. Many of the Skylanders were already behind bars, but there were still more to go. However, the energy keeping the portal going was fading.

Spitfire was slowly hovering towards the portal as the corrupted Nightfall approached him. The black eyes combined with her dark skin and hair made her look like the piece of a night sky. Spitfire had to be careful, the dreadwalker was as dangerous as she was gloomy.

Nightfall used her hair to go after Spitfire who managed to dash away. She created pools of darkness underneath him and the speed demon had to move constantly if he wanted to avoid them. He zoomed from left to right and always made sure to move backwards as well, forcing Nightfall to follow him. Finally, the Dark Skylander teleported herself in front of the Supercharger and was about to strike him down with her hooks when a bright light engulfed and transported her inside a cell at Cloudcracker Prison.

Spitfire exhaled with relief. “How many more?”

“This is the rest of them!” Spyro shouted as he was fleeing from an entire group of zombified Skylanders. He noticed that the portal was flickering while he approached it. With worried eyes he turned his head to Boom Bloom who was responsible for delivering messages to Krankcase. The Doom Raider warned them that the portal would require a lot of power, and there was only one way to keep it up. “Lower the shield!”

Boom Bloom looked over to Krankcase who had his hands on the control panel and waited patiently. “Now!”

After the Sensei’s command, the scientist pulled a lever and lowered the forcefield around the Academy. Spyro flew over the now fully powered portal and lead the remaining corrupted Skylanders right into it. It was done. All of their cursed friends were locked up.

There was a haunting tension when the remaining Skylanders stood silently inside the exposed Academy. They nervously looked around themselves expecting something. But nothing happened.

Cynder landed next to Spyro. “Okay, now we have to-”

And just like that the peaceful moment was diminished by a wave of wind swirling up dust and dirt across the entire Academy. The Skylanders shielded themselves with wings and hands as a looming shadow appeared over the Academy. “Malefor!” Spyro exclaimed upon the sight of the villain.

The Undead King grinned before he inhaled and unleashed a blazing trail of spectral fire upon the Academy. The Skylanders were already exhausted, how were they supposed to defeat Malefor as well? The giant dragon used his claws and tail to tear down the towers and roofs of the Academy before he got hit by something in the face which released a poisonous green cloud.

Boom Bloom shot her spore seeds at Malefor to prevent him from destroying the Academy any further. It worked as now the dragon directed his fury at her. The ninja quickly jumped out of the way and used that same movement to also swing her whip at him as he was passing by. She was able to strike his face and cause the villain to hiss.

When he turned around with a mouth full of flames, he suddenly received an uppercut from a spiky boulder. The dragon landed in the middle of the Academy, destroying some structures in the process, before turning his head to see Smash Hit with his chain gripped tightly in his hands. “Who’s weak now?” The warsupial exclaimed with a mischievous grin on his face. Before the dragon could get back up, Smash Hit tossed his boulder at his face once again and used his chain to tie his hind legs together.

Malefor grunted as he swung his claws after the small Skylander without success and tried to break free. He was distracted by a magical projectile hitting the side of his face and saw Déjà Vu’s past self just shoot another one. The undead dragon shielded himself with his wing as Smolderdash joined the ambush as well and whipped her fire orbs towards him. The Fire Skylander had already entered her eclipse form and was going after Malefor with two whips, while Déjà Vu was about to create a black hole. The dragon attempted to fight Smolderdash off with his fire breath but the Skylander floated through it like it was nothing. Before he could hit her with his claw, Spyro shot another set of fireballs at the dragon and dashed into the steel hand to keep him from hitting his ally.

Malefor then flapped his wings with one powerful move that sent the Skylanders flying and rose back into the air. Déjà Vu ended up unconscious against a wall and Smolderdash rushed in to help her. Malefor was about to launch another attack when he suddenly felt a kick against the right side of his face. Then another on the left side. Malefor spun his head around furiously just to receive another kick up front from Buckshot. The faun used his portals to teleport himself from one spot to the other to confuse the dragon. Now the Sensei was free falling and Malefor followed him while already charging up a spectral flame. Buckshot looked at the threatening dragon while falling and focused to create a portal back at the Academy. He turned his body to create another portal underneath him and before entering, he turned around once again with his bow and pulled an arrow back to shoot at Malefor. The arrow struck Malefor right in the eye and the dragon unleashed a pained roar as Buckshot entered his portal and reappeared back at the Academy.

All the Skylanders were gathered and ready, only waiting for Malefor to emerge. “Enough!” Malefor appeared in front of the heroes and created a powerful gust of wind with his wings, sweeping all the Skylanders off their feet. “You fools have played me long enough! Now I will show you the true power of the Undead King!”

“First you’ll have to get through me!” Someone shouted behind Malefor.

When the dragon turned around, he was quite surprised to see Cynder standing there alone on an island next to the Academy. He wasn’t angry, he didn’t smile, instead there was an almost baffled look on his face. “Cynder. After all those years you decide to confront me now?”

The two haven’t seen each other ever since Malefor’s first defeat through Hex, a lot has changed since then. “I’m done with you Malefor! I’m a Skylander and I will do whatever it takes to stop you!”

“Oh really?” Malefor lowered his head to look Cynder in the eyes. “Even killing your so-called friend?”

“We found another way.” The dragoness hissed back at her former master before he towered himself over her again.

“You used to be strong, Cynder. You were feared across all of Skylands, no one could lay a finger on you!” Malefor reminisced about his glory days which Cynder despised to the core. “And look at you now! A pathetic little dragon softened by love and compassion.”

“You have no idea what real strength is!” Cynder yelled at the top of her lungs. “All you ever taught me was hate and death. That wasn’t strength, that was cowardice. You were too afraid to conquer the Skylands on your own, so you used minions like me!”

“Without me you would be nothing!” Malefor cut through Cynder’s speech. “You would have perished alongside the rest of your kind without even seeing the light of day. You should be grateful for sparing your miserable life and raising you to become something you weren’t worthy of!”

“Without you I would have had a normal life!” Cynder finally told the dragon king what she had wanted to tell him ever since she found out the truth. “You abused me! I was nothing more than a weapon to you! I wish you would have never taken me from my home!”

Malefor was quiet for a moment. “Cynder, we belong together.” The undead dragon ignored all the anger and frustration of his former minion and attempted to get through to her. “As much as you may deny it, as much as you might think that the Skylanders are your family, you know the truth.” He slowly lowered his head again and got it as close to Cynder as possible. “You belong to me.”

“No!” The Undead Skylander opened her mouth and shot dark lightning bolts right at the dragon’s face.

Cynder followed that up with a shadow dash underneath Malefor’s feet, leaving ghosts behind that would attack him. The Undead King however didn’t attack Cynder, he dodged her attacks instead. The other Skylanders eagerly observed as Cynder circled Malefor, summoning lightning and ghosts all around him. Finally, the dragoness landed on the island again and began charging up a powerful lightning blast. Malefor watched patiently and as soon as she unleashed her attack, the dragon ripped his mouth open and countered with a devastating fireball which resulted in a giant explosion.

“Cynder!” Spyro screamed while staring at the cloud of purple smoke.

Malefor flapped his wings inside the smoke and flew away from the Academy. Spyro hurried onto the island where the two dragons just fought. When the smoke ceased, there was a giant grey crater with Cynder lying in the center of it.

“Cynder!” The purple dragon sprinted as fast as possible and kneeled next to his friend. “Cynder? Are you alright?”

Spyro was waiting for a response, but nothing happened. Cynder just laid there with closed eyes, not moving in the slightest. The Skylander shook her in the hope of waking her up, but she didn’t open her eyes.

“Cynder?” Spyro spoke in a quiet broken voice as tears formed in his eyes.

The Skylanders all gathered around the crater to look at the tragic scene with sadness.

Spyro clung onto Cynder’s lifeless body and hugged her as if his love alone could bring her back. The dragon began to sob while calling out Cynder’s name time and time again, but she never responded. Cynder was gone.

Underneath the grey skies and white clouds was the dark underworld. Hex was all on her own inside the Creepy Citadel, floating through the many wide hallways. When she reached the throne room, she took a moment to observe the once majestic royal chair which has crumbled over the centuries. The witch took a deep breath before heading towards and sitting onto it, gaining a view of the underworld unlike ever before. She was certain that this is where she’s supposed to be, this is her destiny. But if it was, then why did it feel so wrong?

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 2 #fanfiction #original story #hex #malefor #cynder #spyro #knight light #boom bloom

[skylanders-after-the-end]

“That’s what your hood is too, isn’t it? Just another excuse so you won’t have to confront anyone!”

Some art for the most recent ATE chapter! I really liked this particular scene and wanted to visualize it.  Hope you’re ready for what comes next!

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 2 #fanart #enigma #gif

[skylanders-after-the-end]

A Perfect Team

The Skylanders at the Academy had already forgotten about the Golden Queen, and instead focused on the terrifying undead duo that was Hex and Malefor. They couldn’t defeat Hex in battle, yet the only way to get rid of Malefor is by breaking their immortal bond. No one was sure how to do that besides Spyro, who was still hesitant to tell the others that they had to kill the witch in order to succeed.

“Why don’t we try to just get rid of Hex’ powers?” Tidepool was part of the group suggesting ideas on how to stop the foes. “If we can’t defeat her or break the bond, why not just get rid of what created it in the first place?”

“That’s not going to work.” Cynder decided to join the discussion, mostly to make sure that the plan didn’t involve too much harm. “When Hex, Zook and I confronted the Weather Wizard to obtain a fragment of the Mask of Power, Kaos’ Undead Energy Extractor was overloaded by her amount of power and exploded. It was able to absorb the undead energy of an entire town previously, so you can guess how much it will take for Hex.”

The Skylanders were at a loss for ideas. After some silent moments of thinking, the Skylanders heard a fluttering noise approach the Academy. When they looked up, a fairy was diving towards them until she stopped right in front of Spyro’s snout. “Skylanders! Please, you have to help me!”

“Calliope!? What’s going on?” Spyro recognized the fairy who was once being used by Malefor and nearly caused the Skylanders’ downfall.

“It’s terrible! Malefor’s returned! He’s attacking my village, everyone’s in danger! Please Spyro, you have to help me!” The desperate and horrified look in her eyes was enough to tell the dragon that it was urgent.

Before answering, Spyro looked over to Cynder. She was as suspicious as him about the fairy’s sudden appearance. They were tricked by Calliope before, but there was no reason for her to be a decoy now. Malefor teamed up with Hex, what would they need a simple fairy for? “I’m sorry Calliope, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“What?” Calliope’s expression became even more hopeless. “But my people, my family!”

“I know, but we can’t get rid of Malefor that easily. There’s no point in fighting him.” Spyro hated to stand by and let a villain like Malefor cause so much pain and destruction. He had to find a way to stop him. When the Skylander looked at Calliope again, he remembered something that could be the solution to this problem. “Wait, you took our powers! Hex’ powers! How did you do that?”

Calliope was starting to calm down when she realized that the only way to help her village was to help the Skylanders. “You mean when I used the energy crystal?”

“The what?” Cynder stood next to Spyro and became curious.

“The energy crystal.” Calliope explained. “We fairies know all about magical powers and energy. We have ways to strengthen and improve such abilities, but we can also remove them.” The rest of the Skylanders all got closer to the fairy while listening. “There are countless energy crystals all across Skylands, it would be impossible to obtain all of them. The closest one is located in the far northern regions covered with ice and snow.”

“Are you talking about the Ice Kingdom?” Spyro quickly recognized the description.

“And how are we supposed to get that crystal?” Tidepool questioned the group. “We have never been to the Ice Kingdom and who knows what obstacles await us there.”

Cynder peeked through one of the windows of the room. The shimmering silver armor of a Skylander caught the dragon’s attention and she knew exactly what to do. “I know just the Skylander who can help!”

Many islands away was an air balloon travelling through grey clouds.

“You know it’s funny.” Knight Light was standing inside the balloon next to Enigma. “I’ve been going on so many missions and I can’t name anyone I’ve been teamed up with more than you. What is it, the 8th, 10th time this month?”

“13th.” Enigma responded dry while he kept looking straight ahead. “There’s a reason for that. You are skilled in close combat and your wings grant you with you high agility, while I have my ranged attacks and the ability to remain undetected. That makes us suitable for almost any mission.” Enigma remained calm when the air balloon flew right inside a cloud while Knight Light smiled to feel the refreshing breeze. “We’re a perfect team.”

Knight Light looked over to the sorcerer who has been facing forward throughout the entire flight. Even though he was always very closed off and barely laughed, the angel enjoyed his company. “I guess we are.”

The Trap Masters soon arrived at a small collection of islands connected by bridges. When they got out of their aircraft, Knight Light was surprised to see how empty the small village was. “This place is like a ghost town.”

“We were told that this used to be Hex’ home before she turned into an undead and was cast out.” Enigma was an expert at remembering important details about missions and strictly following the objective. Knight Light on the other hand preferred to follow his gut. “It’s safe to assume that she’s been here and took her anger out on the inhabitants.”

The Skylanders slowly strolled across the pavement leading to the center where a dried-out fountain was positioned. It seemed like a cozy town, only the haunting emptiness and the cold wind coming through gave it a ghostly atmosphere. “And what exactly are we supposed to do here?” The knight kept looking for any sign of life, but to no avail.

“If we find a possessed citizen, then there’s a spell that might be able to reverse the effects of the curse.” Enigma went to the other side of the town in hopes of finding someone. “There’s no guarantee since Hex’ magic is far superior to mine, but it’s worth a try.”

While Enigma was busy peeking through the dusty windows, Knight Light didn’t hesitate to open the doors and get inside. The Light Skylander was standing inside a house where spiderwebs and creaking floors were the most interesting discoveries. When he exited, he spotted his companion sighing after finding another empty building. “Hey Enigma!” Knight Light caught the Magic Skylander’s attention with his call. “Before you became a Skylander, did you live in a town like this one?”

Enigma flinched his head in irritation. “How is that relevant to the mission?”

“It’s not, I’m just asking.” Knight Light was slowly turning his head as he observed the rest of the town. “We’re allowed to talk you know.”

“That’s not the point, Knight Light.” Enigma had to endure several questions from the knight on their many excursions, but all he wanted was to complete the mission. “Please just focus.”

Knight Light was disappointed to receive another rejection, but he’s gotten used to it by now and followed the order to keep on looking.

Cynder hurried across the bridge connecting the library to the rest of the Academy. On the fountain near the entrance sat Chill in her blizzard armor. She was lost in thoughts whilst looking at the greyish sky.

“Chill!” Cynder approached the ice warrior. “Do you have a moment?”

“Sure.” The Water Skylander responded with her Russian accent, making her sound harsher than she intended. “What is it?”

Cynder then realized that the following question might be more difficult than she thought considering everything that’s happened in Chill’s past. “Well, you know about the whole thing with Hex and Malefor.” She started lightly, she didn’t want to assault Chill with anything too personal. “We might have a way to defeat them, but it requires a certain energy crystal.”

“How can I help?” Chill didn’t know what exactly Cynder needed her for, but she would do whatever she had to stop the villains.

Cynder inhaled as she thought of the right words for her question. After moments of awkward silence and a confused look from Chill, the Undead Skylander finally got to the point. “That crystal can be found in the Ice Kingdom. None of us have been there besides you. Do you know anything about it?”

Chill didn’t know what to say at first. “A crystal?” She gripped a part of the fountain, and as she did, the water behind her slowly began to freeze. “There was one, yes. Only… the queen and I knew of it.” As the warrior was thinking back, Cynder couldn’t ignore the ice climbing up the fountain. “But…”

“It’s okay.” Cynder put her claw onto Chill’s shoulder. “I know what happened, Roller Brawl told me.” She could see the shock and embarrassment that Chill expressed, but Cynder wanted to assure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of. “I didn’t expect it to be there anyway. We’re running out of options, I just wanted to make sure.”

Chill sighed. “It’s my fault.” While the Skylander lamented, the frozen fountain water thawed. “It’s my fault the castle is destroyed and the crystal is gone.”

“Don’t say that.” Cynder noticed Chill’s distant behavior before her talk with Roller Brawl, she knew how affected she was by that trip. “I wasn’t there, I don’t know the whole story, but you did the right thing. The Snow Queen was a villain, you only-”

“She wasn’t a villain!” The ice warrior shouted out of nowhere which startled Cynder. Chill’s eyes suddenly teared up before the Skylander’s head sunk into her hands. “She did bad things, but she’s still my queen. And I…”

“Still love her.” Cynder finished the sentence and Chill looked up at the dragoness.

Seeing Cynder’s calm face made Chill feel even worse. “I promised Roller Brawl that I’d get over it! She’s done so much for me, I can’t drag her down again.” Chill turned her head, she couldn’t look Cynder in the eyes. “I’m terrible, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.” Cynder decided to give the Water Skylander some space and talk to her from a distance. “Our feelings are complicated. Sometimes we care about someone even if they’ve done bad things. They may not even deserve our love.” Cynder knew too well what that was like. “You need to know when to get away from someone, but you don’t have to reject all your feelings right away. You can take as much time as you need to process them.”

Chill was holding her arms in a protective manner when she looked over to Cynder who said just what she needed to hear. “It’s okay that I still love her?”

