Chihiro teleported beside Spyro right as the door crashed down behind them, and both of them winced as the door slammed to a close. For a moment, they both paused and caught their breath, but the rumbles of the ceiling above pulled them back to the present! While they took a breather, the other doors shut down at rapid speed!

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

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

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

One by one the doors slammed behind them, but Spyro and Chihiro moved so fast that they hardly noticed; all they cared about was catching up to the Evil Grub Worm! The two of them ducked and rolled as another door slammed behind them, but the door ahead was nearly closed when they finally came to a stop! They only squeezed their hand and paw tight, and they bolted off as they slammed a hole right through the door in a bright flash of purple light. The crashing of slamming, closing doors echoed behind them, and mingled with the faint scent of burning smoke as they blazed through each and every door and left nasty holes in each one.

The light of an open door cascaded over their flaming body as they burned, and even seemed to eclipse their own light for a moment.

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

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

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

"Ack!" the Evil Grub Worm shrieked as it jumped back and yanked the Eternal Magic Source towards it. "What was that?"

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

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

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

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

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

"SO LONG, SUCKERS!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spyro just beamed and flapped his wings while it sneezed and groaned, all while his eyes returned back to their natural golden color. He finally had an opportunity, and he was definitely going to take it! So, he flapped his wings and flew ahead—or so it seemed. Rather, while he was in mid-flight, he disappeared into thin air, popped into existence right behind the Evil Grub Worm, and right on time to snatch the Eternal Magic Source out from right beside it! Massive winds kicked up all around Spyro from the sheer force of his blow, and they were so powerful that they immediately knocked the Evil Grub Worm on its back!

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

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

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

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

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

"CURSE THESE TINY LITTLE LEGS!" the Evil Grub Worm wailed so loudly that it shook the entire vault around them! It snarled as it whipped back around to Spyro, and narrowed its bloodshot, red eyes as it licked its lips. "You haven't won yet, you fools!" the Evil Grub Worm’s eyes narrowed and burned with rage. "I have another trick up my sleeve, you know!"

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

"Or rather, in my mouth!"

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

Spyro and Chihiro both froze as they fixed their eyes on the Evil Grub Worm, who only let out a series of low cackles as a bright, purple halo of light glowed around it.

Though this halo was small at first, it soon glowed brighter and brighter, until its light completely enveloped the Evil Grub Worm. The light grew bigger and bigger with the Evil Grub Worm captive in its grasp, until it became an expanding star that glowed so bright, it threatened to swallow everything around in its harsh, burning light! The Evil Grub Worm's laughs grew deeper and more bellowing with every expansion, and those laughs were so massive that they shook the vault's walls and sent dust and crumbs of rocky metal down from the ceiling and into the boiling waters of below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chihiro snarled as her feet hit the floor, and held her hands like she was holding a baseball bat while the Evil Grub Worm hit the ground once more. Its eyes fixed on her as it turned around, and though Spyro was up ahead, it paid no mind to him as it charged right towards Chihiro! While it charged, however, Chihiro just summoned a gigantic hammer, bounded forward and leaped off the ground with one mighty jump! Chihiro let out a raging cry as she leaped in the air and well above the Evil Grub Worm's rampage, and swung her hammer straight into the center of the bridge. The bridge's metallic stone surface was already dented some from the Evil Grub Worm's raging terror, but the blow from Chihiro's hammer was enough to buckle it in and create a nicely-sized depression in its surface.

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

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

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

The Evil Grub Worm was no match for the combined force of such powerful attacks. It only stood there as the force blew its round wrecking ball of a body to bits, and unveiled the true Evil Grub Worm—or rather, Evil Grub Worms! When it exploded, it exploded into an entire army of Evil Grub Worms that rained down on the bridge!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chihiro stumbled back as the Evil Grub Worms launched for her, and shot off a magic blast into the crowds. Even though the explosion sounded off and lavender smoke wafted into the air, the Evil Grub Worms' numbers hardly diminished!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I did!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wrecking Ball curled up once more, slammed down right on the head of one clone, and he bounced off and slammed into another as it exploded! The explosions only continued as he leaped out from the explosion and conked the rest, all while he left a fury of purple, smoky explosions in his wake!

