Though the air was chilly and sharp, the atmosphere around Ancient's Peak was more than warm enough as everybody went about their day. Unlike those other days before, the area bustled with life as the Skylanders lingered about and made conversation with the island's non-Skylander residents. For once, things were light enough that they all could finally take the time to relax, and Spyro was the one who enjoyed it most of all! As he laid down under the shade of a colorful tree and basked in the sun, it seemed as though for once, the weight finally lifted off his shoulders for good.

"You seem awfully relaxed," Gill Grunt remarked with a smile as he took a seat next to Spyro. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well, what's there not to be happy about?" Spyro asked back as he looked to Gill Grunt, a shimmer of bliss in his golden eyes. "The Core's halfway finished, we've freed two whole kingdoms from Kaos's clutches, and more and more people are fighting back against him!" Spyro made a soft chuckle as he watched the clouds. "Which has definitely made our job easier."

"Agreed." Gill Grunt looked back at the bustling hub area and beamed wider. "I can't remember the last time we had a day this peaceful!"

Spyro paused for a moment as the wind brushed against his scales and lifted his head towards the skies.

"Truth be told, it feels like everything's finally coming together!"

Spyro grinned as he turned back to Gill Grunt, then raised his eyebrows as he heard what sounded like… Something soaring through the skies at astounding speeds right behind him?

"INCOMINGGGGGGGGGG!" shouted a voice from afar.

Spyro whipped his head around, and ducked as something that vaguely resembled a cyan, magical shuttlecock with eyes whizzed straight towards him! Spyro breathed a sigh of relief as it passed him by, but grunted as Chihiro jumped onto his back and launched herself into the air!

"Gotcha!" Chihiro exclaimed as she caught the magical shuttlecock, floated back down to the ground, and grimaced at Spyro. "Whoops." Chihiro released the shuttlecock, bent down and pulled Spyro back to his paws. "Sorry about that, Golden Boy! Didn't see you there!"

"I'm, fine," Spyro grunted as he shook his head, then glazed over the shuttlecock that laid on the ground. "Just what're you doing with that thing, anyways?"

Chihiro's eyes sparkled with fire and she pumped her fist to the skies. "Training, of course! Kaos doesn't rest, so I won't either! Not until I'm strong enough to send him running with his tail between his legs!"

"And that means?" Spyro tilted his head as he looked back to Chihiro.

"Well, studying of course!"

Chihiro looked down and squeezed her magic shuttlecock as she bit her lip, almost like she was upset about something. But, a shake of her head and she pulled herself back up as she dismissed it immediately.

"I've spent the past few days doing nothing but studying and practicing new spells! Chain reaction spells, fancier effigies and afflictions—" Chihiro snapped her fingers as the shuttlecock flew back into her hand "—oh, and, of course, magic minion spells!"

Chihiro twirled around and shook the shuttlecock.

"But, I've still got a long way to go with these guys." She made a stern frown and sighed, a look of disappointment in her brown eyes, "This one was supposed to be dragon-sized, but I still can't get it bigger than a turtle! And I've been working on them for the past five hours, too…"

"Guess that means it's time for a break?" Spyro suggested.

Chihiro reeled back at the very suggestion, shook her head and stomped her foot. "No way!" Chihiro winced at the surprised looks on Spyro and Gill Grunt's faces and softened her tone. "I can't take a break, not until I'm strong enough that Kaos isn't an issue!"

"Chihiro!" Hugo called from across the island. "Can you come here?"

"Oh, sounds like I gotta jet!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and flashed a peace sign at Spyro and Gill Grunt. "I'll talk to you guys later, alright?"

And with that, Chihiro dashed into the distance, never to be seen for the next hour or so, probably.

"Seems like that's all Chihiro's been about lately," Gill Grunt remarked with a shrug as he watched her run out of view. "Every time I pass her, all she ever talks about is beating Kaos and training!" Gill Grunt scratched his chin and cast a gaze to the heavens. "Wonder what caused the change in attitude?"

Spyro only winced and looked aside. He had a feeling he knew exactly what caused Chihiro's sudden fixation on beating Kaos; her last battle against him was probably still heavy on her mind. After all, it was normal for Chihiro to get fixated and obsessed with things at the drop of a hat, but this didn't seem like one of her usual obsessions. It felt more like compensation, as if she tried to make up for something that surely racked her brain.

"Hey, Spyro," Gill Grunt asked as he looked down at Spyro, "Do you know why Chihiro's been acting like that lately?"