“As long as it doesn’t endanger you or others, yes.” Cynder has grown a lot during her time as a Skylander. She feels guilty for many things, but she’s learned that she doesn’t have to feel guilty for the way she feels.

“Thank you, Cynder.” Chill was able to give the fellow Skylander a gentle smile as she thought about the Snow Queen and how she truly felt about her.

“No problem.” Cynder returned a smile before heading back to Spyro and the others to find another option to stop Hex and Malefor.

While she was walking, the Undead Skylander glanced over to a window of the library. The same window she once broke on accident. The same glass. The same eyes. Cynder froze. They’re back. The glowing eyes that were haunting her a year ago were back in the same window Cynder once saw them in. The dragon blinked and they were gone again. It may have been her mind playing tricks on her, or it may have been a sign. Whatever it was, Cynder had to get back to the others. She knew with certainty that Malefor was the one behind it. They had to stop him.

Thick grey clouds blocked the sunlight above the village Enigma and Knight Light were in. After an hour of unsuccessful searching for Hex’ victims, the Trap Masters decided to move along.

“There’s no one here, we’ll need to look somewhere else.” Enigma told Knight Light who just left the last empty house.

The magician headed towards the air balloon at the edge of the island. As soon as he got inside the basket, Knight Light noticed that his staff glowed shortly. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Enigma was once again facing straight forward and didn’t even look at his ally while he was talking.

“Your staff glowed.” The knight was now more curious than ever to find out one of Enigma’s secrets. “Did you just cast a spell?”

“No. Now get inside the balloon we have to get going.” Enigma remained stubborn.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what that was.” Enigma may be persistent, but so is Knight Light. The Light Skylander crossed his arms and patiently waited in front of the balloon.

“Ugh, fine!” Enigma made his staff glow once more and suddenly moved his head again. “Whenever I get onto a balloon, and sometimes even an airship, I create an illusion in my mind which makes me believe that the aircraft is right above the ground at all times. I have to keep looking straight ahead otherwise it doesn’t work.”

Knight Light had to listen carefully to understand what the sorcerer was trying to say. “Why would you do that?”

Enigma was hesitant to answer. He eventually sighed and realized that it’s best to just get it over with. “Because… I’m afraid of heights.”

Knight Light didn’t expect to hear that. “You’re joking, right?

Enigma turning his cloaked head towards the angel was enough to tell him that he was being serious.

A Skylander who’s afraid of heights. Knight Light wanted to laugh at first, but that would have driven the Magic Skylander even further away, so he restrained himself. “Afraid of heights? But you live in a world with floating islands!”

“May I remind you that I used to live in another realm.” Enigma never told anyone that before. He hated feeling so vulnerable. “I tried to overcome it but it never fully goes away, so I came up with that spell.”

Knight Light couldn’t help but feel bad for the Trap Master now. He was glad that he finally shared a secret, but he didn’t want Enigma to feel like he’s making fun of him. “Hey, don’t worry about it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. In fact, I’ve always been afraid of water. Mostly because my wings are a disaster when they get wet, but I’m also not the best swimmer.”

While the angel was continuing to share some information about him, Enigma spotted two figures appearing in the middle of the town. “Uh, Knight Light.”

The Light Skylander stopped talking and turned around just to be startled by two zombie-like creatures getting closer. What the Skylanders didn’t know was that those two were Raven and Zion, Hex’ former friends and her first victims.

The elven sorceress and the spell punk stared at the heroes with their empty black eyes before summoning projectiles to toss at them. Enigma jumped out of the balloon while Knight Light rose into the air. “Looks like we were successful after all!”

“Don’t speak too soon, we still have to subdue them so I can try the spell.” Enigma held his staff in front of him and aimed a magical laser at Raven who got hit before immediately getting back up again. “That might be harder than I thought.”

As the Skylanders got into an intense battle with the corrupted magic casters, a pillar of light pierced the clouds and hit the ground behind the two Skylanders. From the heavens descended Angelica, an elite member of the Guardians who always keep watch over the Skylands. As usual, she was staring at her halo in the form of a screen, completely unaware of the fight happening right in front of her. When a fire ball passed her head a little too closely, the woman finally looked up. “Now what’s going on here?”

Knight Light recognized the familiar voice and swiftly turned around just to sigh with annoyance. “It’s kind of a bad time Angelica.”

“It always is.” Angelica scoffed at what she considered yet another failure on the Skylander’s end. “I assume those are the zombies that your fellow Skylander created?” The Guardians have heard all about Hex’ betrayal and her actions. They were just waiting to interfere.

“If you want to protect the Skylands like you always say, then why don’t you help us take them down?” Knight Light dodged an incoming orb from spell punk Zion and used his light powers to blind the enemy for a short moment.

“I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Angelica moved her hand to multiply her halo and place the glowing rings around each limb of the possessed sorcerers, making them unable to move from the spot. She then turned her sights back to Knight Light. “I am here to inform you that your wings rightfully belong to us.”

“What!?” Knight Light was furious. He has been going on missions restlessly to prove that he was worthy of his wings. This didn’t make any sense. “I’m going on daily missions! I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months! I-”

“My superiors do not consider you worthy of them. It’s not for me to decide.” Even though it sounded like it wasn’t anything personal, Angelica couldn’t hide a quick smirk.

Knight Light was completely beside himself. This couldn’t be happening. He desperately looked over to Enigma who was holding his Traptanium sigil tightly as he approached the subdued Raven. “You know how much effort I’ve put into this! Tell her! Tell her that I deserve my wings!”

“Not now Knight Light! This might be our only chance to try the spell!” Ignoring the deeply shocked and hurt angel, Enigma moved his staff closer to Raven who tried to break free from the halos with all her strength. He recited some gibberish sentences and the staff emitted a magical light which engulfed the sorceress before she dropped to the ground and lied there motionlessly. The trio eagerly waited for some reaction. Suddenly the sorceress pushed herself up and created an explosion, sending the Skylanders and Angelica flying. While they were on the ground, the still possessed Raven used the opportunity to free Zion and flee from the island.

“It didn’t work!” Enigma hissed as he got back on his feet. “Hex’ magic is too powerful, there’s nothing we can do against it.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Angelica stood in front of the two Skylanders with crossed arms before she once again summoned her halo as a screen. “I will inform my superiors about this. That witch seems to be a bigger threat than we thought, we will have to take matters into our own hands.” The Guardian finished typing onto her screen and placed the halo back above her head. She then looked at Knight Light. “You have 24 hours to come to the Highlands where your wings will be removed. If you’re late, we’ll have to take them by force.” And with that, another light pillar appeared around Angelica and the woman ascended into the clouds before the sky darkened again.

The sound of thunder shook the area. Single drops of rain fell from the sky and hit the ground before the grey clouds began pouring down water. “We have to go.” Enigma turned around and headed towards the air balloon as the rain was dripping from his hood and shoulder pads.

“I thought we were friends.” Knight Light stood there looking down onto the wet ground. “You don’t even care what happens to me.”

Enigma held in. There was a moment of silence where only the showering rain could be heard. “I do care, but there’s nothing I can do. I don’t even know those Guardians!” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you like this!?” Knight Light raised his voice and once again stopped Enigma from walking away. He looked at the sorcerer with clenched teeth while water was running down his mask and the feathers of his wings. “We’ve been going on missions for months! Whenever I feel like you open up in the slightest bit you turn around and close yourself off again!”

“I go on missions to do my job, not to open up!” Enigma turned around to face the angered Light Skylander. “Why are you so obsessed with befriending me?”

“Because I want to!” Another awkward moment of silence occurred. Knight Light shook his head in anger before grabbing his hawk mask and throwing it to the ground, revealing his golden blonde hair and blue eyes which appeared more sad than angry now. “I want to get to know you, Enigma.”

Enigma had nothing to say, he just stared at the Trap Master as his short messy hair became wetter with each passing moment. There were many things the sorcerer could have said, but after giving it some thought, he settled for the easy way out. “Enough of this, Knight Light. We have to go.”

Knight Light’s saddened look then shifted to become even more furious than before. “Of course, use the mission as an excuse again! Is that all you can do? Come up with excuses!?” The Skylanders were standing in the pouring rain, one fueled by rage and the other eager to leave, yet neither of them moved an inch. “That’s what your hood is too, isn’t it? Just another excuse so you won’t have to confront anyone!”

Suddenly a lightning strike enlightened the sky and for a split second, part of Enigma’s blue skinned face was visible. However, Knight Light could only see his mouth. The magician wasn’t happy, he could tell. The angel gave the cloaked Skylander another glaring look before clenching his fist and exhaling. “Go to the Academy, I have to take care of something.” A much calmer tone of voice.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Enigma felt terrible. The last thing he wanted to do is to leave Knight Light like that. Yet instead of saying anything he simply turned around, entered the balloon and left. Knight Light stayed in the rain. The Light Skylander grabbed his mask off the ground and turned his head towards the sky. He clenched his fists after putting his mask back on and ran across the wet pavement before spreading his wings to fly straight up.

Back at the Academy the Skylanders were still looking for a way to protect themselves against Hex and Malefor. Cynder told Spyro that the energy crystal from the Ice Kingdom was no more, which forced them to reconsider their options. After many discussions and ideas, Spyro finally came up with the perfect solution.

The purple dragon ran off and entered a building nearby. “Spyro, where are you going?” Cynder followed her friend, as did Calliope.

“I have it Cynder, I know how we will protect ourselves!” Spyro ran further down the dark corridor until they reached a circular room with a book on a pedestal in the middle of it. “We need a shield around the Academy, but making one would trap us inside and make it impossible to react to anything outside. Unless it didn’t.”

“Spyro please explain what this is all about.” Cynder watched as the dragon skimmed through the pages of the giant book with a hopeful smile. Calliope curiously peeked over the leader’s shoulder.

“The Book of Skylanders! We can use it to alter the shield so we can move freely and have a place where we’re protected!” Spyro was proud of his idea and eagerly waited for the response of his ally.

“You mean you want to magically connect the book to the shield so that it allows all Skylanders to pass through it?” Cynder rephrased what Spyro said in a way that was more understandable for her.

“That sounds brilliant!” Calliope was impressed. “That way your enemies can’t reach you, but you can always reach them!”

“Exactly!” Spyro was glad to hear the fairy’s enthusiasm before seeing the more skeptical Cynder. “It will work, I know it will.”

Cynder looked at the book and then back at Spyro. Something was telling her that it wouldn’t work, but what other option did they have? “Fine, let’s do it!”

The Skylanders followed through with Spyro’s plan. By combining the technology of the shielding system and the magic of the book, they were able to create a barrier which would keep anyone but the Skylanders in and out. The heroes could get out in the case of an emergency and back to the Academy to retreat. The plan seemed perfect.

Before the shield was activated, Calliope said her goodbyes and left. She watched as the light blue hexagon patterns appeared around the Academy. Her friendly smile then shifted into a frown as the fairy flew further away. On a small island nearby, yet out of the Skylander’s sight, were Hex and Malefor. They were waiting for her.

As soon as the fairy arrived in front of the two intimidating villains, Malefor opened his dangerously sharp mouth. “What are they planning? Speak, fairy!”

Hex raised her hand to silence the dragon while keeping her eyes on Calliope. “Tell us everything they told you. And don’t even think about lying to me.”

Calliope hesitated. She gulped before licking her lips and revealing the Skylanders’ plan. “They have a shield which will only let the Skylanders through, everyone else is locked out.”

Hex kept her neutral expression while Malefor squinted his eyes. Calliope carefully tried to look behind the witch and giant dragon to see if there was anything there. The fairy put a forced smile on to appeal to the undeads. “And… where are…”

“They’re right here.” Malefor moved his wing aside to reveal Calliope’s family. Her mother, father and three sisters.

Normally Calliope would be happy to see them, but instead she had a look of horror on her face. Her entire family had haunting black eyes and they were slowly moving towards the fairy in an unsettling manner. “Mom… dad… sisters? It’s me, Calliope! I saved-”

Before she could speak another word, the fairy family unleashed ear-piercing screams and threw itself onto its youngest member. Calliope screamed as her family violently attacked her.

Hex watched without a hint of emotions while Malefor’s mouth curved into a sick smile. When Calliope’s screaming ceased, the remaining family members all reverted to their normal state and were horrified to see the fairy’s dead body in front of them with her blood on their hands.

Through the crying and sobbing of the fairy family, Malefor conversed with Hex. “The Skylanders still believe they have the upper hand. What utter fools.” The dragon scoffed.

Hex looked into the distance where the Academy was being protected by the new shield. The place she once considered her home was now nothing more than a fortress filled with ignorant creatures that deserved to suffer. “Their time has run out.”

The witch stretched out her arms which created a light purple fog around the island she was floating on. The cloud grew and spread across the entire sky until it finally reached the Academy. The Skylanders were worried and confused to see the strange fog appear out of nowhere and stick to the shield. Whatever it was, they were prepared to face the worst.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 2 #fanfiction #original story #spyro #cynder #chill #calliope #enigma #knight light

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Chapter 2 is coming to a close, so here's another set of sketches based off some scenes from the last parts! If you'd like to take a better look at my unmasked design for Knight Light, you can check it out here.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #original story #fanart #sprocket #spyro #hex #smash hit #enigma #knight light

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Royal Showdown

The sun was burning down onto the bright yellow sand of the desert. A seemingly endless landscape with no sign of life. In the middle of it was a shimmering golden tank, rolling across the countless layers of sand, boarded by Sprocket. The Skylander has been travelling on the large island for hours looking for the Golden Queen. According to her tracking device, the villain was supposed to be nearby, yet there was nothing other than sand far and wide. After she passed another sandy hill, Sprocket looked through the periscope of her tank and spotted a blurry object in the distance. She thought that it was a mirage at first, but upon closer inspection, the engineer’s mouth formed a wide grin. It was a palace made of pure gold, similar to Golden Queen’s original home in the Golden Desert.

The Skylander drove up to the stairs leading to the glorious entrance. In the cool safety of the building’s large shadow, Sprocket jumped out of her tank and made it disappear. She observed the giant gate decorated with all kinds of ancient symbols and statues that Sprocket has never seen before. “This is it.” The goldling said to herself before putting her goggles on top of her striking red hair and entering the abandoned residence.

The Golden Queen has taken her rightful place on the throne inside the ancient palace. With a greedy smile, she slid her nails across a technological device which, even though it was highly advanced, was eons old. Almost manically she was tapping onto the screen, making a bright sound with each contact. The queen was certain that this would be her key to success, this would finally make her the sole ruler of the Skylands.

Suddenly the goldling heard something in the distance. An echoing explosion, and then another one. The tall woman arose from her chair and summoned two Arkeyan guards. “Go see what’s going on there!” The queen yelled and the robots followed her order.

When the guards reached the hall outside of the throne room, Golden Queen could see one of them being destroyed by bullets. Shockingly, the other one had a mine tossed towards him before exploding into pieces. Surprised and enraged, the queen grabbed her staff and prepared to face her enemy. What she didn’t expect is to see Sprocket walk through the entrance leading to the throne room. The queen gave the intruder a bewildered look before pointing her staff at her. “It’s you! That foolish Skylander that resisted my powers!”

“Still Sprocket to you.” The engineer replied sassily as she gripped her wrench tightly. “You may have tricked us last time, but you can’t hide from me!”

“I was never trying to hide.” Golden Queen laughed. “I was just biding my time until I found another way to destroy you Skylanders and claim all the gold for myself, and now I finally have!”

As much as Sprocket just wanted to beat the greedy woman down with her wrench, that was not the reason she journeyed here all on her own. “Listen Golden Queen, I didn’t come here to fight.”

The queen snickered. “For once a smart decision.”

Sprocket ignored her comment and went on. “Back on the abandoned island, you weren’t able to turn me into a golden statue. From what I’ve heard, that’s never occurred before.”

The Golden Queen’s confident smile melted into a frown. “Why are you asking me this? I know just as much as you do, it’s impossible!” She proceeded to aim a golden ray at Sprocket which once again showed no effect, much to the queen’s dismay.

The Skylander observed her hands and sighed with relief when she saw that she wasn’t frozen. “I tried to find an explanation, but nothing made sense! Perhaps because of that clone you created I somehow became immune, or maybe even my tech. I just-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Golden Queen shouted as her body emitted a bright light, indicating her rage. “I don’t need my powers to defeat some dirty engineer!” After a few moments of tension which the two enemies spent staring at each other with spite, the queen put another sinister smile on. “In fact, I will defeat you with your own weapons!”

Upon those words, the ruler grabbed the device which she was holding earlier and pressed a button. Behind her throne, the large stone wall parted in the middle and revealed an entire army of ancient Arkeyan Conquertrons standing tidily in rows, waiting patiently for their moment to conquer, as their name suggests. Sprocket tumbled into a state of shock. “My family just so happened to have made a deal with the Arkeyans eons ago, granting us hundreds of their Conquertrons. Now that I have finally discovered them, I will use them to obliterate you Skylanders once and for all!”

