"Is the coast clear?" Prism Break asked as he poked his head around the corner of a stone house.

Their team's ventures outside the tunnels led them to what could best be described as a gigantic alleyway walled with the backs of carefully-crafted stone houses and buildings. Barrels and crates piled like leaves in autumn around the area, and gave them careful protection from…

"GUARDS!" exclaimed a cyclops from their team in the quietest voice they could manage. "Quick, hide!"

Everybody took heed immediately as they dodged behind and inside crates and barrels, and peered just a smidgen around to see several rows of muscular guards in fancy stone armor march down the streets before they hid once more. Prism Break grunted as he poked his head out from the stack of wooden barrels he took sanctuary behind and looked ahead.

Not that far away was a town square, but the only ones there were more and more soldiers—just how many soldiers did this king have, anyways? There had to have been at least seventy of them stationed at the square in a dutiful pace.

"You guys weren't kidding when you said this place was armed," Prism Break remarked.

"Can I eat them?" Wrecking Ball asked as he popped up from a crate. "I wanna eat them."

"NO!" insisted a tiny cyclops as they yanked Wrecking Ball off the crates. "We can't make a fuss—they completely outnumber us! We can't go in without a plan!"

"Wrecking Ball, you need to stop thinking with your stomach!" Prism Break scolded as he poked his head over to look at them. "One wrong move, and we're all toast!"

"Toast? I like toast!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he jumped up once more. "I bet it tastes good with cyclopses!"

Before anyone could retort, Wrecking Ball giigled and zoomed out from the crates he once hid behind.

"WRECKING BALL!"

Prism Break groaned, vaulted out from behind the barrels, and chased after Wrecking Ball. It wasn't very easy for Prism Break, unfortunately. Wrecking Ball was a fast little thing, and while being made of stone and crystal was good for many things, speed was unfortunately not one of them. While Prism Break stopped to catch his breath, he looked up as Wrecking Ball eyed a particularly intimidating cyclops guard!

Wrecking Ball giggled and licked his lips, but Prism Break only gasped.

"Wrecking Ball, don't do it!" Prism Break warned, but he was far too late.

In one smooth second, Wrecking Ball shot out his tongue, wrapped it around the guard's legs and yanked the guard into his mouth! The guard screamed in horror as Wrecking Ball gnawed on his torso, spat him back out, and gagged.

"Ugh, too big," Wrecking Ball groaned as he stumbled about in a haze.

Alerted by their companion's screams, the other cyclops guards all glared down Wrecking Ball and whipped out their weapons! Their mouths twisted into fanged scowls as Wrecking Ball shook his head and giggled.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Prism Break scoffed.

He brushed off his gravelly arms, and charged into the heat of battle! With a clap of his crystalline hands, bright lasers shot out and aimed straight at the guards! But, they did nothing. As soon as they hit the guards' stone armor, they harmlessly fizzled out! Prism Break gasped as he looked down at his hands, and back at the guards as they charged.

"HI-YAH!" screamed the rest of the team as they hopped out from their hiding spots and raised their weapons high!

They crashed towards the guards with their stone swords and spears, but their weapons were of far lower quality compared to the guards' polished stone armor and cleavers. They all just shattered as soon as they made contact! A couple of Prism Break's teammates winced as they looked down at their broken weaponry, and looked up as a loud cry echoed from the skies!

Wrecking Ball crashed down from the heavens like a grubby blue bullet and struck a guard in the head, only to harmlessly bounce off of the guard's helmet and roll onto the floor with a groan. Wrecking Ball stood back up and shook his head, but heard a cry of pain and turned around!

A guard tossed off a tiny cyclops dressed in rags from their cleaver, and it looked like the guard was ready to cut them right open!

"Not today!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he rolled with the speed of a greased pinball!

