§Speaking of T-Bone…§

"There, finally shook that thing!" T-Bone exclaimed as he fell to his knees and panted. "Geez, who knew running could take so much out of ya? Especially when you've got no organs!" T-Bone cackled at his own joke, shook his head and looked around. "Anyways, you Skylanders have any idea…"

T-Bone blinked and froze. He looked all around, but everywhere he went he found nothing but dust and darkness and cobwebs—no Skylanders in sight! How did he end up all alone here?

"Skylanders? Hello?" T-Bone scratched his skull and turned his gaze back down the halls. "I could've sworn they were with me just a second ago!"

T-Bone sighed and journeyed back down the halls. "Guess I'd better find them before they get themselves lost," T-Bone said as he hung his head and walked back down the path in the dusty floors his footsteps created. He heaved another sigh as he ducked under a batch of cobwebs, but froze as a soft, aqua light filtered through the halls.

"Huh?" T-Bone uttered as the light grew brighter and closer. "What's that?"

§

With a hop and a stretch, Chihiro left the ship, and took her first step back into the new, completely liberated Fairy Kingdom, yet completely froze as she took in its beauty!

It was a far cry from the hollow shell of a land she first saw when she came to liberate the kingdom some time ago. No, now it absolutely bustled with life! The trees were strong and dotted with leaves painted in a rainbow of colors, all of which brilliantly glowed against the sunlight. The grass stood tall and proud as it caressed her boots, the earth below it a home not just for itself but for beautiful flowers tinged with magic and ripe berry-filled bushes. The buildings, once torn and disarrayed, now stood tall and proud with their sturdy, bright bricks and stained glass windows. Fairies in all appearances bustled around the once barren streets, their chatter a lively soundtrack to the already energetic scenarios. It felt like something straight out of a fairy tale, and Chihiro adored it so!

She could just stand there and watch it forever, but the gentle twinkling of magic behind her noted that somebody had arrived!

"Young honorable Chihiro!" called a voice that Chihiro hadn't heard in quite a while. "It's good to see you in such happy spirits~"

"Persephone?" Chihiro whispered as she turned around to find the voice's source and broke into a smile. "Persephone, it really is you!"

Sure enough, right at Chihiro's side was none other than Persephone, who looked just as radiant as the world around her! Persephone's old clothes changed out for an elegant gown dyed a royal shape of purple, with striking crimson accents on the collar and skirt's rims that were all held together with a mulberry-colored sash for a belt. The red jewel she wore on her forehead was now the centerpiece for a shiny circlet composed of translucent lilac crystals, while purple silk armbands with red fringes wrapped around her wrists and her shiny blue hair looked much softer and lighter. Even her wings sparkled with a light Chihiro had never seen in them before!

"You look great, Persephone!" Chihiro hugged Persephone tight, then jumped back and frowned. "What'cha doing here, anyways?"

"Honorable Master Eon asked me to guide you to our happy recovery centers for your exam!" Persephone took Chihiro's hand in her own. "And, I believed it would be a splendid way to catch up on our latest dances!"

Chihiro couldn't help but giggle at Persephone's strange syntax, which she came to miss since they last parted ways. She was starting to understand what people meant when they said that you never really miss things until they're gone, she supposed.

"Okay then!" Chihiro chirped as she pointed a finger down the roads, which were now paved with sleek white stone that sparkled in a pastel rainbow array of colors. "Lead the way, your queenliness!"

"Gladly, happy Chihiro!"

The two of them broke out in laughter as they raced down the streets, and slowly their run drew to a simple walk. As they passed down cobblestone sidewalks, Chihiro took little notice to the fairies that bowed and sputtered in Persephone's presence. She was more concerned about getting caught up than anything!

"As you can see," Persephone explained while she gestured towards the town before them, "our home has made a splendid recovery since it was freed from that awful Kaos's grasp!" Persephone's smile drooped as she looked down towards the sidewalks. "In most areas, anyways. Though my sisters and I have done our best, there's quite a few towns who still struggle to dance once more…"

"Which is what I'm here for! Gotta help people out for the exam and all!" Chihiro exclaimed as she ran in front of Persephone and nodded. "Just say the word and I'll be off!"

Persephone chuckled and lifted her head. "I'm afraid that isn't my area to dance in, happy Chihiro. The relief center is the one where you'll get your dancing steps from!"

Persephone let go of Chihiro, flew ahead and turned around a bakery with bricks the color of warm bread. "And here it is!" Persephone proclaimed as she flew back around the corner. "The relief center is right this merry way!"