Sprocket was expecting to find an answer to her question when she came here, not that Golden Queen had the power to destroy every island in the Skylands if she desired. “No, this can’t be…”

“It certainly can.” The goldling kept her shimmering jewel eyes on Sprocket before deciding to unveil another shocking revelation. Only this time it was personal. “I’m sure you’re dying to know how I was able to fix and reactivate those machines. That’s because I received help from someone you might be familiar with.”

Before Sprocket could even begin to wonder who she was talking about, the queen pressed another button which created a hole in the ground near her out of which a figure emerged. The Tech Skylander had to take a close look. She didn’t want to believe her eyes at first, but her goggles never lied. “Uncle?”

The long lost goldling’s head turned into every direction before he finally laid eyes on his beloved niece. “Sprocket? What are you doing here!?”

The engineer moved her goggles onto her head as her eyes began to tear up, while her uncle Oscar was rather shocked to see her there. “What a heartwarming reunion.” Golden Queen interrupted the moment with another wicked laugh before grabbing the goldling next to her. “Kaos thought that he could get away with kidnapping one of the Skylands’ brightest minds, but I taught him better. Your uncle has been my prisoner ever since! My undead minions have always kept watch over him and eventually brought him here. He’s working for me, which includes the reanimation of the Arkeyans.”

“I had no choice Sprocket! She knew who I was, if I refused her orders, she would have hunted you down!” Oscar desperately explained the twisted situation, hoping that his niece could forgive him for aiding the queen.

“None of this is your fault, uncle.” Sprocket didn’t care about what he was forced to do, her anger was only directed at Golden Queen. “I’m just glad I finally found you.” Through the single tear escaping her eye, Sprocket was able to give her family member a smile.

“Enough of this!” Golden Queen’s patience was wearing thin. “Now that my army is set up and ready to attack, I have no use for either of you.” She grinned as her eyes slowly went from Sprocket to Oscar. “At least this time you’ll get to say goodbye.”

Golden Queen raised her hand and charged up another golden blast before she shot it at the engineer, creating a cloud of sparkling dust around him. “No!” Sprocket shouted and stepped forward as she watched the scene in horror. In the moment of the queen’s apparent triumph, something that no one expected occurred. The sparkling cloud vanished, and Oscar was perfectly fine!

“What!?” Golden Queen was glowing again as she stared at yet another failed attempt to freeze her victim. She couldn’t explain it to herself.

Sprocket’s horrified frown soon shifted into a bright smile when she realized that her uncle managed to resist the queen’s powers as well.

“It can’t be! This is impossible!” Golden Queen’s eyes shot between Sprocket and her uncle. What made them immune to her godly powers? Then she remembered something, and the answer struck her like a lightning bolt. “Unless…”

Sprocket stopped her flash of happiness when she spotted the look on the bewildered goldling’s face. Did she finally have the answer she was looking for? “Unless what?”

Golden Queen inhaled and stared at Sprocket. She threw her a look of blank shock and disgust. “There were some who were also able to resist my powers, a long time ago.” Golden Queen had to take another breath before finally revealing the truth. “While my parents turned into solid gold with a single touch, my siblings were immune to those powers. That’s why I had to banish them instead.”

Sprocket’s eyes went from Golden Queen to her uncle, and it didn’t take them long to figure out what that meant. “Wait, does that mean we’re your siblings’-”

“Descendants.” Golden Queen finished the sentence. “We share the same bloodline.” With utter disgust, the queen turned her sight back to Oscar. “And that means you will steal the throne from me, and my precious gold!” She grabbed her relative by the collar of his shirt and tossed him into the pit in front of the platform she was standing on, letting him fall down into the dark depths of the palace.

“Uncle!” Sprocket hurried to the edge of the pit as her uncle’s scream still echoed through the room, but Oscar was gone.

“I won’t let my family take away what’s rightfully mine.” Sprocket lifted her head to give the enraged queen a death glare. “You will not defeat me. Ever!”

And with that, Golden Queen slammed her staff onto the rocks beneath her feet which caused the floor underneath Sprocket to split apart and send her falling down the pit as well. The Skylander screamed as she fell deeper and deeper, until there was nothing left but darkness.

It was all black. Nothing to hear and nothing to see. Slowly a voice grew increasingly louder until the words became clear enough to understand. “Sprocket! Sprocket, wake up!” The Tech Skylander came back to her senses and opened her eyes. Her uncle Oscar’s worried face above her turned into a relieved smile. “Oh, thank the Ancients you’re alright.”

Sprocket pushed her upper body up and observed her surroundings. They were sitting in a pit flooded with sand and tall stone walls wherever she turned. Then she looked back at her uncle and lit up with joy. “Uncle!” She threw her arms around him before the man returned a warm embrace. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Me too kid, me too.” The engineers held onto each other for what felt like an eternity before separating with a smile. “Just look at you! You’re a grown woman!” Oscar had to comment on his niece’s new look. “And I see that you were able to escape the prison you called home.” The last time he saw her she still had long hair and wore tight dresses in favor of her mother.

“Heh, I sure did.” Sprocket completely forgot that her uncle doesn’t even know of her role as a Skylander yet. It made her feel some kind of sadness. She would’ve loved to share every little detail with him throughout her journey. “After the grand raid years ago it all went downhill. They couldn’t afford the luxurious lifestyle anymore and the town was ruined. Many people left, they practically fled. Even mother saw no reason for me to stay there, so she let me go. Of course, she would have preferred for me to get married to a wealthy lord and become a loyal housewife, but she finally accepts me the way I am and supports my dreams.”

Oscar only smiled lightly, but it was a proud smile. “I never thought I’d see the day where she changes for the better.”

There were hundreds of things Sprocket wanted to talk about, but she had to focus on what was going on right now. She turned her head around looking for an exit, but they were trapped. “We have to find a way out of here.” The Tech Skylander got on her feet and started to move all the golden junk out of the way in hopes of finding something that could help them.

“Sprocket, why did you come here?” Oscar lifted himself up as well and questioned his niece while she inspected a bunch of mechanical pieces. “You know how dangerous the Golden Queen is.”

“Well, she’s certainly less dangerous to us than anyone else.” Sprocket reminded her uncle of the fact that they were related to the queen which made them immune to her powers. “Can you believe that we’re members of the royal goldling family?” She stopped her search to give her companion a jarring look. “And I thought being a high-class goldling was bad!”

Oscar giggled. “I’m sure at least your mother will be thrilled to find out.”

The two goldlings laughed before they both continued to look for a way out. Besides some objects turned golden like pots, shackles and even some chompies, there wasn’t much for the inventors to work with. Suddenly, Sprocket noticed a shimmering light in the corner of her eye and turned her head to see a sparkling red jewel buried in the sand. “Hey, what’s that over there?”

The goldlings approached the mysterious object and removed some of the sand around it, just to see that the jewel was attached to some red and golden metal. “Wait, could it be?” Oscar recognized the shape and colors. However, the look on his face indicated that it wasn’t a good thing.

“Stand back.” Sprocket advised her uncle before she placed a mine into the sand nearby and moved away as it exploded, setting the object underneath partially free. After seeing what it was, the Skylander was in awe. “No way!”

The engineers were looking at the head of an Arkeyan Conquertron. It must have fallen down here eons ago and be forgotten. While her uncle had a bad feeling about this, Sprocket was certain that this was their way out.

“I can fix it! Then we can use it to get out of here!” The Tech Skylander didn’t hesitate and used her mechanical skills on the giant robot.

Oscar watched as his eager niece removed some metal plates to get a look at the machinery inside and do everything in her power to reactivate it. As happy as he was to see her living her dreams, he couldn’t let her engage with such a deadly weapon. “Sprocket, we should think about this.”

“Don’t worry uncle, I’ll have this rusty robot working in no time!” The engineer proceeded to remove a few bolts with her wrench and fiddle with some cables and gears.

“No Sprocket, listen. I’ve spent years fixing such machines for the queen, even those Arkeyans recently. If there’s anything I found out about them, is that they’re programmed to destroy, nothing else.” Sprocket slowed her work down while her uncle was explaining his worries, but nevertheless kept going. “We’ll find another way out, but please don’t activate that thing. Who knows what it will do once it awakes?”

Sprocket stopped typing in codes and reconnecting cables from another open part of the Conquertron. She turned her head to her uncle with a doubtful look. “But I can do this! I’ll just reprogram it so it does what we want it to. You have to trust me!”

“I trust you Sprocket but you’re meddling with things you don’t understand!” Oscar watched in fear as his niece returned to her work on the Arkeyan. “I can’t let you do this!”

Sprocket stopped again, only this time she didn’t look at her uncle. “You sound just like her.” Oscar had a worried look on his face before the goldling turned around with rage. “I’m sick of being told what I can’t do!”

Oscar carefully reached out to the angered Skylander. “Sprocket-”

“No, I’m going to fox this!” Filled with new determination, the Skylander got back to work. “Just because every other Arkeyan behaved like that doesn’t mean that this one has to be the same!” With an even quicker pace than before, she went on by dismantling the Conquertron and using her wrench and the energy stored in her left glove to get it working again. “I am going to show you that it can break free and it can be different, no matter what anyone says!” Oscar looked up in surprise when his niece suddenly began glowing in an orange hue. “I will prove that I’m not worthless! I can be whoever I want to be, and I can achieve whatever I set my mind to!”

Oscar had to take some steps back and cover his eyes while Sprocket was fully engulfed in a bright light and began to transform. The light ceased, and Sprocket reappeared with a new look. Her armor has changed from the royal blues to golden orange colors with gears around her wrists and an improved gas bottle on her back. Her wrench gained a striped pattern and golden bolts at the end, making it even more efficient than before. Her golden skin was now a shimmering platinum and she sported goggles with a dashed pattern on them.

While Oscar still had to process his niece’s unexpected transformation, she didn’t even bother to look at herself and instead went on with fixing the Arkeyan. Suddenly, as she was using her new wrench and powered up glove, the robot finally moved. Sprocket took that as a sign and directed the energy source on her glove at the machine. It unleashed a white beam of energy that surged through the bolts and gears of the Conquertron. The entire ground was trembling. The goldlings observed as the Arkeyan rose from the sand and stood in front of them in all its glory, breaking some pieces of the pit in the process. Sprocket wasn’t done however. Changing the beam from a white to an orange color, the Arkeyan began to transform as well. The red metal parts changed their shapes and turned into blue colors instead, only keeping the head red. The entire body was shifting and turning, resulting in an entirely new kind of Arkeyan, one that Sprocket created.

When she was done, the Tech Skylander turned around to face her uncle with a smile until she realized that she has changed as well. Before she could take a proper look at herself, the goldling glowed once more and returned to her regular appearance. “What was that?”

“I’m not sure.” Oscar approached his niece while keeping his eyes on the brand new Arkeyan in front of them and putting his arm around its owner. “But whatever it was, it’s gonna get us out of here.”

Golden Queen was reveling in her triumph. With pride and newfound greed, she looked over her army of Arkeyan Conquertrons. “Today, the Skylands will fall under my power at last!” She let out a manic laugh that echoed throughout the entire palace as the lifeless machines stood there, obediently waiting for an order.

That moment was interrupted by an earthquake which grew stronger with each second. Golden Queen turned around with fury as Sprocket’s Arkeyan burst through the ground in front of her throne. Using the jet engines it possessed on its feet, the Skylander was able to reach new heights and cause more destruction than ever before. “It’s over Golden Queen, give up or we will make you!”

The goldling queen was glowing in a radiant light. “Never! I will not be defeated by some peasants! I will have all the gold in the Skylands!”

Golden Queen ran towards her army of Arkeyans, when suddenly an energy blast was shot from behind her and blew up dozens of the robots. The queen watched in horror as Sprocket destroyed one row after the other, causing the palace to crumble down as well. All until there was nothing left that the Golden Queen could use.

“I tried to warn you, maybe now you’ll finally know when you’ve lost.” Even though the villainess has done terrible things and was too far gone to be redeemed, Sprocket and Oscar decided to spare her and instead leave the palace.

As the goldlings were about to exit, Golden Queen used the arm of one of the destroyed Conquertrons and turned it into liquid gold. She coated her right arm with it, making it grow drastically. After the modified Arkeyan blasted a hole through the ceiling and was about to fly off, Golden Queen used her enlarged arm to grab its leg. She dug her razor-sharp nails into the metal and attempted to drag the Skylander and her uncle down, but they wouldn’t let her win that easily. Sprocket pointed the robot’s arm at the queen and used a laser to cut her enormous arm off. As the goldling shrieked in pain and grabbed what was left of her limb, she gave the Skylander one last spiteful glare before they left through the ceiling and made the entire palace collapse.

Once outside, the Arkeyan turned around so that the engineers could take a look at the ruins. No sign of the Golden Queen nor her Conquertrons, she was finally defeated.

“She had it coming.” Oscar commented and gave his niece a smile, reassuring her that she did what had to be done.

“We can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.” Sprocket added and sighed.

As they were observing the ruins, both goldlings noticed a strange light in the distance. Sprocket decided to get closer and what they saw left them speechless. It was a brown orb in the midst of the ruins, yet it wasn’t buried underneath the debris. Instead the rocks nearby were orbiting it. Neither of them knew what that was, but they knew that they couldn’t just leave it there. Sprocket extended the Arkeyan’s arm and grabbed the mystical object. She enclosed it inside a containment capsule and stored it safely. After taking another look at the destroyed building, the goldlings finally left.

Moments after their departure, another bright light shined through the debris. Suddenly Golden Queen’s shortened arm emerged out of the rocks. Using her ancient powers, she was able to regrow the rest of her arm and smash her hand onto a broken stone. She then pulled her upper body out. Her crown has fallen off her head and strands of her straight golden hair covered part of her face. Never before has she been this furious. “This is not over, Sprocket!”

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #fanfiction #original story #sprocket #golden queen #chapter 2

[skylanders-after-the-end]

The Undead King

Cynder was exploring the underworld all on her own. The dark place she once considered her home awoke many vivid memories, memories she was hoping to forget. But she had to do this, she was the only one Hex would listen to.

“Hello?” The dragoness shouted out when she returned to Malefor’s throne where the Skylanders battled the rogue witch. “Hex?” There was no answer.

The Skylander flew up to the now destroyed throne of the Undead King. How many times she’s returned to this place to tell him about all the chaos she’s caused in her days as the Black Dragon. With a long sigh Cynder passed the chunks of rocks and continued her journey.

The Undead Skylander looked everywhere. The Cadaverous Crypt, the Crawling Catacombs, all places that the Skylanders visited years ago, yet no sign of Hex. Finally, Cynder reached the Creepy Citadel. This was the place where they found the Eternal Undead Source back when they had to rebuild the Core of Light. It was the home of many ancient kings and queens of the underworld, until Malefor took over and claimed the title all for himself. The place has been lonely and forgotten ever since, yet it remained standing in its full dark glory.

Cynder walked across the stone bridge above the dark depths of the underworld. She saw scratch marks carved all over it, a book which has fallen apart, and finally a corpse. A dead body was nothing unusual in the underworld, yet something about this one struck Cynder as strange. There was a staff lying next to it, and upon closer inspection, she realized that the body was fresh. A month at maximum. The faded green skin was decaying, and parts of the skeleton were exposed, but Cynder realized that this person died not long ago. The dragon spotted black veins running across the body as well. She didn’t want to believe it, but Cynder thought that this might have been Hex’ doing. The blue robe and what was left of the elvish ears fit the description of one of her former friends. Would Hex truly kill someone in such a gruesome manner? They treated her badly, but she never expected her to seek revenge to this extent.

A sudden burst of magic in the distance pulled Cynder’s attention away from the lifeless body. She started to believe that this was the place where Hex resided most of the time, since she can only be found outside of the underworld when she was cursing people into becoming bloodthirsty zombies. Determined but also scared, Cynder spread her wings and rose into the air to follow the fading purple light. She was hoping that it wasn’t too late for her friend to have a change of heart.

The remaining Skylanders just returned to the Academy. Wounded after their fight with Hex, they made their way to the hospital, Stealth Elf most of all, before regrouping and discussing further plans with their allies.

Spyro sighed as he was looking his companions in the eyes. “Skylanders, there’s a new threat at hand.”

“Did Malefor escape the underworld?” Nightfall asked with spite in her voice.

“Did Moneybone free him?” High Volt recalled the last time the count posed a threat, when he managed to kidnap Master Eon himself.

“Is there… someone else?” Tidepool was hesitant. She was afraid that her former alliance, the Aqua-Marines, might have finally come out of hiding to strike.

“No… it’s far worse.” Spyro built up tension and had all ears for him. “Hex has turned against us.”

“Hex?” Confused voices could be heard from the crowd. “Is she evil after all? Did Malefor manipulate her? How will we defeat her?”

Questions Spyro couldn’t answer, and that was the problem. Even though they were able to defeat Malefor with their united strength, Hex is even more powerful than him. And their powers combined? Then Spyro remembered something. “An alliance destined to destroy” That’s what the Book of Destiny showed him. Was this it? Will those two form an alliance that is capable of destroying the Skylanders?

Out of the crowd, a worried Spitfire blazed up to Spyro. “Spyro, you have to see this!” The dragon’s eyes were set on the screen that the speed demon held in his hand. What he saw was terrible, but not surprising. “Malefor has ambushed multiple villages while you were gone. Dozens have died and most are left without a home.” The two leaders watched with despair as the monitor kept showing them flashing pictures of the vicious dragon spewing fire at innocent people and burning their towns to the ground.