"Oh, well…"

Spyro scratched his head and bit his lip. He didn't exactly want to bring up that battle, for something in his gut told him that she probably wouldn't want that, and if he was in her shoes he'd feel the same. Except, at the same time, he didn't really want to lie to Gill Grunt, especially about something as important as Chihiro's own well-being. After all, it was their responsibility not just as Skylanders, but as friends to keep her safe. Besides, if he couldn't even confide his worries about her with Gill Grunt, someone had considered a close friend since the day he first stepped foot in Skylands, who could he tell?

Spyro went to open his mouth, but promptly shut it as he heard what sounded like rocketing from the skies above. Wait, rocketing? Like, something flying through the skies? That felt odd; usually the only kind of aircraft they got were flying ships and balloons, and none of them made that kind of noise. Well, unless Flynn busted his balloon again. So what could it possibly be?

"Gill, do you hear that?" Spyro asked as he looked towards Gill Grunt and watched Gill Grunt nod his head. "What do you think it is?"

Spyro looked above and gasped! Above them was none other than a shooting star, bright and orange and burning as it shot across the skies! Wait, what would a shooting star be doing in broad daylight? And more importantly, why was it drawing closer? Wait, unless…

Spyro watched as the shooting star rocketed towards them then turned backwards. With the path it was following, it would surely hit…

"The Core of Light!" Gill Grunt shouted as he stumbled around and fiddled with his jetpack. "It's gonna crash into the Core!"

Spyro already flew towards the Core, his mind two steps ahead of Gill Grunt. Surely, this had to be Kaos's work! He must have sent some kind of weapon to destroy the Core, but not on Spyro's watch!

When he arrived, Chihiro, Hugo, Flynn, Cali, a handful of the off-duty Skylanders, and that totem pole-looking guy that Spyro had forgotten the name of (Arbo? He was pretty sure that was right), all of them crowded around the half-complete Core, and their gazes directed towards its majesty.

"What a remarkable creation!" Hugo praised as he clapped his hands.

"We are all remarkable creations," Arbo chimed in while he held up a mossy finger, his wisdom a bit softened by the fact that his tongue lolled out of his mouth and made him look quite goofy.

"Some more remarkable than others," Flynn said as he rubbed his fist against his chest, "like me. BOOM!"

As Flynn struck his signature pose, Cali rolled her eyes and buried her face in her hands.

"Anyways," Hugo said as he coughed into his paw and beamed towards the Core of Light. "Thanks to this remarkable creation, Kaos's empire is being further diminished by the day!" Hugo cast a glance towards Chihiro. "And with all that free time, I bet you've been keeping on top of your studies for the next exam!"

"Oh, next exam?" Chihiro repeated as she jolted up and froze like a dragonet in a ship's headlights, yet shook her head. "I mean, of course I'm ready, I've been working hard and all that stuff!"

"With all the time you've spent working, I'm sure of it!" Hugo adjusted his jacket and smiled. "Especially since it's coming so soon!"

"Soon? You don't mean—" Chihiro made a few awkward chuckles "—TODAY soon, do you?"

Chihiro froze again and winced, but before she or anybody else could speak again, Spyro flew in front of her!

"Everyone, get the shields up, quick!" Spyro exclaimed as his eyes flashed purple. "We've got trouble!"

"TROUBLE?" Chihiro exclaimed as she raced up to Spyro. "Don't tell me, Kaos-level trouble?"

Spyro pointed towards the shooting star. "If you'd call that Kaos-level trouble, yes!"

That shooting star was near completely engulfed in flames as it dipped out of the skies and crashed towards them! The heat it emitted made it feel more like summer than fall, but Spyro couldn't worry about that right now. He had to protect the Core! While everybody else panicked or got ready to attack, Spyro held out his paws and channeled the magic within him, fully ready to cast a shield. Before he could, a bright cyan flash shot out beside him and engulfed the shooting star in a bright aqua bubble!

Spyro turned to his side and smiled as Chihiro blew off a hand covered in cyan smoke, and the two of them turned and watched the bubble cascade down to the ground. As the bubble popped, the shooting star's flames completely vanished and revealed that it wasn't a shooting star at all! It was merely a worn, kind of old-fashioned looking space shuttle now covered in singe marks and soot! But, who would send a space shuttle here? Had aliens touched down in Skylands?

Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

Everybody was still on edge, Spyro included, and readied their arms as the space shuttle's door flung open. Whatever was in there, they had to be prepared! Steam and smoke intermingled from the open door while a bulky silhouette rolled down the ramp provided, which only added to the tension. As the smoke cleared…

"Ten hut!" cried the person, or rather robot, that emerged from the shuttle. "Someone direct me to who's in charge here!"