Wrecking Ball wove through the crowds with intense speed, and as soon as he got under the guard's legs, he yanked the cyclops out of the guard's reach with his tongue! While the cyclops guard stumbled back in shock, Wrecking Ball gently laid the cyclops he had rescued down on the ground.

"Thanks!" the cyclops said as they wiped Wrecking Ball's slobber off their clothes. "I guess?"

"No problem!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he waddled up to the cyclops and nuzzled their chest.

But while Wrecking Ball was able to rescue one of their ranks, Prism Break and the others weren't so lucky! They backed into a corner as the guards surrounded them, and the guards seemed to have multiplied in ranks as more faces joined the fray. Prism Break grunted and bore his fangs as his back hit the wall, narrowed his eyes, and cast an aside glance towards his hands. He moved his gaze back at the head guard's armor, which seemed to have a tiny crack? Prism Break's eyes widened as he thrust his arm forward and shot a laser straight at the crack, or so he thought. Rather, he was off by a mark and hit a guard in the back of the crowd in the eye instead!

Prism Break gasped as he withdrew his hand, a glimmer of an idea seemingly in his eyes, but whatever it was, he didn't get the chance to use it. All the guards crowded out any means of escape, and they seemed ready to kill.

"Any last words, traitor scum?" the lead guard asked as he held his cleaver up to Prism Break's neck.

"YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME!" cried a childish voice from outside the crowd. "EAT THIS!"

Laughter echoed from the skies as a big blue meteor crashed down into the center of the circle, and it sent the whole team flying! Everybody screamed as the guards tried to cut down the strange projectile, but it only leaped back into the air and flew past a few cyclopes!

"WRECKING BALL!" Prism Break exclaimed.

Wrecking Ball only giggled as he wrapped his tongue around Prism Break and the cyclops rebels, and tossed them onto the flat top of a tall stone building. As they crashed onto the top, Wrecking Ball crashed down with them and rolled into Prism Break's lap.

"You alrighty?" Wrecking Ball asked as he tilted his head.

"Wrecking Ball, I can't believe you just did that!" Prism Break exclaimed, more wonder in his voice than anger as he warily patted Wrecking Ball's head.

Wrecking Ball only giggled as he bounced up and down on Prism Break, and his green eyes lit with eager energy. As Prism Break glanced over Wrecking Ball, a small glimmer of inspiration glinted in his eyes.

"Wrecking Ball, come here." Prism Break ushered Wrecking Ball forward and leaned to whisper in his ear. "I've got a plan."

"Ooh, ooh, I like plans!" Wrecking Ball stopped bouncing and made a confused frown. "What plan?"

Prism Break whispered the plan into Wrecking Ball's… Holes, one would have to guess? Grub worms don't exactly have ears and all. "Can you pull it off?" Prism Break asked with all manner of wariness in his voice, as if he wasn't entirely sure he could pull it off himself.

"You bet'cha!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he looked down at the guards that gathered down below.

"Then let's do it."

Prism Break and Wrecking Ball looked at each, nodded, and leaped down the floor! Prism Break sunk down first and crashed onto the floor while a giant crystal formed in front of him! The guards chattered around him in angered orders, yet Prism Break shot a laser from his hands at the crystal right as Wrecking Ball slammed into the crystal and shattered it into a million pieces! The pieces refracted Prism Break's one laser into a thousand different ones that shot out in every single direction one could think of—such as the eyes of all the guards around!

"AH, MY EYE!" cried a cyclops guard as he stumbled into another.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, DOOFUS!" cried the guard he bumped into.

"I CAN'T, I CAN'T SEE A THING!" the guard stumbled about in a sightless haze. "MY EYE'S BURNT!"

"The beam is supreme," Prism Break smirked as he looked down and blew the smoke off of his hands.