Spyro became furious. “I’ll take care of this.” With a swift flap of his wings, the Magic Skylander ascended into the skies and soared away from the Academy, leaving his allies confused before they took over to answer everyone’s questions.

Spyro was flying at a speed he’s rarely experienced before. He was fueled by anger and the will to put an end to the Undead King. He recognized the town displayed on the screen, and that’s where he was going. He would no longer allow Malefor to spread fear across Skylands. He may not be able to stop him nor Hex, but he would do everything to protect the people of this world.

Spyro soon reached the village, it was in ruins. People were crying and looking for their loved ones. It was hard for the leader to simply fly past such a scene, but help was already on its way. As much as he wanted to stop, he had other plans and directed his sights back forward with a determined look on his face. After another short flight, he spotted the enormous dragon in the distance. Surrounded by grey clouds and a few small islands, he was heading towards his next target. Spyro wouldn’t allow that.

“Malefor!” The Skylander exclaimed for the Undead King to halt in mid-air. “Stop your tyranny once and for all or face the wrath of the Skylanders!”

Malefor held in before bursting out in laughter. He turned around and flapped his wings to stay in the spot while facing the smaller dragon. “You think you stand a chance against me?”

Spyro responded to that by spitting three fireballs at the dragon. Malefor couldn’t react and got hit by them, which barely had any effect. As a counter, the undead dragon used his tail to whip Spyro against an island, cracking the earth upon impact. “Oh Spyro, how pathetic you’ve become since you joined those Skylanders.”

After shaking off the dirt from his body and getting back into the air, Spyro faced his enemy with confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t remember, I’m aware of that, but you used to be different.” Malefor went on about a story which sounded more like a legend than anything. “You, Cynder and I, we’ve known each other for longer than you might think. We were already bound by fate in another life.”

Spyro had no idea what to make of that information. “That’s nonsense! Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because you need to know what you’ve done to me before I burn you to ashes.” Malefor charged up a powerful flame ball and aimed it at Spyro who was able to dodge it. “I used to be just like you a long time ago, when I was the only and first purple dragon. In the age of the dragons, I discovered that I possessed a far greater power than the rest of my kind, and I did not hesitate to use it. The elder dragons were foolish cowards, they didn’t acknowledge my strength and banished me out of fear. However, I had my ways to return, one of which was Cynder. Then one day some naive purple dragon appeared out of nowhere and swayed my most loyal minion to take me down.” There was so much spite and hatred in Malefor’s words, Spyro almost believed them. “When I was reborn into this world and realized that you did not appear yet, I used that freedom to fulfill my plans. I took Cynder once again and made her my most deadly weapon, I built an undead army that could conquer all of Skylands! Everything was going as planned, until I made the mistake to challenge Hex. I underestimated her, but she was also an opportunity to return and become more powerful than ever before, which I finally have.”

“You’ve manipulated Hex just like Cynder to join you, but you won’t win this time!” Spyro launched himself at the king who took the hit just to pin the Skylander down onto an island with his mighty steel claw.

“Everything Hex is doing is of her own accord, I have no part in her decisions.” Malefor pushed the purple dragon further down and clenched his claw to squeeze his small body. “Perhaps if you had cared enough, she wouldn’t have gone down that path, but that’s exactly what I was expecting. Her hatred set me free and keeps me alive, and sooner rather than later we will reign over the Skylands with fear.”

Spyro used his flame breath to heat up Malefor’s armor and get his claw off him before rising back up. “We will stop you, both of you. There is no villain that was able to defeat us.”

“Then a Skylander might get the job done.” Malefor laughed as he teased Spyro and a battle ensued between the purple dragons.

In the meantime, Cynder has reached the Creepy Citadel and walked through the long hallways inside. A cryptic place, with empty halls and dark corners all around. Spiderwebs, molten candles and skulls decorated the old building, making sure only the bravest would dare to pass.

The dragoness kept looking for the sorceress dressed in black, but without success. Finally, she entered a large room at the heart of the citadel. Judging by the rusty chandeliers above, the torn curtains on the walls and the crumbling chair at the back, it must have been the throne room. The ceiling was broken and cracked, allowing some dim lights from the outside to enter and give the area a mystic touch. When Cynder moved closer to the throne, she could sense someone else arriving and turned around. “Hex!” Cynder wanted to run towards the witch but quickly changed her mind after getting no reaction.

“What are you doing here, Cynder?” Hex was calm. She had no intention of attacking the Undead Skylander, she just wanted her gone.

Cynder sighed after being met with the same cold frown from their last confrontation. Hex was never the cheerful type, but the dragon could tell how unhappy she was now. “Hex, we need to talk.”

“There is nothing to talk about.” Another attempt to get rid of her former ally. “You heard everything, I’m done playing nice.”

“But this isn’t the way, Hex!” Cynder had that desperate look in her eyes which only Spyro and Hex herself have seen before. “I know you. You’re not a villain, you never were.”

“And where has that gotten me?” Hex clenched her fists remembering the countless times where she was rejected by the people she saved. “Those ungrateful pawns are getting what they deserve. They’re getting what they want.”

“Don’t allow them to decide who you have to be, Hex!” Cynder knew too well what it was like to have your fate sealed by someone else, and she could sympathize with Hex on that note. “You were never bothered by those things before, you told me that you didn’t care.”

“I lied, Cynder. Not only to you, but to myself as well.” The witch turned around and stared into the dark abyss of the underworld through a hole in the ground. “I thought I could rise above it. Spend the rest of my days pretending like nothing’s wrong… I couldn’t keep that up anymore.” Hex turned back around to look into Cynder’s worried eyes. “You of all people should know what that’s like. Being painted as the villain, all because of him.”

She was talking about Malefor, Cynder knew right away. “I was a villain.” She hated talking about her dark past, but if there was even the slightest chance of it helping her friend, she was willing to do so. “Malefor manipulated me, but he didn’t force me to do anything. Death and destruction was all I ever knew.” It was such a dark time in Cynder’s life, she couldn’t believe that she was capable of such things. “Ever since I became a Skylander, I tried making up for everything I did, but that wasn’t possible. I hurt people in unimaginable ways, and some will never forgive me for that.” The Skylander also had to deal with not being accepted. Even though it wasn’t to such an extreme extent due to not being recognized as the Black Dragon, it didn’t hurt any less. “I learned to live with the fact that I am a villain to some, but I found the ones who are able to look past that and they helped me to become the best version of myself. My true self.”

“Good for you.” Hex’ sarcastic response was as dry as the bones scattered throughout the room. “I didn’t get that privilege, not after centuries. The Skylanders may tolerate me, but they never trusted me.”

Hex turned away once more and Cynder was running out of options. “I understand what you’re going through Hex, trust me I do. You’re angry and you have a right to be, but that’s no excuse to do the things you’re doing.” Cynder was careful with the words she chose, she could tell that Hex was on the verge of good and bad. “It’s not too late to fix this. I won’t lie to you, you will have to face the consequences, but if you stop now-”

“I’ve been facing consequences my entire life!” For the first time, Hex raised her voice and revealed a glimpse of the deep rage that’s been growing inside of her. “Do I need to remind you that without me Malefor would have destroyed you all months ago? The Skylands might have been an undead wasteland by now if it wasn’t for me! What I’m doing now may be bad, but I prevented far worse before.”

Cynder was shocked to hear those sentences. “I’m sorry Hex, but you don’t get to use your good deeds to justify this.” She has been patient with the witch so far, but it looked like she had to use another tone to get through to her. “I am grateful for the things you’ve done, but I can’t let you do this. Innocent people are dying by your hand!”

“And why should I care?” Hex kept her voice down, which terrified the dragon far more than any shouting. “You never had to worry about your actions, they didn’t throw you into prison for all the things you did.”

Cynder had no response to that. She didn’t expect the sorceress to go there. “Hex, please-”

“Enough, Cynder! I have made my decision and you can’t change that. I have tried being a hero for far too long, there is no use.” In a moment of silence, Hex looked at Cynder and saw how worried she was. She despised the Skylanders, but she did share a special bond with the dragon, one even her hatred couldn’t diminish. “You can try to stop me, but I assure you that none of you will be prepared for what’s to come. However, you could be.”

Cynder gave Hex a strange look. “What do you mean?”

“Join me, Cynder.” Hex got straight to the point and made her offer. “The Skylanders’ final days are upon us. Once they’ve perished, you won’t have anywhere to go. By my side you wouldn’t have to be afraid of anything, not even Malefor.”

Cynder thought she was in a wild dream after hearing that. “Are you insane!?” The dragon shook her head and threw the witch a disbelieving look. “My days of evil are over! You may have submitted to Malefor, but I will never go back there! Never!”

“You think I submit to him?” Hex expected Cynder to know better than that, but she was disappointed. “Malefor is at my mercy. I have full control over him, and he only does what I allow him to. You wouldn’t even have to see him.”

“I’m not joining you!” Cynder was hopeless. She couldn’t think of anything else to tell her former friend. “I won’t fight you Hex, you know that, but if you continue like this, we will stop you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Hex gave the dragoness a last glaring look before she spread her wings and left the citadel.

Cynder soared away looking for the exit of the underworld. That conversation was not what she had hoped for. The Hex she once knew, who was always there to listen to her problems and support her, was gone. The woman she just saw was a vengeful witch, whose only interest is to destroy the living world for wronging her throughout all those years.

Spyro crashed onto another island. A stinging pain rushed through the dragon’s entire body as he opened his eyes and dashed away before a blast of spectral fire could consume him. He ascended back into the skies and used his own flame breath to strike Malefor, who easily blocked the attack.

“You hope to defeat me with such pitiful blows? You do remember that I’m immortal, right?” Malefor grinned and whipped his entire body around to strike Spyro with his tail.

After the painful counterattack, the Magic Skylander struggled to keep himself in mid-air to answer. “I don’t care! We will find a way to stop you, with or without Hex!” Spyro charged another powerful fireball and aimed it at Malefor, who easily brushed it off after getting hit.

The large dragon laughed sinisterly. “That’s the point, Spyro. You can only defeat me without Hex!”

“What?” Spyro knew that they were somehow linked, but he also thought that the witch was the only one capable of defeating him. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple. I am being kept alive by Hex’ powers. The only way to get rid of me, is to get rid of her.” Malefor had a sick smile on his face, almost as if he wanted Spyro to follow his instructions. “You have to kill her.”

Spyro didn’t want to believe that. Hex may have turned against the Skylanders, but they would never kill one of their own, not even a villain for that matter. “Not a chance! I won’t fall for your tricks!”

“Best of luck defeating both of us then.” The Undead King flapped his large wings to create strong gusts of wind and push Spyro as far away as possible. “The Skylanders will fall, and the Skylands will finally bow to their rightful ruler, the Undead King!” With those words Malefor turned around and flew away from the small collection of islands. Spyro attempted to follow him, but the dragon was gone in the blink of an eye.

After the unsuccessful confrontation with Malefor, Spyro returned to the Academy, where countless reports of more possessed creatures ringed through the headquarters. Cynder arrived before him, she was talking to Stealth Elf and a few other allies. Spyro joined in on the conversation.

“Cynder, what’s all the fuzz about?” The Magic Skylander approached the small group.

“There you are Spyro.” Cynder turned her head to her friend to explain. “I tried talking to Hex, but nothing I said got through to her. I’ve never seen her like that before.” Cynder’s heart was heavy while proclaiming the news, but she had to put the safety of the Skylands first. “I’m afraid we have no choice… we have to take her down.”

“I already thought so…” Spyro didn’t want to tell the others what he heard from Malefor. While some might not even argue against it, Cynder would be devastated if they had to murder one of her former best friends. Not to mention that it was forbidden for a Skylander to kill unless there’s no other choice. “We must find a way to defeat Hex first, that is the only way to stop Malefor as well.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Stealth Elf was ready to fight, but she knew firsthand what the undeads were capable of. “They’re the most powerful undead beings in Skylands, we won’t stand a chance against both of them.”

Spyro was doubtful as well. They may outnumber them by a hundred, yet the power of the witch and the dragon was unmatched. A fight against them combined would be a bloodbath. “We will find a way, we always do! We just have to come up with something else.”

While the group split up to attend to other business, Spyro remained where he was. He never hoped for anything like this to happen. It was a dangerous threat and truly the first one which had the potential to end the Skylanders. “An alliance destined to destroy” Spyro repeated that sentence in his head. He was afraid that those words might stand for the future they were about to witness.

Down at the Creepy Citadel, Malefor returned from his meeting with the leader of the Skylanders after Hex spent the rest of the day corrupting more people than ever before. As much as the two despised each other, they had no choice but to work together. For Hex to keep Malefor under her control, and for him to eventually rule the Skylands.

“When are we going to bring the Skylanders down?” Malefor grew bored of terrorizing simple townsfolk and finally wanted to unleash his wrath upon his sworn enemies. “Now that they know, it’s only a matter of time until they try to stop you.”

“Patience, Malefor. We have to pressure them before we strike.” Hex advanced her plan with each passing day, and she wouldn’t let Malefor interfere with it. “Fear is our greatest ally, we have to use it to break the Skylanders. Only then may we be able to defeat them.” Hex was looking across the walls and floors of the citadel, gazing upon the dark cave surrounding them. The place she once feared and hated so much has now become her new home. “Then I will finally get my revenge.”

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #chapter 2 #spyro #malefor #cynder #hex #original story #fanfiction

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Witch Hunt

„That doesn’t make any sense!” Spyro was marching from left to right, shaking his head. “Why would Hex work with Malefor and attack innocent people?”

“We saw her transform those molekin into the same monsters as the mabu you found, it was her all along.” Knight Light wasn’t sure why, but he had no doubts about Hex being behind all this.

“Why would she do that?” Spyro stopped and considered all the odds. “What if Malefor is controlling her as well?”

“She didn’t have black eyes.” Smash Hit, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, was looking straight forward and talked. “She looked at us and then disappeared.”

“Malefor must have convinced her to join him after all.” Stealth Elf argued. “She spent months with him, who knows what he told her.”

“Guys, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. It has to be a misunderstanding.” Cynder was probably the most shocked to hear the news. Hex was one of her closest friends, she was always like a sister to her. For her to join the side of their mortal enemy, unimaginable. “If we could just talk to her-”

“Talk to Hex? Good luck with that.” Stealth Elf hissed. “She’s always been distant from us. I’m honestly not surprised that she would turn out to be evil.”

“You don’t know what she’s been through!” Cynder couldn’t stand by and listen to all those accusations. Someone had to defend the Undead Skylander. “We’re to blame as well! We left her with Malefor all this time and just ignored the problem instead of facing it!”

“We had more important things to do!” Stealth Elf turned around and looked the furious dragon in the eyes. “She went with him willingly. She’s the only one with the power to keep Malefor at bay, what were we supposed to do?”

“Calm down!” Smolderdash stepped between the rage engulfed Skylanders. “Fighting over this will not solve anything. We have to do something.”

“This outcome is logical.” Gearshift spoke and directed all attention to her. “Hex has spent centuries in solitude, rejected by society. Her lack of companionship among the Skylanders and cold nature increased the likeliness of her eventually turning against everyone.”

“You know, I never understood why people are so scared of her.” Roller Brawl was sitting on top of a golden fence at the side of a small bridge in the Academy. “I’m a vampire with actual roller blades, yet no one seems to mind me.”

“Everyone has a reputation RB.” Cynder has been thinking about that issue a lot, and she had her own theory on it. “Everyone used to be afraid to death of any undead, but seeing more and more undead Skylanders and other harmless undead creatures, things changed. Even I got accepted at some point.” Cynder could feel her mouth forming a smile after talking about the positive changes that came from such a dark place. Yet that smile soon faded away. “But Hex… there were always rumors surrounding her, about Malefor and making deals to gain more power. And besides that, she just has this eerie presence. Even I felt unsettled at first.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Stealth Elf used the opportunity to convince the others of her mindset. “We have to get to the bottom of this, isn’t that right Spyro?”

Spyro didn’t even listen to the elf, he could only think about Hex. He made it his duty to make every Skylander feel comfortable and part of the team when he became the leader. Even though she always avoided contact, he did get to talk to the witch a few times. She was aloof, never showing a smile or being considerably kind, but sometimes he could see something in her eyes. A looming sadness, as if she had lost something a long time ago.

“Spyro?” Stealth Elf pulled the dragon out of his trip down memory lane.

“Of course.” He looked through the group of patient eyes waiting for an order. “We will find Hex and talk to her. We won’t attack her until we know what’s going on, she’s still one of us.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Stealth Elf found that to be the most sensible option, though she was always ready to fight.

“I’ll come with you, maybe seeing a fellow undead will make her realize that she isn’t alone.” Roller Brawl got off the fence and sharpened her skates on the rock floor underneath.

“I’m coming too.” Smolderdash grabbed her whip which she had put to the side and was ready for a new mission.

“Knight Light?” Spyro looked over to the angelic human, expecting him to tag along as usual.

“You know it.” The Trap Master pulled out his scimitar and spread his glorious wings.