Sure enough, a bulky steel robot had emerged from the shuttle! Though their face was a trademark steel silver, the paneling of their body was painted an olive green and decorated in the style of a military uniform. A metallic military captain hat donned a head with blank black windows for eyes, and in lieu of feet they had twin… Conveyor belts, Spyro had guess? Machinery wasn't exactly his strong suit.

"I'm in charge," Flynn said as he stepped up to greet the robot, "of the ladies, that is."

Flynn wiggled an eyebrow at the robot, only for it to bonk him on the head with one of its metallic hands!

"HEY!" Flynn rubbed his head and glared back up at the robot. "What was that for?"

"Stop fooling around, son!" The robot shook its mechanical arm. "I'm talking about a Skylander!"

"Hold up, dude!" Chihiro interrupted as she pushed past Flynn and glared down the robot. "First of all, who are you? And also—" Chihiro gestured towards the Core of Light "—do you have any idea what you nearly crashed into?"

"That information is classified, son," the robot replied as it glared down Chihiro, "I can't spill it to just anyone, especially loud-mouthed civilians!"

"But I'm no civilian!" Chihiro pushed a finger against the robot's mechanical chest. "I'm the portal master guarding this place, and as this place's guardian, I demand to know what kind of business you have here!"

"PORTAL MASTER? My apologies, sir! I had no clue!" The robot jumped up and mechanically bowed. "Designation is General Robot, sir!" General Robot stood and made a couple whirring and beeping noises. "I was created by the Mabu Defense Force to aid them in their feats of heroism, sir!"

"Now that's more like it." Chihiro beamed as she placed her hands on her hips, giggled and leaned towards Spyro. "He called me sir!"

Spyro only chuckled and rolled his eyes. Even if she wouldn't admit it, Chihiro did really like the respect that came with being a portal master. Well, neverminding that she was still only an apprentice.

"The MDF sent me to inform you that they have located the Golden Gear and the Green Goo of Primordia, sir!" General Robot proclaimed as he stood rigid and tall, his gaze fixed directly on Chihiro.

"Wait, Golden Gear?" Hugo exclaimed as he pushed through the crowds. "Green Goo of Primordia? Those are the Core of Light's next two components!"

Everybody else in the background cheered and rejoiced.

"Indeed they are, son, now let me speak with the portal master.”

General Robot swerved his body and attention back to Chihiro. "However, we've run into a problem, sir! Kaos has our forces backed into a corner, sir! We've exhausted all our resources trying to take back the components, but to no avail, sir!"

"So." Chihiro crossed her arms as she drummed her fingers against her forearm. "I presume you've come here to request the Skylanders' help?"

"Indeed, sir." General Robot bowed once more. "If you can spare the aid, sir."

"Of course we can!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned her attention to the Skylanders. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" cried the Skylanders scattered throughout the crowds as they gathered towards Chihiro.

"General Robot!" Chihiro called as she turned her attention back to General Robot.

"Yes sir!"

"Where exactly are the gear and goo located?"

In response, General Robot's eyes flickered, and projected a holographic image of a mechanical warehouse-looking things decked to the nines with troll soldiers.

"The Golden Gear has been located in a troll factory slash warehouse at a westmost outpost, sir!"

"Wait, I know that place!" cried a hoarse voice with a faint accent of some kind. The voice’s owner, a green-skinned troll with a bushy orange beard, mechanical gloves and boots and bright red eyes who wore a backpack full of dynamite, stepped out of the crowd. "I used to work there when I was in the troll military! Had to make our own weaponry and all..."

"Can we go there, Boomer?" Trigger Happy asked as he skipped up to Boomer, and bounced up and down as he shook Boomer's arm. "Can we, can we, can we?"

Boomer chuckled as he ruffled Trigger Happy's head. "That's for Chihiro to decide, little buddy!" Boomer raised an eyebrow towards Chihiro and beamed wide when he saw her nod.

"If you know the place already, I can't think of anyone better to go!" Chihiro said, and then giggled as Trigger Happy and Boomer cheered and bounced around uncontrollably.

General Robot blinked, or at least seemed to, and the holographic image changed! Its reflection had become that of a war-torn battlefield covered in worn machinery and trenches with barbed wire, all the front yard to an impressive-looking factory filled with pipes that pumped a glowing green substance.