The other members of Prism Break’s team all leaped down from the top of the building they resided on as cries of victory escaped from their lips, and with smirks, they fixed their eyes on the incapacitated guards. They were a pack of angry elephants they charged forward and snagged the guards' weapons right as the guards' vision returned to them! The guards look up to see that the ones that they once tried to imprison had them cornered, and they only gulped. The rebels attacked the guards in what could only be described as one big ball of violence, one so full of movement that it kicked up dust and shielded those around from any vision of the battle! By the time it cleared, all that was left were unconscious guards and cheering rebels.

"That was fun!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he bounced up and down. "Let's do that again!"

"NO!" cried everybody else.

As Wrecking Ball pouted and fell on his belly, Prism Break awkwardly stroked his back. "You did good out there, kid," Prism Break whispered as he cast an awkward glance aside to the rebels, who now pilfered the guards' armor.

"Really?" Wrecking Ball asked as he looked up at Prism Break with wide eyes.

Prism Break slightly nodded, and Wrecking Ball beamed and went back to bouncing once more.

"Hey, everyone!" called a cyclops in mage robes as he pulled a ring of something from an unconscious guard. "I found some keys on this dude! Think we could use them for anything?"

"How about that gate over there?" suggested a brawny-looking cyclops as they pointed to someplace adjacent from where their battle had taken place.

There, right before them, was a wooden gate held fast with a golden lock! It was odd, seeing something made of any material other than stone in such an area. Could it lead to somewhere important?

"Worth a shot," remarked the mage cyclops as they walked over to the gate and unlocked it.

As the lock fell aside and the gate swung open, everybody crowded down the path it revealed…

§

"Hmmm…" Chihiro hummed as she tilted her head, her eyes fixed on the strange object in front of her.

"Hmmm…" A couple of the cyclopes mimicked as they tilted their heads much like Chihiro did.

As they stared at the strange object, Insider groaned and pushed forward. "If we're done humming now," Insider said as they crossed their arms, "can you give me an answer on how to open this gate?"

Insider shot a glare at the object they looked at. It was a simple, unmarked stone gate, and its only decoration was a round, eye-shaped impression in the center of its surface.

"I'm completely stumped, buddy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned back and rapped on the gate's stony surface. "There's no keys, no switches, nothing! I don't know how—"

"WHO DARES CHALLENGE MY RIDDLES?" demanded a booming voice.

Chihiro jumped back as the eyelike impression shot open! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A minty green mist wafted out from the impression, and soon it gathered together in a fluffy cloud that solidified into the ghost of a cyclops's head!

"You may only pass if you solve my riddles!" the cyclops head boomed as it glared down the party of rebels. "Who wishes to take on my challenge?"

Whispers and mutters echoed around the crowd as they turned inside their group, but finally Eyeantha fluffed out her dress and stepped forward.

"I'll take on your challenge!" she proclaimed with a mighty fire in her eye. "I love a good brainteaser, after all!"

"I will warn you, these are more than just simple brainteasers!" The cyclops head gave Eyeantha a concerned glance. "These riddles have stumped even the best of scholars!"

Eyeantha made a wry grin as she crossed her arms. "If I didn't have a brain for puzzles, I wouldn't have become a nurse! Hit me with your best shot!"

"Very well, here is my first riddle." The cyclops head nodded and closed its eye but quickly shot it wide open, "I am dark, yet bright. I am quiet, yet full of life, I am both an end, and a beginning. What am I?"

"Midnight!" Eyeantha closed her eye and beamed a very smug beam.

"WHAT?" The head's jaw dropped wide open, then it shook and collected itself. "Very well then… Bright as a rainbow, bursting with life, but take a bite and you'll lose yours! What am I?"

The look of pride on Eyeantha's face drifted away as she looked down and tapped her feet, clearly lost in contemplation. "Hmm?" Eyeantha looked up at last. "A poisonous mushroom!"

"Why… That's correct!"

The cyclops head looked at Eyeantha in sheer wonder, yet growled so hard it was a wonder its eye didn't turn a flaming red right then and there!