“Then let’s go Skylanders!” Spyro headed out, followed by the group of heroes. Gearshift and Smash Hit stayed behind. The warsupial has been awfully quiet since their fight with Malefor and sported wounds all over his body.

“You should visit the hospital to have your wounds looked at.” Gearshift advised the Supercharger.

“I’ll sit it out, I don’t need some potions and rainbow magic.” Smash Hit refused.

Gearshift noticed his drastic change in behavior, nothing she hasn’t seen before with other Skylanders. “Suit yourself.” The robot left without another word, leaving the grumpy Earth Skylander alone.

The Skylanders began their journey on an airship. They decided to go straight to the underworld, since Hex and Malefor were only seen outside of it for their brief ambushes. Only a few of the heroes have been to the land of the undead. Of course, Cynder knew the place like the back of her claw and helped navigating the ship. They visited the most prominent places down there but had no luck with finding the undeads. While the others tried to figure out the way, Spyro noticed Cynder retreating to the edge of the ship. It has become a habit of hers to sink into deep and thoughtful moments during such rides.

“Mind if I join?” Cynder turned her head around and smiled after seeing Spyro before the dragon sat down next to her. “You look unhappy.”

“How couldn’t I?” Cynder looked at the dark cave like structures surrounding them. “Something’s wrong with Hex. We don’t know what, but we have to help her. I won’t believe that she’s turned evil until I see it.” The dragoness kept staring at the dark rocks they were passing. The place she used to consider her home seemed so foreign now, like she’s only visited it during her nightmares. “You’ve known her as long as I have, she’s always been trustworthy.”

“She has.” Spyro had to give the witch that. Yet he wasn’t innocent when it came to judging her. “But she’s been down here for months and we…”

“We didn’t help her. She has every right to be mad.” Cynder understood what the witch went through, since she also spent such a long time with Malefor in the underworld. “The Skylanders never leave anyone behind, that’s one of the first rules and we broke it.”

“There was nothing we could do. Malefor is invincible and Hex was the only one who could restrain him.” Spyro repeated the things Stealth Elf said earlier that day. And even though he didn’t want to admit it, he also wanted to forget about the dragon king. “Not to mention that we had the Golden Queen to worry about.”

“And what good did that do? She didn’t do anything while Hex was down here suffering and Malefor plotted his next steps.” The purple dragoness sighed. “I know what that’s like.”

Spyro put his paw on Cynder’s shoulder to show her that he’s there for her and that he will do everything he can to fix this.

“We’re here!” Smolderdash exclaimed upon reaching the next destination – Malefor’s throne.

The Skylanders all gathered at the front of the ship to take a look at the ancient monument. It was a giant chair, large enough for a dragon like Malefor to sit on, made of dangerously sharp rocks at the top to intimidate anyone who dares to come here. A single opening above let a dim pillar of light fall onto the throne, making it appear even more glorious and threatening.

The ship landed and the six Skylanders set foot on the cold dark ground in front of the cliff the throne was positioned on. They carefully observed the area, looking for any sign of life, which wasn’t an easy task in the underworld. Suddenly a purple cloud of smoke appeared right in front of the throne. All eyes were fixed on it before it vanished, and a familiar figure emerged.

“Hex!” Cynder cried out to her friend, who floated in place without a hint of emotions. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Hex looked at the Skylander who came running towards her. “It’s good to see you again, Cynder.” The dragon’s smile eventually faded when the sorceress continued. “Again, after letting me rot here for months.”

Cynder didn’t know what to say. Hex was rightfully angry, and there was no justification for the Skylanders’ dismissiveness. The rest of the team joined Cynder’s side and stared at the witch, who was clearly displeased to see them.

“Hex, what happened? What’s with all those possessed people and Malefor?” Spyro was hoping that Hex would have a reasonable explanation, but after everything he’s heard, his hopes were low.

“What happened is that I finally realized who I truly am.” Hex had a sinister tone in her voice, one the Skylanders have never heard before. “You must be confused and scared, but that was the point.”

“So you are evil after all!” Stealth Elf had already grabbed her daggers and was ready to strike the witch.

“After all?” Hex repeated that last part. Proof that the Skylanders were just like her old friends and all those ungrateful people she used to protect. “After all the things I’ve done for you? After always putting others first and sacrificing myself for you, I’m evil after all that?”

Spyro gave Stealth Elf a stern look after her reckless accusation. “Hex, let’s talk about this. You’re not evil, you never were.” The dragon desperately tried to calm the witch down after realizing his mistakes and wanted to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. “I know we neglected you and I am truly sorry that things ended up like this, but please think about what you’re doing. It’s not too late.”

“No, it is too late.” Hex made a dramatic pause, leaving the others to wonder what she was about to say next. “It’s been too late a long time ago.” The sorceress began to lift herself further up into the air, looking like she was on Malefor’s throne. “After hundreds of years of me always trying to prove that I am the person I used to be, nothing has changed.” She clenched her fists remembering all the times she was judged and harassed only because of her appearance. “You mortal creatures are so quick to jump to conclusions you don’t even think about what you say or do. After joining the Skylanders I thought the world would finally see that I’m not the villain, but I was wrong. Even you Skylanders didn’t trust me, or simply didn’t care.” Hex then turned her head to direct her sight towards Cynder. “Yet you’ve accepted the Black Dragon.” Receiving angered and somewhat scared looks, Hex continued. “But I kept on trying. It’s true I was never the most eager Skylander, but I always did what was right. And what did I get? Ungrateful looks and hostile mumbles.” Hex descended from the heights she’s reached and floated closer to the ground in front of the throne again. “Those days are over.”

Roller Brawl skated in front of the line of Skylanders and spoke up. She did join Hex on a fair amount of missions and considered her a friend, regardless of her cold behavior. “Going nuts on the Skylands will only make things worse. Please, if you just-”

“Do you think I want to make things better?” Hex sounded almost insulted. “You don’t deserve that. No matter what I did it was always wrong, you would always see me as someone with wicked intentions.” After taking a moment to cool off, Hex decided to get to the point. “No, I will give you exactly what you want, what everyone wanted for centuries. I will be the villain that everyone wants me to be.”

“I’ve heard enough!” Stealth Elf clenched her daggers and sprinted towards the witch.

“Elf, wait!” Spyro shouted after her, but the assassin didn’t listen.

Stealth Elf was running across the dark ground as she approached the cliff. Meanwhile Hex summoned a couple of orbs and aimed them at her, which the Skylander was able to dodge. Before reaching the cliff, Stealth Elf launched herself into the air and was about to strike Hex down with her blades. The witch remained calm and lifted her hand to engulf the elf with her dark magic before tossing her back on the ground.

The team watched in shock as Stealth Elf was trying to push herself up through her painful coughs, but once she did, she was ready to strike again. Knight Light decided to help his ally and ascended into the air before speeding towards Hex as well. The sorceress created a circle of skulls around her waist and launched them one after the other at the knight. He was able to destroy two of them with his scimitar and wings, but the other ones were able to hit and bring him down as well.

“You give us no choice Hex, this has to stop!” Spyro declared before he and the rest of the group joined the fight as well.

Cynder was the only one who stayed behind. She watched in horror as one of her closest friends was shooting down one Skylander after the other. It was hard to see her give in to the darkness, especially since she’s been there as well. “Guys, Hex, stop it! This won’t fix anything!”

“There is no fixing this!” Stealth Elf was thrown backwards and landed right next to the dragoness. She stopped for a second to look into Cynder’s eyes. “Now even you have to see who she truly is.”

Cynder couldn’t argue against that, but neither did she want to hurt Hex. Stealth Elf groaned before jumping back into action.

Smolderdash managed to float at eye height with Hex. The fiery humanoid created a ball of fire before whipping it towards Hex, who stopped it by catching it with her undead magic and transforming it into spectral fire. She threw it back at the Skylander, who was unable to react and got hit by it. After shaking the attack off, Smolderdash dashed through the air while turning her upper body to go after Hex with her whip. The witch was able to move back in time, allowing the whip to create a trail of fire in front of her instead. Hex kept her eyes on the flames. A grim reminder of the day where she was nearly burned alive by those she once trusted. That only fueled Hex’ hatred further and the sorceress aimed at one of the stalactites above Smolderdash, causing it to crumble down onto the heroes.

The Skylanders were able to move aside before it crushed them, but chunks of rocks which broke off managed to hit them nevertheless. Roller Brawl, being the fastest member of the group, was passing all obstacles, attempting to reach Hex. Even though the witch used to be her friend, after what she just heard and saw, the roller jammer didn’t feel the urge to hold back. With her sharp skate blades, she was able to go up the cliff and reach Hex, who gave her another cold look as if she never truly cared about her. Roller Brawl skated as fast as she could and tried to slice the witch with her roller claws to subdue her, but Hex didn’t make it easy. She was floating around Roller Brawl’s movements all while shooting her projectiles. Each orb got closer to hitting the vampire, until one finally did. The Undead Skylander was catapulted down the cliff. Before she hit the ground, Knight Light swooped in to catch the skater and gently put her down.

Spyro used his wings to keep himself in the air. Hex summoned countless orbs and skulls to launch at her former allies. Even though they outnumbered her, the witch’s magic was superior to all their combat skills. She blocked and evaded all attacks and countered with blows that always ended up hitting them. “Stop this Hex!” The leader has had enough of the sorceress’ fury.

While casting her spells, the witch paused to look up at the angered dragon. Once all Skylanders landed on the ground, she proceeded to raise both of her arms and make spiky bones shoot out of the ground everywhere. She was able to catch all the Skylanders besides Spyro and Cynder in between them, interrupting the fight and piercing some of them in the process. Cynder gasped in the background and prayed for the witch to come back to her senses. Hex lowered her arms and glared at Spyro menacingly. “Or what?”

“Or I will make you.” With his deepest and most serious voice, Spyro attempted to stop Hex through intimidation, but she remained unbothered.

“You think you can stop me?” Hex wasn’t the type to gloat, but since she was turning on the Skylanders, she wanted to let them know what they were up against. “Five of you Skylanders were no match for me, yet you hope to defeat me on your own?”

“You leave me no choice!” Spyro inhaled with all his might to charge up the powerful daybringer flame.

When the dragon unleashed the great ball of fire at the witch, she used her powers to color it purple and redirect it behind herself, destroying Malefor’s throne. Hex floated in front of the flickering mix of orange and purple flames, summoning a skull to aim at Spyro. Surprised that she was able to avoid his attack, the dragon was unable to dodge hers and fell to the ground.

The witch looked at the collection of fallen heroes beneath her. Even though she has beaten them all to the ground multiple times, they were still fighting to break free from the bones, and Spyro didn’t give up just yet. Hex soon noticed that Stealth Elf behaved awfully calm and remained inside the bony fortress, even though she could have easily escaped thanks to her agility. When the sorceress saw that there was hay coming out of one of the cuts on the elf’s body, she knew what was going on. Instantly, the witch turned around just in time as Stealth Elf exited her invisible state and pounced towards the witch, her blades gripped tightly. Right before she could strike, Hex reached out to grab the elf by her throat, cancelling the attack and choking her.

“No!” Spyro yelled upon seeing the scene. “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

Stealth Elf was like paralyzed, she was unable to move and couldn’t break free from Hex’ grasp. The witch tightened her grip and colored the Life Skylander’s veins along her neck black. “You will leave the underworld and not repeat another attempt to stop me.” She pressed even harder against Stealth Elf’s throat, who could only release a pained moan. “Or the elf will pay the price.”

“Spyro.” Cynder called after her friend with worried eyes. It seemed as if she suggested that he does as Hex says.

Spyro was angry, but also afraid. He couldn’t let Stealth Elf die, but he had to stop Hex. Time was running out as the black veins spread further across the elf’s body and her skin became paler with each passing second. “We’ll leave! Let her go!”

Just what Hex wanted to hear. She dropped Stealth Elf on the ground, who coughed and breathed hastily as the dark veins faded and her skin gained its color back. Spyro flew up to his friend and picked her up while making deadly eye contact with Hex. The witch moved her hands in a downwards motion to lower the bones around the Skylanders. Wounded and devastated, the team gathered to give their former ally one last disappointed look before turning around and leaving. Cynder stayed a little longer to look at Hex. Unlike the others, she showed only sadness after seeing the transformation of her friend. Finally, Hex turned around and left as well.

Cynder remained standing there until she could hear Spyro calling for her and hurried to catch up with the others. When the Skylanders returned to their airship and were about to head back, Cynder stopped in front of it.

“Cynder, are you coming?” Spyro asked on top of the ship, looking down on his fellow dragon.

“No.” Cynder responded. “I have something to do here.”

Spyro’s eyes widened and he was overrun by a feeling of fear again. “Cynder, please-”

“I have to, Spyro! I know that there’s still good in her!” Even though her actions spoke volumes, the dragoness who once walked the same path as Hex was certain that she could get through to her. “You would do the same thing for me.”

Spyro had dozens of reasons to keep Cynder from staying in the underworld, but looking into her eyes, he knew that he could trust her. And after all, Hex didn’t attack her. With a long sigh, he finally gave in. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” Cynder gave her friend a reassuring smile before the ship set off and the Skylanders left.

Cynder turned back around and stared at the enormous entrance of the place that used to be her home. Malefor used her once and he’s using Hex now, but the Skylander would not give up on her friend that easily.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #fanfiction #original story #hex #cynder #spyro #stealth elf #roller brawl #smolderdash #knight light

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Destination Destiny

Gearshift, Smash Hit and Knight Light were in the middle of a journey through a barren wasteland. The robotic Trap Master was sitting next to the Supercharger in his enormous Thump Truck, which was excellent for such a terrain, while the angelic knight soared alongside them.

“We should reach our destination in approximately twelve minutes and thirty-two seconds.” Gearshift delivered her inhumanly precise calculations as usual.

“Wow, this really is like having a navigation system!” Smash Hit never interacted with the Tech Skylander before, yet he was pleasantly surprised by her behavior. “Gearshift, tell me how many fries I can fit in my mouth!”

“Zero. Because telling you the answer to such a nonsensical question is not part of the mission. Thus, I will not count a single potential fry.” Without the blink of an eye, Gearshift silenced the warsupial and left him disappointed.

Knight Light snickered as he spread his wings further to keep himself in the air. “She may be a highly advanced robot, but she has a mind of her own. She’s a Skylander after all.”

Smash Hit sighed. “Guess I’ll have to find out myself then.”

The trio soon arrived at Molekin Mountain. Ever since the Skylanders’ visit during the time when Kaos tried to claim the Fist of Arkus, the town has been quite peaceful. The friendly molekin greeted the Skylanders cheerfully as they entered the town.

“What’s the deal here? Everything seems fine to me.” Knight Light asked his companions since he, once again, simply tagged along and had no idea what the mission was about.

“A resident molekin can help us get to the all-knowing Oracle, which can tell us where the Golden Queen is located.” Gearshift carefully scanned the area looking for said molekin.

Smash Hit leaned his head past the tall robot to look the equally tall knight in the eyes, or mask in that case. “To keep it short – we ran out of ideas.”

“This hunt really seems to have no end.” The Light Skylander grumbled and wondered what he would do once they finally found the villainess. “Maybe it’s for the better.”

Keeping their eyes peeled and asking around, the Skylanders were looking everywhere for the molekin known as Barnsy. Unknowing to them, some dark forces nearby were lurking and waiting for the right moment to disturb the peace in the rocky town.

Meanwhile at the Academy, Spyro was conversing with Boom Bloom and Wild Storm, who told him about their latest mission and the horrific ambush they experienced. The leader nodded and dismissed the Senseis, before Star Strike floated up to him.

“Spyro, if I’m not bothering, could I talk to you for a second?” The alien has been passively concerned with the current problem that the Skylanders were facing and recently had an idea.

Spyro took a deep breath and tried to take his mind off the information he just received. “Please don’t tell me you saw more possessed people trying to kill you.”

“…No.” Star Strike said to Spyro’s relief. “About that though, I thought there might be a way how we could solve that problem more easily, or at least prevent worse things from happening. Same goes for the Golden Queen situation.”

“I’m listening.” Even though there was a lot to do, Spyro was willing to hear his fellow Magic Skylander’s suggestion.

“You already know about the Book of Destiny.” Star Strike began, which immediately sparked Spyro’s interest, as he’s always been very intrigued by the mystical artifact. “Even though we can’t access the Interdimensional Realm anymore, we came up with another way to get to the book.”

“We?” Spyro was confused since only Star Strike was present.

Out of nowhere, Enigma, Déjà Vu and Mysticat appeared next to cloaked being through magical entrances, making Spyro jump up in surprise.

“You seriously need to stop doing that!” The dragon breathed heavily while the mist and sparks the magicians created faded away.

As soon as Spyro was back on his feet, Enigma began to talk. “We may not be able to get to the book directly, and not in this moment.” He glared over to Déjà Vu who nodded confidently. “But we know where and when it was, and we can use our combined magic to get us to the exact place and the exact time when it was there.”

Spyro wasn’t quite sure if he understood everything. “You’re suggesting we travel through time and space?”

“Exactly.” Mysticat answered. “Enigma’s teleportation, Déjà Vu’s time manipulation and my illusions, we can project ourselves right in front of the book and read it.”