Chihiro followed Persephone, and sure enough, past the rows and rows of houses was a gigantic red and white building with hearts and flowers and crosses painted in all sorts of welcoming, pastel colors on its walls. It sat on a tall, grassy hill at the end of the town's pathway.

"There you are, Lady Persephone!" called another familiar voice from behind them. "I've been looking for you all afternoon!"

Chihiro chirped and tilted her head, but Persephone only giggled and flew back around.

"Aura, my dear!" Persephone exclaimed as she flew over/ "Forgive my sudden interruption of our prior dance. I was only giving young honorable Chihiro a tour of our home!"

"You mean the portal master?"

Chihiro turned her attention around the corner, and sure enough, there behind them was Aura! Though she had the same appearance that she donned when she and Chihiro first crossed paths, Aura looked much, much more enchanting than back then! Maybe it was because in that time, her clothes were cleaned and mended to the point where they looked brand-new, her hair was soft, and her eyes shone with a bright, magical sort of light. The wide smile on her face and the warm blush that dusted her cheeks only added to this radiance, too…

"It is you!" Aura exclaimed as she flitted away from Persephone and towards Chihiro. "Thank you so much again for everything you and the Skylanders did for our home!"

"It's no biggie, it's what we do!" Chihiro replied as she flashed Aura a peace sign and turned back to the corner. "Speaking of which, I actually came here to help out for the day, so I'd better get going!"

"I understand. Lady Persephone and I have quite a few engagements ourselves~" Aura's voice turned a bit teasing, almost coy even, as she flew over to Persephone. "Isn't that right?"

"Oh, Aura, there's no need to be so shy with your dances! We were only making arrangements for our engagement!"

"ENGAGEMENT?" Chihiro whipped her head back around while her eyes grew as wide as her face. "You two are getting married?"

"Not that kind of engagement!" Aura corrected, her blush now spread so far it covered her face. "We were only checking the restoration processes for several towns! Lady Persephone's dialect just refers to it as such—" Aura smiled and gently planted a kiss on Persephone's cheek "—besides, we're not that far in our relationship yet~"

"Now, now, dearest Aura! If you wish for us to dance as a pair, I'm sure I could arrange the steps~"

"Lady Persephone!"

Chihiro chuckled as Persephone and Aura haplessly flirted with each other like couples should while they flew on their way, but soon turned her attention back to the relief building around the way. Outside the building's limits, one could just barely spy a couple of fairies who loaded boxes into a sparkling carriage that vaguely resembled an ambulance. Though as Chihiro drew closer, she swore she could've recognized those fairies! Wait a second! That one, who was getting ready to lift those boxes to the side, that had to be…

"CALLIOPE!" Chihiro called as she bound forward and tackled the fairy in a hug. "It's been so long!"

"Whoa!" Calliope exclaimed as she was trapped in Chihiro's hug and spun around, shook her head and looked back. "Wait a second, Chihiro?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Chihiro giggled as she winked and stuck out her tongue, dusted herself off and let go. "How're you and your moms doing?"

"Great!" Calliope turned around and levitated nearby crates into the carriage. "We've been super busy helping out around the kingdom, but seeing everyone so happy again is worth it!"

Truth is, Chihiro didn't necessarily need to ask Calliope; just seeing the way she looked was enough! Her skin and eyes both shone with a new kind of light, and she now donned a mulberry hooded capelet paired with a purple-pink dress, both of which were in much better condition than the ragged cloaks she donned the last time they met. Her hair was a much brighter red and burned bright against the sunlight, while her wings sparkled with a new kind of light! But still, Chihiro wanted to at least hear it, just to be sure.

Both of them got ready to speak again, but before they could say another word, the soft ring of a doorbell drew their attention. Just across from them, a muscular fairy woman pushed open the door as she hauled an impressively large stack of crates out of the relief center. The fairy had short, curly reddish-brown hair, and lightly-tanned skin with sparkling deep brown eyes that were the color of brown jewels, all paired with red wings and a red mist trail for feet. She wore a white and brown-striped tunic and a brown leather belt, and one could just barely catch the gleam of a golden ring on her finger…

"Alright, these should be the last ones we need to deliver!" the fairy proclaimed as she placed the stack of crates down on the ground, wiped her hands clean and turned to Calliope. "Callie, can you—"

The fairy woman widened her eyes, yet her gaze turned gentle as she locked eyes with Chihiro and grinned. "Well, if it isn't the portal master who helped saved our home!"