"THIS IS MY HARDEST RIDDLE YET! MANY HAVE FALLEN AT THE TRICKS OF THIS CONUNDRUM!" The head let out a mighty bellows that stretched across the heavens. "ONE AND TWO, TEN AND FIFTY! HEADS ARE DUAL, BUT LEGS ARE PLENTY! OUTSIDE IS SWEET, BUT INSIDE IS SPICY! WHAT AM I?"

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Eyeantha exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. "It's a—" Eyeantha's mouth twisted into a frown as she rubbed her chin "—Well... Err..."

"WRONG!" The cyclops head exclaimed with such force it neary blew everyone away.

Eyeantha's jaw dropped wide open. "Wait a second! I didn't even get to answer…" Eyeantha shook her head and turned back to the group, who all gave her puzzled stares. "Do you have any idea what it could be?"

Mumblings and mutters resounded around the ground as everybody fell deep into contemplation.

"Could it be an ostrich?" suggested one cyclops.

"No," replied their conversation partner with a shake of their head, "Doesn't have enough legs. If you ask me, I say it's a salamander."

"What are you kidding?" butted in a third party, "It's clearly a dragon!"

"No, it's an ostrich!"

"It's a fire-breathing basilisk!"

"A chompy!"

As everybody dissolved into chaos and arguments about the answer's identity, Chihiro chirped and hopped back to the front of the gate.

"What about a two-headed, fifty-legged, strawberry candy ice cream sphinx?" Chihiro suggested as she looked up at the head.

"That's ridiculous!" shot back a cyclops from the group. "There's no way—"

"EGADS!" cried the cyclops head as its form started to flicker, "YOU WERE RIGHT! NOBODY HAS EVER GOTTEN THAT CONUNDRUM RIGHT BEFORE!"

"WHAT?" Everybody else exclaimed from the group.

"Ah, it was nothing~" Chihiro flapped her hand and beamed with pride. "I can't believe I got it right, to be honest."

"Very well then." The cyclops head bowed its head and slowly faded away. "You may pass this area."

And with that said, the cyclops head faded away and the stone gate drew down with a mighty rumble.

"Be careful, everyone," Insider warned as the gate finally reached its lowest point, "for all we know, there could be traps—"

"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much!" Chihiro spun in front of Insider and glazed over the grassy plains that made up their next travel destination. "All you can see is grass for miles on end!"

Chihiro hopped a step ahead, only for a patch of dirt underneath her feet to depress and send her into the grass!

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Chihiro waved her arms and flailed about as she tried to regain her balance, but it was no use. She only plummeted face-first into the grass. "OWCH!" Chihiro scoffed as she pushed herself back up and wiped the dirt off of her face, but frowned still as she looked ahead. Chihiro asked as she held a hand over her eyes and watched the plains ahead. "Wait, is something coming out of there?"

There, it seemed almost like two large cylinders rose from the grass, complete with a slow rumble like something swerving into view. The cylinders stopped, and with a hiss, then slid open to reveal… Armed cyclops guards! The guards cried out and charged into battle as the rebels gasped, but Spyro and Chihiro were quick to react as they jumped in front of the herd!

"What're you doing?" asked one of the rebels.

"Skylander Code number eight!" Chihiro proclaimed as she tossed out a shield with one hand. "A Skylander must always be diligent, courageous and kind!"

Once those words left her lips, Chihiro's eyes widened with glee as she jumped into the air. "I GOT IT!" Chihiro shouted to the heavens as she bounced up and down. "I GOT IT RIGHT, I GOT IT RIGHT, I GOT IT RIGHT!"

As Chihiro bounced, however, the shield she cast flickered out of existence right as a guard swung their stone ax right at her! Before anyone could react, however, a circle of giant stone pillars formed around the team and blocked any sort of blow the enemies threw! Chihiro gasped, and turned around to see a brown-eyed Spyro wink back at her.