Spyro needed a moment to process everything and make sense of the sorcerers’ plan. “And where exactly was the book?”

Everyone looked over to Star Strike, whose head sunk after hearing the question. “My home.”

“We can only perform this spell for a very short time and in a limited space.” Mysticat explained further. “All we can do is look into the book.” The feline has heard of the alien’s wish to return home, but he made it clear that there was no way she could even see her old planet during this procedure.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s read that book!” Eager and full of new hope, Spyro dashed off. He didn’t even know where he had to go, but he assumed that it would have to be somewhere more private.

“Who knew that Spyro was such a bookworm?” Déjà Vu joked as they followed their leader.

Traversing through the long and dark tunnels the molekin have dug over the years, the Skylanders were on their way to the top of Molekin Mountain, looking for Barnsy. Smash Hit made a short stop at a store with rock candy, a specialty in the area. Little did the Earth Skylander know that those were actual rocks rather than candy.

“Did you know that molekin eat rocks?” Smash Hit was rubbing his left cheek to ease the pain after biting one of the minerals. “Whirlwind won’t be happy about my second visit this week.”

“How do you always manage to turn every excursion into a comedy show?” Knight Light giggled and looked down on his short ally who rolled his healthy eye.

“I just like to explore places. Discover new things, y’know? As a Skylander you barely have time for that stuff.” Smash Hit was happy with his job, yet at times he felt overwhelmed by the quick pace and stress of the missions. “If you asked me, we would never have to find the Golden Queen, I love travelling to all these places!”

“Yeah, I guess there’s a good side to all of this.” Knight Light on the other hand preferred when there was a strict schedule. Not only due to the current pressure from his former superiors, but he has always been the proactive type to get out there and fulfill his duty. “And this Oracle, it can tell us anything?”

“Everything.” Gearshift corrected the Trap Master. “The Oracle, also known as Octavius Cloptimus, is an all-knowing being. It will be able to answer all of our questions, which is exactly what we need in this time of uncertainty.”

The team was quiet and only the sound of their steps across the dry rock ground could be heard. “Do you think it can tell me how many fries I can fit in my mouth?”

Knight Light laughed as Gearshift stopped and turned around to look at her allies. She stared at Smash Hit, coldly, without moving an inch. The Skylanders thought there was a malfunction until she finally opened her mouth. “It can.”

When the robot turned back around, Smash Hit clenched his fist triumphantly and exclaimed a silent ‘Yes’.

The trio has reached the circular stone house of the molekin in question. Gearshift knocked on the small door before ducking down to the point where she was nearly on her knees and entering. Knight Light did the same but struggled with getting his wings through the entrance. Smash Hit on the other hand only had to bend his head down to enter. Inside the small building, the taller Skylanders cowered next to Smash Hit, looking at Barnsy, who was standing in front of a window with his back turned towards the heroes.

“Barnsy, we’re sorry to intrude into your home like this, but we have an urgent mission and require your help.” Knight Light spoke to the small creature who kept staring out the window. “If you could-”

Gearshift grabbed the angel’s arm to stop him. “Something is not right.” She fixed her eyes on the molekin and inspected him.

They all looked at Barnsy, waiting for him to show a reaction, until he finally turned his head to reveal a pair of lifeless black eyes.

The male Skylanders gasped while Gearshift proceeded to roll backwards and out of the house before making her Traptanium gear appear. While Smash Hit swiftly followed the Trap Master and Knight Light once again had to squeeze his wings through the door, the molekin unleashed terrifying screams. Looking across the town, the Skylanders spotted all of the molekin running in complete panic and fleeing from their homes. Before they could interfere, a gigantic figure landed right in front of them and blocked their path.

The team slowly moved their heads upwards as an enormous shadow covered them. “Oh boy.” Smash Hit gulped and hesitantly pulled out his chain and boulder, while Knight Light flipped his wrist to make his scimitar appear.

The undead dragon Malefor towered over the three who appeared like mere toys compared to him. The dragon grinned before opening his sharp mouth and spitting a spectral flame at them.

In the Magic Realm, the most mystical location nearby the Academy, Spyro, Star Strike, Enigma, Déjà Vu and Mysticat have gathered to perform the spell that would lead them to the Book of Destiny.

“And you’re sure this will work?” Spyro was still a bit skeptical. “There isn’t anything dangerous about this, right?”

“It can only become dangerous if we separate or someone interrupts the spell.” Enigma was observing his Traptanium sigil to make sure everything was in-tact. “We get there, take a look at the book and come back here.”

Star Strike was awfully quiet, she seemed to be lost in thoughts. The alien knew that she couldn’t get back home through the spell, yet she was hoping that there could be an exception. Just this once.

“Then we can begin.” Mysticat summoned his staff and prepared himself.

The three sorcerers formed a circle around Spyro and Star Strike. They all held their respective staffs and recited a spell in unison. The weapons began to glow and each of their powers combined created a magical pattern on the floor underneath them, which the two Magic Skylanders watched in awe. Suddenly they were engulfed by a purple fog which was spinning around them like a hurricane. Even though the wind was tearing at them mercilessly, the magicians stood strong without interrupting the spell. Spyro began to feel dizzy when he saw lights flashing all around him and he felt like he was rushing at lightning speed. It was a sensation he has never felt before and all of his senses were overstimulated. It felt like his head would explode any second. All of a sudden, it stopped. The Skylanders opened their eyes and found themselves in a small house with book shelves covering every wall. In the center was a podium. A pillar of light coming from above lit up the many golden accents of the giant brown book on top of it.

“This is it.” Spyro was about to step closer when he saw that the sorcerers were still holding their staffs tightly and focused on keeping the spell up. Star Strike was by his side, but that wasn’t enough. “Uh, guys? If you don’t mind, maybe one of you could take a look as well. You said there should always be multiple people looking into it to see more outcomes.”

“Right.” Enigma grunted and had to hold himself together to keep the spell up. “Can you two manage on your own?” He looked over to Mysticat and Déjà Vu who were just as tense as himself.

“I can freeze the spell for a moment, that will give us some time. But you’ll have to hurry.” With those words Déjà Vu lifted her hourglass above her head which emitted a blue surge of time energy. The timelord could move freely now and look inside the book as well, but Mysticat had to keep the illusion up. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t worry about me. Go ahead.” The feline reassured them of his ability to hold everything together for some more time.

“Alright, let’s do it.” Enigma joined Spyro’s side while Déjà Vu stood next to Star Strike.

The four Skylanders approached the book until they were standing in front of it, yet nothing happened. Before anyone could speak, the artifact swung itself open and the pages shot from one side to the other. They could see everything. Glimpses of the past, pictures of the present and visions of the future. The book was overwhelming for anyone, they had to focus to only see the future. Star Strike however looked up for a moment and lost the visions. Instead, she set her eyes on a window. A small, unimportant window that allowed her a look outside. Her home. It was right there, she could finally see it again after so many years. While the others were busy with the book and Mysticat closed his eyes to concentrate on the spell, the alien removed herself from the group to float towards the window. She was like hypnotized, she could not control her movements. She knew that they shouldn’t get separated, but she only wanted to take a small look. The Magic Skylander didn’t notice that the window was outside of the magical circle, so she would have to get out of it as well.

Meanwhile the Book of Destiny kept skimming its pages. The Skylanders were beginning to see a bigger picture. Golden Queen, Malefor, Kaos, all enemies they knew and that were still out there somewhere, trapped or not. It showed more figures, blurrier this time. Figures that seemed familiar, yet they couldn’t recognize them. And then the book stopped. All eyes were set on a page which was flooded with sentences and words. They couldn’t make out anything. They stared at it for a few seconds until the scribbles began to move. The letters shifted and fell into place and they could all make out a singular sentence.

“An alliance destined to destroy”

Mysticat briefly opened his eyes just to see Star Strike reaching out for the small window and nearly exiting the circle. “Star Strike, no!”

The Sensei interrupted the spell, and everyone was caught in a storm of magic before reappearing back in the Magic Realm.

Star Strike’s arm was still stretched out. Once again, she reached for nothing, it disappeared before her very eyes. She was disappointed but quickly realized what she did and turned around. She was expecting to see furious faces, but instead was met with confusion.

“An alliance destined to destroy…” Spyro repeated the only sentence he could see. “You all saw that, right?”

Enigma and Déjà Vu nodded. “What does it mean?” Enigma could only think about the mysterious message.

“That sounds like a riddle even I cannot solve.” Mysticat joined the discussion. “I’m assuming it’s a warning that our enemies will join forces.”

“We know the Golden Queen’s out there, and Malefor is free. Could it be…” Déjà Vu was afraid to think of what could happen if those two villains decided to team up.

“Then it’s better if we don’t find out.” Spyro was curious as well, but he wouldn’t wish for something like that in even his wildest dreams. “We have to take down every last villain, all of them.”

As the Skylanders were walking away, Star Strike kept staring at the spot where she saw the window moments ago. Her home was so close, yet so far. She started to wonder if she would ever be able to return.

In the midst of the battle at Molekin Mountain, another flurry of spectral flames was homing in on the Skylanders. Gearshift backflipped to avoid the incoming attack. She then split her gear in half and started kicking parts of it at the undead dragon as it was spiraling around her body. Malefor protected himself with his wing before violently flapping it to shoot the parts back. Smash Hit and Knight Light tried avoiding them, but got hit nevertheless.

“There’s no way we can defeat him, he has an answer to everything!” Knight Light attempted to rise back into the air after his wing took a hit but struggled to do so.

“We have to target his weak spot, he always protects his face and chest!” Smash Hit, who already figured it out, grabbed his chain and swung his mighty boulder at the dragon with full force. Malefor jumped up into the air before he could get hit and slammed back onto the ground, creating an earthquake.

“If we don’t get him out of the city, he will destroy everything!” Knight Light stressed the others and started looking for some way to lure Malefor away, but the dragon had no intention of changing locations.

“Foolish Skylanders, you think you can protect those puny molekin? You can’t even protect yourselves!” Malefor inhaled deeply before unleashing a dangerous trail of fire at the Skylanders.

Knight Light acted quickly and grabbed Gearshift and Smash Hit to fly them out of harm’s way. He couldn’t carry them for too long and crashed on an island nearby. “What are we supposed to do!?”

“We cannot terminate him, due to his resurrection powers. The only way to temporarily defeat him is by handicapping or trapping him.” Gearshift knew what had to be done, but even she didn’t know how.

“Hex already tried that and look what happened!” Knight Light became more frustrated with each passing moment, feeling like they would have to retreat and thus fail the mission.

Soon Malefor spotted the Skylanders and began attacking them again. Any counter seemed pointless so all they could do is evade his blasts and hope for nothing else to be destroyed.

Smash Hit grew tired of that strategy and decided to step up. “Hey, you big old raisin! Over here!”

The insult made Malefor give the warsupial a death glare and he headed towards him. That’s exactly what Smash Hit wanted. Before the dragon could attack, the Supercharger tossed his boulder right at his face and used his chain like a whip to bring him down. He jumped onto Malefor’s leg and furiously smashed the metal plates covering it, trying to do some damage. Malefor, not feeling a single attack from the small hero, simply flipped his wrist and tossed the Earth Skylander back on the ground before turning around to strike him with his tail. Smash Hit was thrown right against a rock, leaving some cracks upon impact. He let out weak moans of pain before falling onto his knees and finally laying on the ground. Malefor grabbed the boulder with the bare tips of his claws and dropped it right next to his owner.

“What are you supposed to be? A warsupial with a simple boulder and a chain? At least your friends have something to offer.” Malefor interrupted his speech to strike down an incoming Knight Light and keep Gearshift at bay with his fire breath. “You’re pathetic. Just like the dirt underneath you, you are nothing. Another worthless pawn of the Skylanders that will fall under my power.”

Smash Hit tried pushing himself back up but failed each time, and Malefor’s insults didn’t help. He felt weak, useless. His attacks had no effect, and he was taken out by a single hit. Meanwhile the two Trap Masters kept on fighting and couldn’t be shaken off as easily.

To the Skylanders’ surprise and relief, Malefor went into a more defensive state and didn’t attack them anymore. Underneath him, a bunch of mindless molekin with the same black eyes as Barnsy appeared and went after the Skylanders instead.

Knight Light was quite baffled to feel a small creature jump onto his back and tear him down. He grabbed the molekin and tossed it to the side, trying not to hurt it. “What’s going on? Why are they all like this?”

Gearshift had already reconnected her gear and instead of attacking, she simply created weak shockwaves that kept the corrupted molekin from getting close to her. “Undead magic is capable of turning any creature into an obedient monster that will follow their tormentor’s lead.” The Skylander’s eyes were turned to Malefor, who smiled upon seeing the angered heroes dealing with the horde of minions.

Then, when they least expected it, Smash Hit saw someone familiar in the distance. He had to squint his one working eye, which still had a blurred vision, to make sure it was who he thought it was. The other two Skylanders looked at him and then into the direction he was staring at and were shocked. “Hex?” the warsupial thought he was hallucinating.

The witch just finished turning another molekin into one of her monsters. Like always, she only transformed half of the town, while the other half had to hide and in the worst case kill or get killed by their corrupted friends. She looked over to the Skylanders, seeing faces of disbelief, as well as Gearshift’s ever so neutral expression. The wind in the area made her horns and dress wave, giving her a ghostly appearance.

The next thing they knew Malefor flew past Hex, making her disappear from the spot she was just in with his departure. The dragon was gone, and so was the sorceress, leaving nothing but a destroyed town, countless corrupted molekin and three speechless Skylanders behind.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #fanfiction #original story #gearshift #knight light #smash hit #spyro #star strike #déjà vu #enigma #malefor #hex

[skylanders-after-the-end]

From Riches to Rags

It was on an island far away from the Academy. A collection of islands filled with pompous houses and luxurious decorations. At least what was left of it. Years ago, the home of many goldlings has lost its former glory and resembled a ghost town. It also used to be Sprocket’s home. However, she didn’t leave because of the unpleasant changes, in fact she would have preferred this over the sophiscticated and entitled life she was forced into. Nevertheless, the goldling never wished for this to happen. Sprocket was walking down the familiar road leading to her former home, one of the bigger mansions in the area. She could feel a sensation of nostalgia rushing through her, awakening both good and bad memories. She stepped onto the three small stairs leading to the front door and stopped there. The technician took a deep breath before knocking. After a few seconds, a woman opened the door, visibly annoyed. But as soon as she laid eyes on the Skylander in front of her, her frown turned into a relieved smile.

“Sprocket!” The goldling went in for a hug, which Sprocket happily returned. After the brief embrace, the woman kept on smiling as she observed Sprocket from head to toe. “It’s been so long, you’ve grown so much!”

“Mom, please. I haven’t grown an inch ever since I left.” The goldling reminded her overwhelmed mother of the day she finally left her family home to become a Skylander. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, and I can’t stay for too long either.”

The goldling’s smile faded. “What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”

“Not exactly.” Sprocket rubbed the back of her head and tried to think of a short explanation for her situation, but ultimately failed. “I’ll explain everything, but let’s get inside first.”

The mother’s lips formed a gentle smile as she led her daughter back into her old home.

A long time ago, when the goldling town was thriving with its remarkable businesses and profits, Sprocket lived under one roof with her parents. They were a highly respected family and always made sure that their reputation and status would remain the way it was for generations, something Sprocket couldn’t care less about. She has always been the black sheep of the family and preferred to get her hands dirty and tinker with tools and machines. Meanwhile her mother was determined to groom her spawn to become a formidable woman in society just like herself.

The whole family was gathered around the dinner table. Mother, father, grandparents, the aunt and her kids. All but one – typical. “Sprocket!” Grace shouted as she put the last pieces of cutlery on the table. “Not one day passes without this girl making a scene.” The impatient woman walked into the kitchen, where she removed the soup from the stove. “Sprocket get down here already!”

With an annoyed sigh, the young goldling stepped out of her room and walked down the stairs into the dining room. She stopped in front of the table and moved her long red hair behind her shoulders, so it wouldn’t get in the way of eating. Before she could sit down, her mother stopped her with an insulted gasp.

“What have you done to your dress!?” Her eyes were fixed on a small black oil stain on the bright blue fabric. She roughly grabbed the dress to get a closer look.

Sprocket hated dresses. She hated them so much, she once dreamt about throwing them all into a dumpster fire. Her mother knows that yet insists on her wearing them, because that’s what’s expected of a goldling woman.

Sprocket, surprised and irritated, pulled her dress back down. “It was an accident! It won’t happen again.”

“You said that the last time.” Grace gave her daughter a disappointed look while she rolled her eyes. “And the time before that!”

“Maybe if you let me wear something else when I go to uncle, I wouldn’t get the dress dirty!” Sprocket replied and crossed her arms protesting.

“No young lady, you won’t get anything else to wear because you won’t be going to your uncle anymore!” The goldling shook her head and looked over to her husband. “Can you believe it? She still wants to visit him! I told her hundreds of times that a lady doesn’t belong in a dirty shack with engines and tools!”

“Darling, don’t be so harsh.” The father was considerably calmer and more reserved than the hysterical mother. “You know how kids are, they love to explore and-”

“But she’s not a kid anymore!” Grace responded and looked at the ever so annoyed Sprocket again. “Tomorrow is her eighteenth birthday! She will be an adult, she has to learn to take responsibility!”