"And as for the goo," General Robot said as the projection glowed bright, "it has all been stockpiled at a troll factory filled with some of their best technology!"

"Best technology, you say?" Drobot echoed as he whirred out of the crowds.

General Robot nodded in affirmation. "The most top-notch tech they've ever come up with."

"That's perfect for you, Drobot!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pushed through their conversation. "You're all about that techy stuff!" Chihiro's eyes glazed over the crowds, and pointed towards a red and gold robot hidden among their ranks. "And Drill Sergeant, you're literally a living robot!" Chihiro ushered the robot forward. "With the two of you together, that goo will be ours in no time!"

"Very well then, sir," replied Drill Sergeant as he wheeled out of the crowds, his red and gold armor bright and shiny against the afternoon light.

"Alright then!" Chihiro clapped her hands together. "If that's the case, then let's get cracking!"

And with that, Chihiro sung another odd earth tune as she lead her chosen Skylanders towards the portal building.

§

"Good luck, everyone!" Chihiro shouted as all four Skylanders were absorbed in the portal's light. "Be sure to kick those trolls' butts extra hard for me!"

Chihiro's smile faded with the portal's light, and with a sigh, she brushed a hand against its stone surface. It felt a bit chilly thanks to the cold of autumn, though the recent use made it a lot warmer than she expected. But, nevertheless, the feeling of its familiar stone surface eased her heart just a bit, and yet, that still wasn't enough to quell her worries. After all, Hugo said her next exam was soon to come, and she hadn't the slightest clue what the subject would be!

Then again, she barely kept up on her studies. After her wake-up call a few days ago, she devoted every waking moment that wasn't spent working with the Skylanders on training. Practicing spells in the training arena, pouring through spellbooks for new ideas on what to practice, honing her own magical abilities… That was all she could think about, and even then, it still felt like she had to do more and more! When would she finally feel like she was strong enough?

"Chihiro!" called a voice she faintly recognized as Hugo's from a ways away. "Are you ready?"

Oh, that's right. It's probably exam time now; hopefully she'd still find a way to pass. Chihiro lingered on the portals a little more, yet drew away from the one she had faced as their light faded.

"Coming, Hugo," Chihiro whispered as she trailed out of the portal room, her walk void of its usual bounce and energy.

Unsurprisingly, Master Eon and Hugo both stood outside the portal room with attentive, expecting eyes. Well, Hugo did anyways, since Master Eon's ghostly form lacked eyes and all that fun stuff.

"Is it time?" Chihiro asked as she tugged on her sweatshirt's shoulder, the one now patched up after it was singed by a laser some time back. "Y'know, for the thing?"

"The thing?" Hugo responded as he raised an eyebrow, his mind clearly blank before he shook his head. "Oh, you mean the exam!" Hugo beamed and clapped his paws. "Indeed it is! Good on you for keeping up with your dates, Chihiro!"

Darn. For a moment, she hoped she got the day wrong and she still had a few more days to prepare, but what's done was done, she supposed. Seems like she'd just have to grin and bear it.

"Young Chihiro, is something troubling you?" Master Eon asked as he floated around Chihiro, his bright light faint and almost troubled. "You seem worried about something."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Chihiro spat out without even thinking as she waved her hand. "Just wondering when the exam starts, that's all!"

Okay, that was a lie. Chihiro didn't exactly feel prepared for her exam, but then again, nobody exactly told her what it was going to be! Well, in their defense, she’d hardly been around Master Eon and Hugo these past few days, or anybody outside the training dummies, really. The most conversation they had was when she relayed mission reports to them at the end of the day!

Now, it had really started to bite her in the butt. Chihiro felt unease grow in her heart as her mind trailed back to the exam she certainly wasn't prepared for, but she couldn't say that right to Master Eon's face! That would be like admitting to your teacher that you hadn't done a single lick of homework all week! It was irresponsible, and she knew he expected better of her.

So, she just stayed quiet as Hugo and Master Eon walked out of the portal room and down the hall, all while they made conversation that was little more than white noise to Chihiro's ears.

Their short trip led them over to the portal building's study, which was no cleaner than the last time Chihiro sneaked in there to borrow books. The wooden floors were still covered by a fine layer of stray papers and bulky novels, more of which hung from the couches and chairs, and the overhead lamps still lit the entire room a somewhat sleepy shade of yellow.

They all took their seats, and nothing happened afterwards. Hugo said nothing as he twiddled his thumbs, nor did Master Eon as he flipped through the pages of a stray paperback.