Chihiro knowingly nodded, and teleported outside the circle to see that the guards now fruitlessly attempted to yank their axes out of the pillars. Chihiro giggled, summoned a magical hammer, and swung it into the ground! The resulting shockwave was so great, so mighty, that it not only shattered the pillars Spyro summoned and the axes lodged within them, but the armor that the cyclopes soldiers wore as well! Everybody shuddered in place from the shock, but as they came to their senses, Spyro and the rebels cast smug looks over at the now-terrified soldiers.

"Not so big and tough now, are ya?" Chihiro asked as she whisked her hammer away.

"What, what, what are you gonna do to us?" asked one soldier as he clung to his buddy.

"Are, are you gonna kill us?" questioned the other.

"Nope! Skylander Code Number One, Skylanders can't kill unless it's absolutely necessary," Chihiro replied as she shook her head amd smirked, "but, it doesn't cover this!"

With a snap of her fingers, a pastel-colored, sparkly mist emerged from her fingers and wafted around the soldiers, who took a few whiffs of it and crashed onto the ground, now completely asleep!

"Sweet dreams~"

Chihiro playfully stuck her tongue out at the guards and watched the cylinders sink back into the ground. Chihiro hummed and skipped ahead with an energy sphere held tight in her grasp. but as she ran past the spot where the cylinders once stood, she beamed.

There, right before her, was a tall statue with a glowing eye-shaped top! With a snap of her fingers, the energy sphere whizzed out of her hand and slammed straight into the eye portion of the statue, which fizzled it out! As the eye harmlessly rolled off the statue, a gigantic rumble roared from the westward portion of the fields.

"Follow that noise!" Insider ordered as they charged west.

"Y'know, I wonder what's next?" Chihiro asked as she rejoined the back of the group and rested her arms against her head. "Super intricate riddles? Warp puzzles? A cooking contest?"

The group came to a halt as they gazed over the path before them—or well, what was left of it, anyways. Beyond the large, stone block underneath their feet that was likely once a gate, there seemed to be a long pathway made of grassy hills, except the pathway was filled with gigantic, deep-looking square holes!

"And turtles," Chihiro remarked as she jumped up and poked her head over the crowd. "Lot of turtles."

Chihiro was right; also stationed through the path were large, sleepy turtles with sturdy-looking yellow shells. They seemed a lot bigger than the average turtle, maybe ten times its size?

"Hmmm," Spyro hummed as he flew over and examined the turtles, a claw rested on his chin. "If that's that—" Spyro flew down a hole for a few minutes and popped back up "—I've got an idea! These turtles are just the right size to fill these holes, so why not push them in?"

"Good idea, Golden Boy!" Chihiro said as the cyclopes nodded and dispersed towards the various turtles.

They all pushed and prodded and tried their best to get the turtles into the holes, but, it didn't quite work out. The turtles were far too heavy and sleepy, and the cyclopes were far too weak to push the turtles in themselves even with all hands on deck.

"Hey, need some help?" Chihiro asked as she skipped up to a group. "Cause that's what I'm here for!"

"No, we've got it, it's fine," insisted one cyclops as they joined the group in pushing the turtle before they all groaned and collapsed onto the ground, while the turtle was still stagnant where it stood. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" Chihiro rested her hand on the side of the turtle's shell. "Skylander Code Number Six—a Skylander must be willing to face any task or challenge given to them!"

While Chihiro spoke, her hand, and soon, the turtle as well, disappeared in a cyan-colored glow, before the turtle magically floated off the ground and into the hole. As the turtle slid inside the hole, Chihiro bounced off to the next group and did the same thing to their turtle, and the next, and the next…

Not one to be outdone, Spyro swooped down to a group stationed near the end of the path, and with a flash of purple in his eyes and a tap of his claws, the turtle soared into the air before it crashed straight into the hole! Soon enough, the turtles that were once scattered around the area completely filled in all the path's gaps. With smiles and nods all around, the group passed through the turtle bridge, though it felt like forever with the anticipation of what awaited them all around! There could be monsters, or intense riddles, or who knows what else! Everybody's hearts bated as they finally hit the top, then…

"Wait a second," Spyro said as he tilted his head, "didn't we pass by this place before?"