Sprocket couldn’t hear her mother’s nagging anymore. “I’m out of here.” At a quick pace, the young goldling walked away from the family lunch and left the house, slamming the door on her way out.

With a deep sigh, Grace eventually decided to simply sit down and start eating. The rest of the family stared at her uncomfortably before receiving a deadly look and beginning to eat as well.

Exiting the front door, Sprocket turned left and took a few steps until she was in front of a small wooden shack right next to her mansion. Due to their tireless bickering, Sprocket’s mother and uncle concluded that the inventor should have his own home where he could tend to his work. With an excited smile on her face, Sprocket opened the small door. Her eyes sparkled as she saw hundreds of tools and mechanical parts scattered everywhere. Even though her house was six times as big, she always felt like the shack was far more spacious. “Hey uncle!” The teenager interrupted the professional engineer during his job.

Oscar turned his chair and moved his welding mask on top of his head, revealing a friendly smile surrounded by a scruffy red beard. “Sprocket! You’re back!” The hefty man stood up and approached his niece. “Did your table manners upset your mother again?”

Sprocket rolled her eyes once more. “She saw the oil stain on my dress and lectured me about my role in society again.” The goldling quickly got distracted by one of her uncle’s shimmering inventions on top of his working desk and forgot her mother’s nagging for a moment.

Oscar sighed. “I was hoping she’d loosen up someday, but at this point even the Ancients couldn’t change her mind.” The feeling of disappointment got washed away after seeing his niece grab the first tools she saw and turning around to continue working on her own little project. “Is it done yet?”

“Almost.” The aspiring engineer wore the same goggles that she would end up wearing as a Skylander as she was adding the finishing touches. “I just need to get all the gears into place and… done!”

Sprocket grabbed the object and revealed that it was an elegant music box. She proudly presented it to her uncle who was gleaming with pride. “It looks lovely, but does it sound the way it looks?”

Sprocket, without any doubts, winded the key on the back of the box. The lid opened up and a small porcelain ballerina was spinning to the sound of a gentle melody. “Maybe this will finally show mother that engineering isn’t just all about engines and dirty work.”

“Maybe…” The uncle truly hoped that the gift Sprocket made would open his sister’s eyes and that she would finally see how much this truly meant to her daughter.

Later that afternoon, when Grace said her goodbyes to the family, the woman decided to visit her brother in his small workshop. As soon as she opened the door, her face twisted unpleasantly upon the stinging smell of steam and gasoline. Oscar was working with an electric saw and didn’t hear his sister step in and repeatedly call his name.

“Oscar!” The goldling shouted which finally made her brother stop and look at her.

“Grace, what a surprise.” A not so welcoming greeting.

The two siblings were always polar opposites. Grace following society and fitting into its system, while Oscar always had more of a mind of his own and didn’t care about what others thought of him, much like Sprocket.

With a disgusted expression, Grace pulled out a tissue to clean a chair from all the debris before sitting on it. “I’m assuming Sprocket visited you again, didn’t she?”

“If I said yes, you would go off and lecture her about her place in life. If I said no, you would do the same.” Uncle never liked the way his sister raised and treated Sprocket, but she was her daughter, so he didn’t have much of a say in it.

Grace sighed. She looked around herself to see all the machines and structures her brother built over the years, many of which were also in her own home. She never cared much for technology but seeing how much work he puts into it, it did fascinate a part of her. “Oscar, you know why I’m doing this.”

“To create a carbon copy of yourself.” The engineer didn’t even bother to give his older sister a look and just continued with his work.

“No! No, of course not.” Grace was very much aware of what her educational method looked like, and frankly she didn’t like it either. “You know just as well as I do, that she can’t just do whatever she wants.”

Oscar was silent this time. Even though he was focused on his work, he was listening.

“Do you think I want her to grow up like this? I’m trying to prepare her for her best possible future.” There was a hint of tenderness, almost sadness in the mother’s eyes. “I can’t change the way things are here.”

Oscar put his tools down and stopped working. He stared at the machine in front of him for a few more moments before finally looking his sister in the eyes. “You can’t change this place, but you can’t change Sprocket either.”

The goldling mother sighed once more. “She just has to learn that there are rules here. Presenting herself as expected is one of them.” Grace caught herself fiddling her dress and quickly stopped, hoping her brother didn’t notice. “A woman working with machines and tools, you know where she would end up.”

Oscar was silent again. As a man, he never had many problems following his path as an inventor and engineer, but in the goldling society there were strict rules regarding the sexes and what they should and shouldn’t do. “Then let her go somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else-” She had to catch her breath after hearing that sentence. Grace got up from the chair and turned around. The thought of her daughter leaving and possibly never being able to see her again brought tears to her eyes, which she wiped off immediately before heading for the door. “Clearly you don’t have the best intentions for my daughter in mind. It was foolish of me to think you’d understand. Goodbye, Oscar.”

Oscar was about to say something, but before he could his sister left the shack and slammed the door shut. Even though they didn’t always get along, the siblings did love each other, even if Grace had a strange way of showing it. Uncle knew that, and he learned to be patient. However, that patience often came with a lot of hurting as well.

The sun was slowly setting, and the sky was painted in orange hues. Grace walked up the stairs to get to the first floor of the enormous mansion. At Sprocket’s door, before she opened it, she could hear strange noises from inside. She moved her head closer to hear it more clearly, until it suddenly stopped. With a confused look, she finally knocked on her daughter’s door.

Upon opening it, she could see Sprocket on her bed, without a book or any tool. She was simply sitting there, staring at the light blue striped wallpaper on the walls of her room. “Sprocket, I…” The mother wasn’t sure how to continue when Sprocket turned her sight to her. She forgot what she wanted to say.

“You what?” Sprocket answered without her annoyed undertone for once.

Seeing her there with that expectant look, it made Grace feel so uncertain. She remembered now, she wanted to talk about her daughter’s future. She wanted to hear it from Sprocket herself, what she truly wanted to do. But perhaps they should discuss that at the family table. “I wanted to tell you that dinner is almost ready.”

Before the goldling could leave and close the door, Sprocket sat up and let her feet hang from the bed. “Mom, wait!”

Mom – that was a word she hasn’t heard in a while. Sprocket has been addressing her with ‘you’ for years now. Hearing that child-like word again made her feel somewhat warm. “Yes, darling?”

Sprocket looked to her right and opened the small drawer next to her bed. Slowly, she pulled out a beautifully decorated music box. It shimmered in turquoise and golden colors, something you’d only see on the shelves of a nobility family.

“What’s that?” Grace took her hand off the door handle and walked towards Sprocket, investigating the object in her hands.

“I… made it for you.” Sprocket quickly got up to stand in front of her mother who gave her a shocked look before she wound the box up. When she was done, the lid opened, and a small pearl colored ballerina started to spin to a sweet lullaby.

Grace took the box into her own hands and looked at it strangely while it was playing. She looked back up at Sprocket with disbelief and then back at the box.

“I know you don’t like engines and tools and all that mechanical stuff, so I wanted to give you something more… delicate.” Sprocket was quite nervous, rubbing her hands and curving her lips into cramped smiles. Mother strictly forbid her to build such things, but she was hoping that this could finally change her mind. “Maybe now you will-”

Before Sprocket could finish, Grace closed the box, stopping the spinning figure and the melody. The teenager’s face faded into a sad gaze as the mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You know what I told you about this.”

This was exactly what Sprocket was afraid of. “I know but-”

“No buts Sprocket!” Suddenly, all the warmth and compassion the goldling felt moments ago was gone, and all she could see was her daughter’s future on the streets, rejected by society. That was the picture she formed in her mind over all the years when Sprocket would misbehave and go her own ruthless way. “I won’t say it again, you are not to go to your uncle, and you are not to work with mechanics like these!”

The woman looked across the room until she finally found a trash bin standing in a corner. Without hesitation, she walked up to it and threw the carefully crafted box inside. “No!” Sprocket rushed to the bin and fell onto her knees to take the music box out, which was now in two pieces and had several gears falling out.

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s just some gears and metal.” Without a hint of sympathy, Grace walked back to the door and was about to leave again. “Get down in five minutes.”

“I made it for you.” Sprocket kept staring at the destroyed gift through her red strands of hair with sadness, which soon turned into anger. “And you just threw it away!” She turned around and got back up, looking at her mother with more spite and rage than ever before. “You destroyed it, that’s what you always do!”

“You will not raise your voice at me young lady!” Grace had zero tolerance for Sprocket’s reaction and wanted the argument to be over with. ��If you had bought it instead, I may have kept it.”

“But the point was that I made it!” Sprocket screamed at the top of her lungs, which made her mother flinch before giving her an angered look as well.

“Forget this already! Grow up Sprocket, you have to realize that life doesn’t work the way you want it to!” Grace gave her daughter another glaring look before turning around to finally leave the room.

Moments before the door closed, Sprocket said something in a calm tone. “I hate you.” With tears running down her golden face, she clenched her broken music box and stared at her mother’s back.

Grace held in and took a deep breath. She wanted to say something but decided to leave it be and go down. This was the point of no return.

The evening went on. Sprocket stayed in her room, sobbing and shouting her lungs out. Grace ignored it casually and kept her husband from leaving the table while he worried about the teenager. Once she finally calmed down, Sprocket was sitting in her bed, trying her best to fix the music box. Not for her mother, but for herself. She has decided that she hates her mother. Pure genuine hate. She used to think it wasn’t possible to hate your own parents, but now she had no reason to believe that you had to love them. All of a sudden, she heard a crash downstairs. A scream followed by more crashing sounds. Then she heard someone shouting, a voice she never heard before.

Forgetting all the hate and sorrow, Sprocket carefully got out of her bed, trying not to make a noise. She opened her door and peeked through it to hear a male voice shout something about money and threatening to kill someone. Her heart was beating at the speed of a car engine. Sprocket has never felt this many emotions at once in her life. The goldling steadily walked along the hallway of the first floor until she reached the stairs. She quietly took one step after the other while hearing more loud crashing noises and voices yelling. She walked down the stairs until she could finally see through the kitchen door. The goldling saw a masked figure pointing a gun at her parents, who were shaking of fear while getting yelled at. Bang! Sprocket blinked and in the next moment her mother was screaming as her father sank to the floor and a red stain appeared on his white shirt.

Sprocket couldn’t breathe. For a second it felt like she was in a dream before realizing what was going on. The goldling couldn’t do anything but stand there until she instinctively moved back up the stairs. The next few seconds passed her like a flash. Sprocket kept staring at the light on the carpet floor coming from the kitchen as sirens could be heard outside of the building. The intruders grabbed the first valuable objects they found and stuffed it inside their bags before running away.

Sprocket finished her walk down the stairs, her eyes glued to her father. A puddle of blood was spreading on the floor underneath him and his glassy eyes reflected the bright light of the kitchen lamp. She kneeled next to her desperately sobbing mother. Sprocket couldn’t hold back and started crying as well. The two women were coughing and sobbing as they looked at the lifeless body of their husband and father, bleeding out on the floor. Their tears fell onto their dresses and they embraced each other unlike ever before. Despite everything that’s happened and everything they said, in that moment all they wanted was to hold each other.

After the grieving women calmed down, Sprocket hurried to see if her uncle was alright. Yet another shock awaited her, he has been kidnapped. The halved family soon found out that there was a brutal ambush on the entire town. Countless goldlings got killed and hurt and their homes robbed. Some, like Oscar, were kidnapped by the intruders. No one knew where they came from, but it was safe to assume that it was Kaos’ doing.

While her father’s body was being removed, and an officer explained what would happen next to her mother, all Sprocket could think of was that one moment. Bang! The shot that took her father echoed through her mind again and again. Hours passed, the rising sun announced a new day – Sprocket’s birthday. Neither her nor her mother could sleep. It was supposed to be a day of joy, a day without any fights and where the family would come together to celebrate, but that was impossible now. For Sprocket, it was also the day where she would finally become an adult - make her own decisions and escape her mother. And it would remain that day. The young adult was standing in the bathroom, staring at her face in the mirror. Goldling skin was normally radiant and shimmering, but today it looked pale and dull, almost like rust. She held a scissor in her hands and after another lasting look, she finally made the first cut. A strand of her long red hair fell into the sink, then the next one, and several more. After a few minutes, her hair was cut short, not going past her chin. It felt liberating.

The quiet goldling went downstairs where her mother was holding an empty cup which has been filled with coffee five times during the last night. When she walked past her single parent without giving her a look, Grace was beside herself upon seeing her daughter’s new haircut. She didn’t have the energy or intention to comment on it, they have both been through enough.

Sprocket went into her uncle’s shack, which has also been vandalized and robbed. She took one of his old pants and some parts of his armor and changed into it. She grabbed an abnormally large wrench and attached a gas bottle and a pressure gauge to her suit, completing the look she would barely change even after joining the Skylanders. And that’s where she was going. She had heard of the Skylanders, never showing much interest in joining, until now. She thought it was the best place for her to use her abilities to help those in need and maybe even find her uncle someday. The goldling told her mother about her plans, who for the first time didn’t even try to stop her. She simply nodded and agreed to everything she said. They hugged one last time and told each other dry goodbyes before the aspiring engineer left her home to start a new life as a Skylander.

Now, many years later, Sprocket was sitting back at the table where her family used to dine, and where she would rebel against her mother’s rules. She visited the lonely woman from time to time, reassuring each other that they were fine. The town has become quite poor and miserable due to the great robbery and many murders, but they’ve managed to keep a consistent lifestyle again, even though it was far less luxurious than before.

“So, you are looking for the Golden Queen, on your own, because she wasn’t able to turn you into a statue?” After Sprocket explained her mission and motivations, her mother attempted to make sense of it. “Why didn’t you ask someone to join you?”

“Because I need to find out the truth.” Sprocket was beginning to doubt herself as well, but she had to focus on her goal. “If the others tagged along, we would get into a fight right away and I couldn’t get a chance to talk.”

“Darling, I don’t think she will give you a chance to talk to her either.” Grace sipped her tea. “That goldling is the worst of the worst.”

“I know, but something tells me that I have to do this.” Sprocket took a sip from her tea as well, which she’s grown to enjoy over the years. “You know that nothing can stop me once I’ve set my mind to something.”

Grace giggled. “I sure do.” She looked her daughter in the eyes and felt nothing but pride. It may have been due to the fact that the town wasn’t the most admirable place in Skylands anymore, or because she was afraid of losing her daughter as well if she didn’t leave. The goldling was proud of the woman that Sprocket has become, despite everything else she wanted for her. She was happy that she was living her dream.

“I should get going now.” Sprocket got up from her chair. As she turned around to walk to the door, something odd caught her eye. On top of the shelf above the fireplace, next to a collection of old family pictures, was the old music box Sprocket gave her mother the day before her birthday. She walked up to it and saw that it has been messily put together, clearly by someone without any experience.

Grace was behind her and recalled. She found it in Sprocket’s room on the day she left and broke out in tears after remembering the terrible things she said and did, and that it was too late to fix that. But it wasn’t too late to fix the box. “I tried to put it back together, but-”

Grace was interrupted by the sobbing sounds of her daughter. She approached Sprocket to see that she’s started to cry while looking at the gift. “I thought you would throw it away.”

The goldling immediately embraced her child in a warming hug. “I made that mistake once and I will never forgive myself for it.” Tears formed in Grace’s eyes and ran down her faded golden face. “I love you, Sprocket. I never told you that enough.”

“I love you too, mom.” Sprocket choked while continuing to sob.

The small family gave each other the long overdue forgiving embrace, and they finally felt at peace. The mother and daughter told each other goodbye, with Sprocket promising to visit Grace again on her way back to the Academy. Outside the mansion, Sprocket could feel something vibrating in her travel bag. It was the communication device. Slightly worried, she pressed a button to hear the message that she received. “Sprocket listen to me! The others know about your plan…” It was Smolderdash’s warning. Sprocket was alarmed, she had to hurry to get to the Golden Queen and confront her before it was too late.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #sprocket #goldling

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Truth or Dare

The mabu was feral. Like a wild animal it scratched and jumped around the room it was caged in. Through all that, the haunting black eyes remained the most terrifying feature. Spyro, Stealth Elf and a few other Skylanders stood in front of the imprisoned creature and stared at it with shock and horror.

“This is… disturbing.” Stealth Elf shook her head. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the mabu, no matter how horrible it was to look at. “How could this happen?”

“I have no clue.” Even though Spyro was able to finish his spa day, he had to endure a sleepless night thinking of all the lingering evils out there, and this was one of them. Everyone wondered what the cause could be, but Spyro’s choice was quickly made. “But if I had to guess, I would say this was-”

“Malefor.” Cynder finished Spyro’s sentence. “This is undead magic, I can feel it in my bones.” The dragoness shuddered after being reminded of the time when she was just like this corrupted mabu - nothing but a mindless beast.

“It adds up. Golden Queen can turn people into gold, not monsters.” Smolderdash’s look was as certain as it was concerned. She could only think about what could happen to Sprocket with enemies like these out there.