Drill Sergeant zoomed forward while Wrecking Ball bounced off; he himself was hot on the trial of several squealing Evil Grub Worms as he zapped the ground behind them with red-hot lasers! It was utter chaos on the one bridge, with Evil Grub Worms torn through left and right at such a furious pace that lavender smoke clouded the bridge and obscured most of it from view. In the chaos of it all, nobody noticed the metal wall behind them creak and bend in on itself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Got it!" Chihiro cried back.

She and Spyro tailed the Evil Grub Worm through the smoking grounds, joined hands once more and teleported away! They reappeared just inches behind the oblivious Evil Grub Worm and got ready to strike, but before they could, Chihiro looked up and cast a shield instead! Cackles filtered through the arena as a purple magical blast bounced off the shield, and shook the shield so hard that it evaporated in an instant.

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

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

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

The Evil Tiki Man stroked its puffed-out chest as it floated back and forth, all while its braggartly spiel progressively grew more long-winded and less coherent.

Spyro and Chihiro had none of it as they looked towards each other and rolled their eyes.

"And that's why…"

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

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

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

But, the Evil Grub Worm was more horrified than anything as it stopped in its tracks! "Evil Tiki Man!" the Evil Grub Worm cried as it stumbled back.

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

"Let me out of here, you buffoons!"

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

The Evil Grub Worm screamed as it splattered against the floor, its screams the last remains of its presence as it exploded into scattered spheres—and the Eternal Magic Source!

The Eternal Magic Source's purple light shone bright as it phased though the disintegrating rope, flew up to Spyro and Chihiro, and rested itself in Chihiro's hands! The two of them let out soft, barely-heard gasps as they basked in the gentle, yet powerful light of the Eternal Magic Source, but not for long.

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah, definitely not good!"

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

Double Trouble and Dark Spyro both winced while Wrecking Ball whimpered and scrambled back, and all three of them jumped on Drill Sergeant as he dashed away with the robots hot on his trail. They ran their hardest as the robots bounded after them with strides so powerful that it shook the bridge, and sent broken chunks of metal falling into the waters below, but those robots were relentless! As the four of them finally got ahead of the robots' grip, one of the robots shot out a magic blast straight for Dark Spyro, Double Trouble, Drill Sergeant, and Wrecking Ball.

Before anyone could make another move, a bright flash of light wormed its way right between the two warring parties and completely neutralized the robot's blow.

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

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

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

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

"Alright!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You bet!" everyone else cried in unison.

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

"THEN LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Both sides jumped into the heat of battle; the magic energy and flaring fighting spirit from them was so bright that it could be seen from miles around!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Think, think it's over?" Chihiro panted as she slung her hammer over her shoulder.

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

"After that robot!" Spyro cried.

He flew after it, but fumbled back back as the robot whipped around and shot a blast at him! While Spyro tumbled backwards, the robot blew the smoke off of its gun, aimed the gun down at the bridge and pulled the trigger.

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

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

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

There, in the time it took them to fly away from the bridge's remainder, the robot already reached the end. It stood silent as it pointed a finger to the ceiling, almost as if it signaled for something. Was it trying to escape? Well, it wasn't getting out on their watch! As they all swept down onto the platform, the robot shrieked and stumbled backwards. Instead of falling down into the waters below or anything else, metallic walls all raised around the arena and blocked off any escape or entrance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chihiro teleported over and swept up the Eternal Magic Source in a magic container. "Gotcha!"

With the Eternal Magic Source held firm in her grasp, Chihiro smiled and turned back to the others. "Now that we finally have what we came here for, it's about time we went home!"

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

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

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

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

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