Murmurs of concern raised among the group as they examine the area before them. It looked like an ordinary town square with its fancy buildings and colorful floors, but something about it seemed oddly familiar for reasons nobody could quite pin their fingers on…

"Hey, wait a minute!" exclaimed a cyclops in the head of the group at last. "This was the place we started out at!"

Chihiro frowned, skipped out the group and tilted her head. "Really?" she asked as she stepped a few paces forward and fixed her eyes on an open stone gate that seemed awfully familiar. "Wait a second, that's the same gate we passed earlier! He's right!"

"Have we been going in circles this whole time?" exclaimed a cyclops from the rear of the group.

"I wouldn't be so certain," chimed in another voice as someone stepped forth.

That someone was a teal-skinned cyclops of about medium height with a worn purple eye. Stained blue clothes decorated in stars and crescent moons and other magical symbols clothed their body, and a well-loved brown leather satchel hung from the side of their hip. The cyclops made an inquisitive hum, burrowed their hands into their satchel, and pulled out a glassy orb that shone with magical power! As they held the orb in one hand, they waved their free hand around in circular motions, then glazed over the town square!

The town square slowly warbled in and out of existence, and finally vanished entirely, with only a vast, grassy field and a tall stone statue much like the one they broke before stationed among its lengths.

"It was actually an illusion!" cried the wizard cyclops among shocked chatter from the crowd.

"Huh, who would've guessed?" Chihiro remarked with a shrug and a tilt of her head. "Anyways, let's get that switch!"

Chihiro skipped across the grassy fields with an occasional spin or two made as a few of the other cyclopes trailed behind her, the wizard included. However, as they walked, the wizard's eye cast suspicious glances here and there while they played with their hands in a way that seemed to indicate their anxiety.

"What're you so worried about?" Chihiro asked as she stopped spinning about and looked back at the wizard. "It's not like there's anyone here!"

"I wouldn't be so certain." The wizard shook their head. "I can feel some very strange magic signatures in the air."

"Signatures, smignatures!" scoffed a cyclops man as they jabbed an elbow into the wizard's shoulder. "If whoever did this didn't want us around, they'd have knocked us out already!"

Chihiro shrugged in what seemed like slight agreement, turned around, and looked up the switch. While the switch loomed over her in its entire glory, Chihiro whipped up a quick energy sphere and wound up her arm.

"AND SERVED!" Chihiro proclaimed as she tossed the energy sphere and watched it whiz right towards the eye, only to hit some kind of light-constructed shield and bounce off to the side!

"A shield?" Chihiro jumped back with her mouth completely agape. "How'd that get there?!"

Cackling broke into the air like disease as everybody panicked and looked every which way!

"WHO'S THERE?" demanded the wizard as they spun their head around then gasped.

Out of seemingly nowhere stepped an identical trio of cyclopes who were all dressed in fancy robes with elaborate crystal and stone staffs wielded in their near-skeletal hands. Fanged smirks crossed their mouths as the crowd turned around and faced them, while an aura of menace was cast around their space.

"I knew there was something wrong!" The wizard exclaimed as they cast the doubter a glare. "Now will you listen to me?"

The doubter only crossed his arms and scoffed at the wizard, but nonetheless whipped out and spun around a stone ax before he grasped it tight! His lead followed, everybody else drew their weapons and magic, ready to attack…

But with a wave of their staffs, the cyclops mages shot out a burst of light and the crowd raced back! The light stopped at the place in the fields where they once stood, before it slowly solidified and brought forth perfect clones of the team with scowls borne and a halo of rage surrounded. The reals looked at their fakes in sheer shock in confusion, while the fakes grabbed their weapons and lunged forward! It was a battle of both mind and body as the groups went to war…

Or at least they would've, if they could have actually told who was who! All around, friends became enemies, family turned against one another, and nobody could tell what was what!