This, well, did not help Chihiro actually. She was already plenty anxious at the prospect of her oncoming exam, and all this waiting around and doing nothing made her wanna burst! Could something happen already?

"Er, Master Eon?" Chihiro called at last as she clenched her teeth. "Are we going to start the exam now?"

"Just wait a few minutes longer, young Chihiro," Master Eon replied as he dropped the book and flitted over to a wooden grandfather clock.

Chihiro sighed, and her eyes trailed over to the grandfather clock Master Eon now examined. If she had to guess, it was only about a minute or so till the next hour? She was never particularly good at reading old-timey clocks. Thankfully, in this instance she was right; with a few ticks more, the clock chimed out an equally old-sounding melody that informed her a new hour had passed!

"Now it is time, young Chihiro!" Master Eon proclaimed as he floated back towards the sofas. "Are you ready to begin your next exam?"

"Yeah," Chihiro replied as she made a wary smile and lowered her voice, "ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Very well then." Master Eon bobbed up and down. "I have a feeling you'll enjoy this next exam. The scavenger hunt is popular with many young apprentices, after all!"

"A scavenger hunt?" Chihiro's eyes glistened as a bit of her fears trickled away. She was always good at those kinds of things when they had them in school oh so many years ago—she could probably ace this one!

"That sounds like fun!" Chihiro jumped off the chair she sat in and bounced up and down. "What am I looking for? Treasures? Trophies? Snacks? All three of them at once?"

Master Eon made a hearty chuckle as he gently bounced up and down on Chihiro's head.

"Not quite, young Chihiro." Master Eon shook back and forth then flew away from Chihiro. "This scavenger hunt will test your knowledge of magical artifacts and devices. Thus, you can guess what you'll be searching for!"

Chihiro stopped short, as if her feet glued to the ground out of nowhere. Magical artifacts and devices? Well, she read about them here and there in a couple of books she borrowed from the library. She probably knew enough about them to coast through this exam, right? Chihiro rubbed a hand on her chin as she pondered, but not for long as Hugo shoved a worn cloth bag into her arms!

"This bag has all you should need for the exam," Hugo explained as he stepped back, "take a look!"

Chihiro did as told, and found two scraps of paper within its confines. One was a list with a number of names written in Skylandian lettering, the other a map with a number of red dots on its surface. Now that she looked closer, it kinda looked like a map of the island?

Chihiro put the map aside, glazed over the list and gulped. Actually, no, she was way under prepared. She didn't recognize a single name on this list! How was she going to pass this exam now? Chihiro gulped again, shuddered at the prospect of a failed exam and shoved the list back in. Hopefully she'd be able to pick it up as she went along.

"The rules go as follows," Master Eon explained as he swirled around Chihiro. "Replicas of the artifacts on this list and more have been scattered all across the places indicated on the map, and you must bring the correct ones to us before the sun sets today." Master Eon jumped back onto the couch. "In addition, you must rely on your own knowledge to finish this exam. In other words, you cannot ask for others' help or resources."

Chihiro gulped and nodded. The anxiety that she thought had disappeared instead crept up on her and dug its claws into her heart once more. She could already see the disappointed looks on their faces as she majorly failed…

"In addition, and I cannot stress this enough," Hugo added as he stepped up to Chihiro, "you absolutely must NOT use magic on the artifacts! Bad things could happen if you do!" Hugo stopped short and frowned as he waved his paw in front of Chihiro's face. "Chihiro? Chihiro, did you hear me?"

"YEAH, GOT IT!" Chihiro exclaimed as she slung the bag over her shoulder. "Bring back the right thingies before the day ends, no cheating, no magic! Got it!"

Chihiro sweated buckets as she fumbled through the bag, plucked out the map and list and squeezed them tight. She was sure her panic was obvious to everyone around, but hopefully she could play it off a bit.

"If you're ready, then we will begin at the forest's mouth," Master Eon said, a bit of wariness in his voice as he sat on Chihiro's hands, or maybe that was just her imagination, who knew.

Hugo laid his paw on Chihiro's hand, and in moments, they teleported out of the study and right before the forest's mouth! Chihiro gulped as they let go and wrung her bag's strap tight.

Might as well get this over with, I guess, Chihiro thought as she ventured deep into the woods.

"Do you really think she'll be okay, Master Eon?" asked a voice that Chihiro knew was Hugo's, but it was so faint in the distance that she wasn't sure it was real or just her imagining things.

So, she took one cursory glance back at the entrance, then delved deeper into the forest.