“And we’ve never seen anyone do anything like… this.” The mabu slammed its small body against the glass window while the Skylanders were conversing. “Malefor is one of the most powerful beings in Skylands, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was possessed this kind of power.” Spitfire backed off when a small claw dug into the door and moved downwards with a long, ear-piercing sound.

“If Malefor really did do this, that can only mean one thing…” Spyro’s suggestion caused the group to go silent and for everyone to take their best bets.

“He could never, you know Hex.” Cynder didn’t want to believe that Malefor was able to escape from the one person who defeated and trapped him. “He must have done something, but she couldn’t be…”

“If he did kill her, we need to find another way to restrain him this instant!” Stealth Elf already began looking for anything useful inside the isolated room of the Academy.

Cynder on the other hand was speechless. The elf glossed over Hex’ potential death as if it didn’t matter, regardless of the urgency. “We need to find out what happened first. Malefor is cunning, a strategist. He wouldn’t just corrupt people and disappear afterwards.”

“It doesn’t matter what happened, all that matters is that we find a way to stop him!” Stealth Elf raised her voice at the insulted dragoness. The two arched their eyebrows and gave each other threatening looks as they were about to open their mouths again.

“Guys! This is not the time!” Spyro interrupted the argument, causing his closest friends to move further away from each other. “Malefor is out there, that’s only possible through Hex. He’s alive because of her powers, so he couldn’t have killed her without perishing himself.”

A reasonable argument that eased Cynder’s mind, unlike Stealth Elf’s.

“We can’t defeat him. If Hex isn’t able to restrain him either we have to find another way to do it.” Spyro focused and thought of possibilities to trap the dragon, but knowing him, he would always find a back door, that’s what he did with Hex as well.

“Some Skylanders are already out on missions, we need to warn them before anything else.” Spitfire reminded the leader of the things he’s missed during his free day and wanted to protect the Skylanders just like him.

“You’re right. Smolderdash, Stealth Elf, deliver the news of Malefor’s escape. Cynder, Spitfire, try contacting the absent Skylanders about it.” Stricter than ever before, Spyro fulfilled his leader role by immediately dishing out orders.

His allies nodded and parted their ways, with Cynder and Stealth Elf leaving only after another angered look at each other. Spyro turned around to see the mabu one last time. This is exactly what he was afraid of. The reason why he couldn’t take a day off, there was always someone out to get them.

In order to prevent further villainy, Tidepool, Boom Bloom, Buckshot and Wild Storm were facing a feisty fight during their mission at Scholarville. The Senseis have been here before, looking for the Helm of Ultimate Wisdom, where they were already confronted by the local enemies, only this time there were far more of them.

Tidepool and Wild Storm remained to avoid any contact, which their friends found ridiculous at this point. Nevertheless, they did watch out for each other and fought the enemies as always, even though they kept their distance. While Buckshot and Tidepool eliminated the approaching warships with magical portals and powerful whales, Boom Bloom and Wild Storm took the smaller enemies on. Surprisingly, the ninja and knight were a perfectly harmonized team, jumping over each other and timing their attacks into impressive combos. After the monsters were defeated, the silent heroes nodded at each other rather than smile, since neither of them had a visible mouth.

The female Skylanders reunited and Boom Bloom immediately noticed that something was off, and she already had an idea what it was. “Don’t tell me you two will continue to give each other the silent treatment.”

Tidepool rolled her eyes, which was hard to see due to her lacking pupils. “I told you Bloom, there’s a time and place.”

“This is the time and place, Tide!” Boom Bloom usually sounded calm and collected around anyone other than Krankcase, but for the first time she was upset with one of her friends. “We’re all on this mission together! Not talking could jeopardize it and put both of you in danger!”

“It’s not like I will stay quiet when there’s an enemy about to stab him from behind!” Tidepool turned around to follow the others who were heading further into town. “I couldn’t live with myself if I did.” The Quickshot silently said to herself.

As the Senseis were strolling across the brick road and passed the suburban houses, Buckshot suddenly grew anxious. His fur rose and he was struck by a feeling of unease.

“Are you feeling kinda… creeped out?” The faun asked his silent companion. “I mean, the helm is gone and the people released the sea monster into the sea, but something feels… off.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Wild Storm looked over to a mabu standing in the corner of an alley, covered by shadows. “Everyone’s outside, no one is panicking, there’s nothing to worry about.”

The girls passed the lonely mabu as well after a brief look, not giving it a second thought.

“The inhabitants are very knowledgeable, they might be able to tell us where Golden Queen could be. Her family used to own many desert islands, so she must have gone to one of those.” Wild Storm informed himself about the goldling and her heritage, hoping it would help with the search.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Even though Buckshot trusted his friend, after seeing another motionless mabu with its face turned away, he was certain that there was something wrong.

As the Senseis continued their journey, Buckshot was trying to figure out why all the inhabitants were acting so ominous, but the determination and hastiness of the others kept him from investigating the situation.

Across the connected islands and large vines spreading throughout the place, the Skylanders have finally reached the castle. There was no hint of anything suspicious, which was unfortunate since that’s exactly what they were looking for. “Alright team, we will take a short break here to plan our next steps.” Wild Storm stopped to inform his allies.

The heroes put their weapons aside and sat down in a circle. There was that awkward silence whenever Tidepool and Wild Storm were in each other’s presence, something both Boom Bloom and Buckshot have grown tired of. They moved closer to each other and started whispering so that the other two couldn’t hear.

“How long do you think will they keep this up?” Boom Bloom asked Buckshot, who’s always been a good friend of hers as well.

“Wild Storm could live the rest of his life silent.” Buckshot got to know the knight better after his separation from Tidepool, yet he remained very closed off and secretive. “And Tidepool used to be a spy, so I’m guessing she’s not any better.”

“She wants to talk again, but she doesn’t want to make the first move.” Boom Bloom was looking for ways to start a conversation between them, but by now she knew that every attempt would lead to them growing further apart. Then suddenly she thought of something that could make them talk. All of them in fact.

“Who’s in the mood to play a game?” Boom Bloom spoke up so that everyone could hear.

Buckshot, though perplexed, has been looking for an opportunity to take some tension off, so he happily agreed. “I am!”

“Boom Bloom, we’re on a mission!” Wild Storm cut through Buckshot’s enthusiasm and reminded them of their responsibilities. “We don’t have time for this.”

“We all know that all we will do is go into the castle behind us, look around and leave.” A sappy response from the mutant that Wild Storm couldn’t argue with.

The Knight Sensei looked over to Buckshot who gave him the expectant eyes, which he knew all too well. “Fine.” He groaned and leaned his head onto his hand.

All eyes turned to Tidepool who kept staring at the report card in her hand until Boom Bloom coughed to get her attention. “Oh. Yes, why not?”

The group listened eagerly, some more than others, as Boom Bloom was about to explain her spontanious game. “So, since we’re supposed to be a team, I thought we should play truth or dare.”

The group was silent. Tidepool and Wild Storm were anything but impressed by that idea, meanwhile Buckshot already thought of questions and dares to ask his companions.

“Who wants to go first?” Boom Bloom looked from one side to the other until she stopped at Wild Storm. “Wild?” Boom Bloom and Buckshot looked over to the knight, while Tidepool tried to avoid eye contact at any chance.

“Just to get this over with.” As unpleased as he was, Wild Storm agreed and started the game. “Truth.”

“Okay.” Boom Bloom tried to think of a suitable question. One that might even get Tidepool interested. “Tell us a secret that no one here knows of!”

“A secret…” The knight expected to have an answer right away, but thinking about it, there wasn’t much to choose from. He could tell them about how he’s been losing control over his beast form, but Tidepool already knew that. And he shouldn’t be thinking about that anyway, that’s what triggers it in the first place. So Wild Storm thought further, further back into his past. “I guess… I used to be a mercenary.”

“Everyone knows that Wild, try harder!” Boom Bloom looked over to Tidepool, hoping she would show some reaction, but the humanoid avoided looking into the knight’s direction.

“Ugh, I don’t know. I used to play with kites as a kid?” One of the few happy memories from his childhood. And even though he would never admit it, thinking about it made him slightly nostalgic.

Buckshot giggled before being caught by a sharp look from Wild Storm. Boom Bloom was happy to hear a genuine answer. “There! That’s better!” The ninja looked over to Tidepool once more, but she kept staring at the bricks underneath her. The Sensei sighed and continued. “Now Wild Storm asks Buckshot.”

“Dare!” Before Wild Storm could speak, the faun already announced his decision.”

“Fine.” Wild Storm had to come up with a task. He wanted his friend to do something challenging, since he’s been very lazy during their recent training sessions. After a few more seconds, he had the perfect idea. “Get to the top of the roof in less than five seconds!” He pointed to the roof of the castle behind them. The only way to get up the rather high building was by climbing the vines surrounding it, but five seconds was nearly impossible.

“No problem.” Without any doubts, the goat got up on his legs and jumped on the spot with a cocky smile, pretending to warm himself up. Wild Storm started to count down from three. When he yelled one, Buckshot quickly created a portal, jumped through it and appeared on top of the building. “Dare completed!”

While the faun was cackling, Wild Storm palmed his face. He forgot to mention that he wasn’t supposed to use his powers. “You win this one, but I won’t be as inattentive next time.”

Once Buckshot returned to his spot, he had to ask Boom Bloom. “Truth or Dare?”

“Hmm…” Boom Bloom wasn’t certain if she wanted to tell a secret or do something embarrassing, Buckshot had no mercy when it came to such things. “Dare.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Buckshot already had a smile on his face and didn’t hesitate to dare the plant mutant. “Do your Krankcase impression!”

Boom Bloom looked at Buckshot with disbelief. “I will not do that!”

“You have to, it’s the rules.” Buckshot’s smug smile made Boom Bloom shift her bewildered expression to an angry one.

The Life Ninja sighed before clearing her throat and taking a deep breath. “Boom Bloom! What did I tell you about rebelling against your creator? You are supposed to obey!” One of Boom Bloom’s skill not many knew about was the ability to distort her voice, so it sounded exactly like the mad scientist. Even the villain himself wasn’t sure why she could do that, but it was always very entertaining for Buckshot. Once the Magic Skylander stopped laughing due to his stomach hurting, Boom Bloom moved on with the game. “Your turn Tide.” The mutant thought of another question, one that could involve Wild Storm as well and finally break the silence. Ultimately, she decided to go with the same one as before. “What’s a secret of yours that no one here knows?”

“What?” Tidepool was confused. “I thought we could choose truth or dare?”

“Yes, but since we already had two dares and it’s four of us, you have to take truth.” Boom Bloom felt a little guilty for sealing her friend’s choice, but it was just a game after all. “It’s the rules.”

Tidepool looked up. Her eyes went from one member of the group to the other, until she saw him. She looked Wild Storm straight into the eyes, something she hasn’t done in a long time. Was this it? Would she finally confess the feelings she kept hidden for years? Even though she tried to forget them, whenever she looked into the knight’s glowing white eyes, she couldn’t deny the feelings. “I knew about the Aqua-Marines’ plans.”

“What?” Buckshot and Boom Bloom asked in sync.

Tidepool realized what she just said. She was so focused on not confessing her love for Wild Storm that she just revealed another secret. “No… I mean.” Tidepool didn’t know what to say. She had to give them an explanation, otherwise they would take it the wrong way. “I knew that they were planning to overthrow the Skylanders all along.”

There was silence. An unpleasant tension filled the air.

“I… I was going along with the plan.” Tidepool wasn’t proud of her past, but she wanted to clarify that it’s behind her now. “Until I met… you.” Even though she was addressing all of her allies, her eyes kept shifting more and more to Wild Storm.

“I have to go.” Tidepool got up and hurried away from the group without another word.

The others looked after the Quickshot, most of all Wild Storm, as she made her way back to the city. “Tide, wait!” Boom Bloom snapped out of her petrified stare and quickly ran after her friend.

Lost in thoughts, Tidepool pushed herself through the crowd of mabu that suddenly appeared in the center. “Why did I say that? I should’ve just admitted my feelings already!” She thought to herself with frustration.

“Tidepo-” As Boom Bloom was catching up to the Water Skylander, she saw the hoard of mabu, and what exactly was going. “Oh no.”

Tidepool remained unfazed and just continued walking, until she bumped into one of the creatures. She looked down to investigate the mabu’s face and what she saw caught her off guard. It had deep black eyes with no sign of emotions, or life in that case. It unleashed an eery screech before it jumped onto the Sensei.

“Tidepool!” Boom Bloom started running towards the ambush and used her whip to smack the creature off her friend. “Are you alright?” She fell onto her knees to get a good look at Tidepool, who, besides a few scratches on her arm, wasn’t injured.

“I’m fine. I can’t say the same for the citizens though.” The Skylanders looked behind themselves to see that all of the mabu possessed those terrifying black eyes.

Wild Storm and Buckshot soon appeared as well to check on the missing members. “Is everything alright?” Buckshot yelled across the center of the town.

“There’s something wrong with the people!” Boom Bloom answered. “They’re cursed!”

Buckshot was struck by a shiver when he saw the mabu as well. “I knew there was something wrong here.”

It was a quiet moment, seemingly frozen in time. Everyone stared at each other blankly without moving, until all the mabu went feral. They dashed towards the Skylanders with the intent to kill them. They started to fight, trying to keep the mabu away from them while also not hurting them, they were innocent people after all.

“We have to get back to the ship! Whatever’s going on here we can’t fix it now!” Wild Storm advised the group, to which everyone nodded and pushed themselves through the wild creatures to get back to the ship they arrived in.

On their way back, mabu launched themselves at them from left and right, which they could all dodge easily. However, Tidepool saw a bigger mabu on top of a house, eyeing Wild Storm as he was leading the group back. It was about to pounce the knight, and Tidepool was the only one who noticed. “Wild Storm watch out!”

The knight looked back at his ally before looking up and moving out of the way before the mabu could hit him. They proceeded their flight and he kept looking at Tidepool for a few more seconds after nodding in gratitude.

The Senseis entered their ship and turned the engine on. They flew away from Scholarville right before the mabu could latch onto them.

“What was that?” Buckshot asked with utter shock. “It’s like they were…”

“Monsters.” Boom Bloom finished. “It looks like there’s another enemy out there causing chaos as we speak.”

While Buckshot and Boom Bloom discussed their theories, Tidepool tried to contact the Academy and Wild Storm was steering the ship. In the same moment, both of them looked over to each other and their eyes met once again, only this time they didn’t turn away. They just kept staring at each other, almost like they wanted to say something. Suddenly a voice answered Tidepool’s device and she looked away to answer, while Wild Storm directed his sight back to the front.

Guilty, yet far away from the Skylanders’ troubles was the destructive duo of Hex and Malefor. After corrupting her first victims and unleashing Raven and Zion to hunt her prey, the witch moved on to spread her deadly powers across more villages and kingdoms of terrified creatures, all of them meeting the same fate.

Watching as loved ones turned against each other under her curse, Hex was levitating at the edge of the town she just ambushed. Malefor, always by her side, dwelled in the terror his nemesis was orchestrating. That wasn’t the case for Hex however, she just kept her usual neutral expression. “Aren’t you enjoying your work?” The dragon had yet to figure out why Hex was doing all this. “I thought the screams of those pitiful creatures would satisfy you.”

“I’m not you, Malefor.” Hex responded with an ice-cold tone. “They deserve this, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.”

“Then why are you doing it?” Malefor was skilled at looking through someone’s facade, but in his current position he couldn’t allow himself to make any false assumptions. “What is your plan? Cursing them until they’re all dead?”

“Of course not.” Hex kept her sight at all the people going up against each other. The ones who weren’t possessed were overwhelmed by their emotions and the incoming attacks, unable to choose between their own life or their loved ones. “This world has treated creatures like me and you exactly like this. Going after them blindly, not caring about who they are or what they’ve done. I want them to know what it’s like to become a monster. One way or another.”

Malefor didn’t expect the sorceress to be this spiteful towards the mortal world. Yet, it was what he was hoping for when she left the underworld as an undead. “And what about the Skylanders? They will find out about this eventually.”

“They should.” Hex responded. “They’re not any different, they shall meet the same fate as those before them.”

Clenching her fist, Hex showed a sign of anger for the first time since she left the underworld. Malefor used that opportunity. “So why don’t you destroy them right away?”

“It would be foolish to attack them now. Even the two of us can’t win against all of them.” Hex was aware of what the Skylanders were capable of, since she did spend many years with them and knew all their strategies. “They need to destroy each other, only then may we be rid of them.”

“And when they find out that you’ve turned against them?” Malefor already thought in advance. “They will find a way to stop you. To stop us.”

“They will, yes, but they won’t be able to do so if we play our cards right.” Hex has precisely figured her plan out and made sure that there were no flaws in it. “The only way to destroy you is to destroy me, which would go against their moral law. They know that my powers can be taken from me, so that is their only option to take both of us out.” Even though she always kept her distance, Hex has picked up and memorized the way things work with the Skylanders and is now using it against them. “All we have to do is occupy them with a greater threat. Compromise their forces and keep them from getting close to me, then we will prevail.” Malefor’s sinister smile was all the approval Hex needed. “And the Skylanders will fall.”

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #ate #fanfiction #original story #spyro #stealth elf #cynder #tidepool #wild storm #boom bloom #buckshot #hex