"How're we supposed to tell who's real and who's not?" Chihiro exclaimed as she narrowly dodged a cyclops that thrust forward with a sword in hand.

"Try to look for a tell!" cried the wizard as they teleported away from a furious-looking brawler, "Usually these kinds of clones have something small that sets them apart from the real one!"

Chihiro only winced as she clenched her teeth and looked out at the brawling crowds. "That's easier said than done."

There, a cyclops who wielded a stone hammer winced as a trio of cyclops warriors flanked them, all three of which imposed over the hammer-wielding cyclops like the stone switch they had seen earlier.

"What are you standing there for?" exclaimed the ax-wielding cyclops as he glared down his ally. "Just knock them out already!"

"I can't!" cried the hammer-wielding cyclops as they looked back at the one with the ax. "I can't tell which one's which!"

"Oh, forget this!" The ax cyclops groaned, launched forward and smacked a cyclops on the head with the blunt end of his hammer!

"What was that for?" exclaimed the cyclops as they glared at the ax-wielder and rubbed the sore spot on their head.

Before he could respond, however, his victim's clone launched forward and knocked him out cold with the stone club they wielded! The illusion growled as it glared down the hammer cyclops and got ready to charge, but not before a syringe jammed into its neck! Its eye closed as the syringe's fluid injected into it, and it crashed back onto the ground as it faded into light.

The syringe, meanwhile, flew back to its wielder… Eyeantha! She blew off its needle and looked ahead, where her own fake stood tall and ready for a showdown. The fake growled as it shot out a needle of its own, but Eyeantha swiftly stepped aside anasd watched the mistimed syringe hit the back of another illusion instead! As the illusion slowly started to fade, Eyeantha stepped up to it and looked at its eye, but frowned, for the eye was completely blank! No iris, pupil, nothing! It was just blank white space.

"Everyone!" Eyeantha exclaimed as she shot a syringe at the fake. "The fake ones' eyes are blank up close—look for those!"

"Got it!" Chihiro exclaimed with a smile as she spun around and gave the medic a thumbs up.

Just then, Chihiro squeaked and ducked down, fpr Spyro had charged towards her and shot out a volley of flaming hot fireballs! With another chorus of squeaks, Chihiro jumped out the path of each one and high-tailed it north.

"Hey, stop it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she glared down Spyro, who was still in hot (no pun intended) pursuit. "Skylander code five says that Skylanders cant hurt their portal masters!" Chihiro's eyes lit up as she jumped in the air and clapped her feet. "Woo-hoo! I got another one right!"

Chihiro's glee was short-lived, however, for a quick turn around saw that a fireball fixed on her path! She floated out of the way with a scream of panic as it raced into the stratosphere, lurched over and breathed a sigh of relief, but the sound of screeching brought her attention to even more fireballs hot on her path! The battlefield turned into a fiery game of dodgeball as Chihiro skidded and dodged each one, but finally she heaved an irritated sigh and looked back at Spyro.

"I really don't wanna do this to you, Spyro," Chihiro exclaimed as her hands flared with aqua, "but you're not giving me any other options!"

Chihiro let out determined shouts as she punched the air with her fists and sent a volley of aqua magic spheres hurtling towards Spyro, but not even one landed a hit! He merely dodged it like it was no more than a gnat!

"Just my luck." Chihiro groaned and held her head, yet cocked an eyebrow as she looked back up. "Is it getting warmer out here, or…"

Chihiro looked back at Spyro, but he could barely be seen. However, the gigantic fireball he charged up certainly was!

"CRAP!"