Chihiro made a kind of forced grin as the fairy woman flew up and shook her hand—crap, just who was this person? Chihiro was pretty bad with faces, and not seeing people for a few months only adds to the trouble. What if this was someone she was supposed to know? Chihiro made a robotic nod and turned to Calliope with a pleading, "Who's this person? Please help me out here!" kind of look.

"Oh, right!" The fairy woman's eyes widened. "I don't think we were introduced last time we saw each other!"

Phew, so this wasn't someone Chihiro knew yet! She hadn't committed a social faux-pas after all!

"I'm Dione, Calliope's mother—" Dione gestured towards another fairy who flew out the door with eyes fixed on a checklist "—and this is my wife, Mnemosyne."

Mnemosyne was much skinnier and paler in complexion compared to Dione, but there was no doubting that she was Calliope's mother as well! After all, she had the same fiery red hair that Calliope did, though hers was a bit longer and kept in a bob cut. Black goggles with thin frames sat on her face and reflected the light against her bright green eyes, and she dressed in a white lab coat with colorful flowers stitched onto its end and buttons buttoned up high enough that it only barely showed the purple blouse she wore underneath it. However, it had large enough spaces cut into it to show off her mist trail and wings, which were both blue, and on her one hand was a ring that matched Dione's ring in appearance.

Mnemosyne only waved to Chihiro and Calliope as she mumbled something to herself. She flitted up to Dione and held her checklist up for Dione to see.

"I've done the calculations, and for today we…" Mnemosyne explained as her eyes turned to Chihiro. "Excuse me, who are you?"

Chihiro pointed to herself, just to be safe, and Chihiro knelt down and bowed her head when Mnemosyne nodded.

"My name is Chihiro Hatsuki! I'm one of, I mean, I'm the apprentice of Master Eon!" Chihiro explained, her head still hung low.

"She was one of the people who helped liberate the kingdom, remember?" Dione whispered as she looked over to Mnemosyne.

Mnemosyne just smiled as she made a soft chuckle. "Really, huh?" Mnemosyne remarked as she nodded towards Chihiro. "Sorry about that, I'm bad with faces. Anyways, what brings you back here?"

Well, at least Chihiro wasn't alone in that regard! Chihiro nodded, stood back up and tugged on her vest. "Well, for my exam, I have to help a village's residents the entire day, so I figured I'd do sort of a follow-up here! I'm sure there's some places that could still use a little help!"

Mnemosyne nodded, turned her attention back to her list and ran a finger down its pages.

"Let's see, the fairies of Vitrolly need some help touching up a few establishments, Pulimar's tracking down some livestock that recently went missing while repairing farmhouses, Valenyonne has an old silo or two that needs patched…"

Mnemosyne reluctantly flipped to the next page of her list, and in turn, the extensively long paper that cascaded down her board and onto the grass. "And then there's Stillhaven."

Chihiro leaned forward and whistled as she glazed over the list. "Man, that's a lot!" Chihiro remarked as she looked up at Mnemosyne. "Why don't I help you there?"

However, instead of seeming relieved, Dione and Mnemosyne just grimaced and looked at each other with that kind of very worried look that people get when they have to deliver really bad news to people! Oh boy…

"What? What's wrong?"

"Don't get me wrong, we really appreciate the help, but Stillhaven's in lot of disrepair," Dione explained as she clasped her hands with a bit of a reluctant smile on her face. "It's taken the longest time for us to restore!"

"And the fairies there are…" Mnemosyne started, but trailed off as she glanced back to Chihiro.

"That's no biggie! I wanna go somewhere where I can be the most help!" Chihiro replied as she jumped up and pumped a fist. "Bring it on! I'm sure it isn't really that bad!"

So, Dione and Mnemosyne looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

"We did have business there, after all," Mnemosyne added as she flew over to a few stray crates.

Dione turned her attention to the carriage as she went to lift the crates up, but before she could, Chihiro snapped her fingers and sent each of the crates flying onto the carriage's back!

"So, so, are we going yet?" Chihiro asked as she hopped over to the carriage's door and flung it open.

"Indeed we are!" Dione chuckled as she, Mnemosyne and Calliope all flew inside the carriage!

Chihiro made a sharp gasp of glee, leaped inside the carriage and slammed the door shut. As she took her seat next to Calliope, the carriage rattled similar to how a car rattled when it started up, and it drove down the way to Stillhaven…