Chihiro leaned forward and got ready to dodge, but before she could, a purple blur zoomed past her and crashed straight into Spyro! Spyro screamed out in pain as the blur slammed into him, then… Began fizzling in and out of reality before he disappeared entirely? Chihiro tilted her head in confusion, but smiled as the blur shook its head and revealed itself to be none other than the real, authentic Spyro! Chihiro floated back down to the ground while Spyro flew down beside her, and Chihiro gave Spyro a thumbs up.

"Thanks for the save, Gold—" Chihiro said, before she stopped short as something leaped onto her back and sent her stumbling backwards. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Chihiro spun and flailed about in confusion as she desperately tried to get her mysterious assailant off of her back, but she finally got a hold of its arm and yanked off its balance! With a mighty yell she grabbed the thing and slammed it into the grass, with its identity found to be a clone of her!

"You!" Chihiro pointed right at the illusion of her, and put her hands on her hips as the illusion pointed back at her. "Stop copying me!"

The illusion Chihiro did not, in fact, stop copying its real self—it put its hands on its hips, stuck out its tongue, and snicked as the real Chihiro's face to turn as red as a cherry tomato!

"Alright, now you're asking for it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stormed forward and rolled up her sleeves.

Chihiro cried out as she punched her fake in the face! The fake stumbled back and rubbed the bruise on its cheek, growled, and leaped forward towards Chihiro before everything dissolved into one gigantic ball of violence that kicked up dirt and dust everywhere one looked! Everybody else crowded around in some kind of odd fascination as they watched the two Chihiros fight, real and fake alike… But then, the real versions looked at their clones and cried out! The fakes stumbled back in momentary confusion, and that moment of confusion was enough their real selves needed to launch forward and attack! With swift timing on their side, the real versions of the team broke into battle as they beat their fake selves back into nonexistence!

While the other clones faded away, Chihiro pinned down her own clone and punched the clone right in the eye once more! The fake cried out in raw pain, winced as Chihiro gripped its shoulder tight, and looked up at Chihiro. Chihiro only smirked as lightning crackled at her fingertips, and with a snap of her free hand's fingers, lightning coursed through her body and electrocuted the fake self! As the fake self's body glitched out, it made a warped cry of pain and disappeared in a puff of sparkles.

"Man, when people talk about beating themselves up," Chihiro remarked as she loosened her hand, which crackled with static still. "I don't think they mean it literally."

Frantic chatter gained Chihiro's attention as she looked over to the side, where the cyclops illusionists who had once looked pretty confident now seemed awfully terrified! As they waved their wands, Chihiro leaned forward and got ready to sprint after them, but a couple of syringes beat her to the punch! Several of them launched straight into the illusionists and jabbed into their shoulders, and the illusionists fell asleep and crashed onto the floor in a pile!

"Nothing like good old anesthesia!" Eyeantha proclaimed as the syringes flew back to her.

The other cyclopes rebels immediately went to work as they crowded around the illusionists with shuffling noises heard all around.

"Hopefully this will keep them here for a while," Insider remarked as they dusted off their hands and gazed over the illusionists, which were now bound together with tight, itchy rope a smidgen on the tight side. "Now, we've got no time to lose!" Insider's gaze fixed itself on the stone switch. "Let's get those next couple switches!"

Spyro nodded in agreement, and flew up to the switch while his eyes flashed purple. He looked down at his paw as an orb made of crackling magic formed inside, and he tossed it at the eye! The eye's light faded as the orb made contact, then with a rumble it rolled off its pedestal and crashed into the ground! Everybody cheered as Spyro flew back down to the ground, but gasped as a warp panel fizzled into existence in front of the switch's pedestal! With cheers and excited yells they all jumped on… Yet nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Chihiro exclaimed as she stomped on the panel, which only cast out a few sparks of magic in response, "Is this another trick?"

"Nope, warp congestion," Insider replied as they stepped off the panel and sighed.

Everybody else groaned and mumbled as they all stepped off and crowded around the panel.

"Now, everyone, get in a straight line…"