Tree Rex frowned as he stepped off the ship, and ahead of him, Chihiro and the Skylanders slowly disappeared into the distance.

"Well," Tree Rex remarked as he drew his hands away from the rails, "I suppose that finding this Noodles being is our job now."

"That's your job, you mean!" Ermit scoffed as he strode off and huddled beside a few barrels. "I'm not running around in all that snow, and especially not when there's evil ice ogres about!" Ermit grinned as one of the barrels heated up, and held his hands closer to its warmth. "I'm staying here where it's nice and safe!"

Tree Rex sighed, shook his head while Ermit cowered, and stomped his way down the drawbridge. Eye-Brawl and Thumpback leaped off the boat and tossed snow off the ground, Swarm flew off and hovered down below them, and they all crossed the snowy land with a single nod. They were completely silent with stoic frowns to match as they passed by the masses of snow, ice, and frost-covered mountains and buildings, all sights that seemingly blended together…

But then, Tree Rex hit something cool and slick and slid off!

"Whoa- whoa-whoa!" Tree Rex cried as he slid across the slick flooring and smashed right into the side of a marble building! The building cracked behind him as Tree Rex's head spun, and he groaned as he pushed it up.

Before him, the endless slopes and slicks of ice and snow made way some. They traded off in favor of carefully-crafted marble buildings colored in sleek, pearly shades of blues and whites; all of them melded with the warmth of shiny gold. Large pagodas and homes shimmered while the snow dusted their roofs like glitter, and tall pillars with all sorts of carvings depicting events long past stood beside these buildings. The floors were made of a strong tile, shimmered with light in rainbow colors, and the snow glistened against their light like pastel jewels. It was a perfect light show in the day! Even those statues of that strange Noodles being glistened amid the shine of the sun, and radiated as if they were made of crystal or diamonds rather than ice. Winter chills burst through crystal windchimes and sent pleasant tunes through the air.

For such a cold place, the sight of it warmed Tree Rex's heart! He stood up and marveled in its beauty. He hadn't seen a place quite as beautiful as this since he last went to the free magicians' Northern Base while they plotted an attack on the Arkeyans' Winter Stronghold. In fact, the sights around here felt just like it with their crystalline aesthetics and bright shine!

"Boss, you alright?" Swarm asked as he flew in and crossed his arms. "You took a pretty nasty slip there!" Swarm paused, and his eyes grew and shrank as he smirked. "In fact, you could almost say it was" — Swarm snapped his fingers — "hard as ice!"

The wind spun past Swarm, and his antenna sunk at the lack of reception. "Geez, tough crowd."

Tree Rex just chuckled and laid a hand on Swarm's shoulder while Swarm scoffed,. "Ah, don't mind me, Swarm," Tree Rex said as he turned Swarm around and gestured towards the area. "I was just thinking, this place seemed almost familiar…"

"Hello?"

Tree Rex smiled and inhaled the cold air, but amid their howls, he was sure he heard something like a soft voice, almost? He turned his head aside, but couldn't seem to find anything! He must have just been hearing things.

"Hello?"

Wait, no he wasn't! Tree Rex turned right, yet still couldn't find any source for that strange, soft voice!

"Did you hear something, Swarm?"

Swarm's antenna perked up as he turned back to Tree Rex. "Now that you mention it, it almost sounded like someone was calling for me!"

"Tree Rex, Swarm!" cried a pair of voices in the distance!

Tree Rex and Swarm both turned around. Thumpback and Eye-Brawl slid in behind them, and with much more elegance than Tree Rex himself did to boot!

"There you two are!" Eye remarked. "Eye was wondering when I'd spot you!"

"Ah, don't mind us," Tree Rex remarked as he scratched at his horns, "we were just admiring the scenery."

Eye chuckled. "Ah, don't mind that. More importantly!" Eye popped off of Brawl, and fluttered down between Swarm and Tree Rex's legs. "Who's this ghastly little ghost that's lingering around you?"

Wait, a ghost? Tree Rex hadn't seen any ghosts when he came in here! A bone-chilling breeze whipped around his legs, and he peered down with a shudder. Sure enough, a thin, blue ghost with a gear planted firm on their chest flickered in and out of existence with every blink as he floated between Tree Rex and Swarm! Tree Rex wanted to ask this ghost just when they got here, but the ghost completely ignored Tree Rex as he floated up to Eye and grinned.

"You're the first one to actually notice my presence," the ghost said as he clasped his hands. "Thank you. Everyone else just ignores me."

The thick blue mist that wrapped around the ghost thinned a little as he turned around and sighed, and Tree Rex himself bowed his head as the ghost flickered once more. The poor thing, just the sight of him seemed so lonely. Tree Rex scooped the ghost into his hands, and grinned as he held the ghost up to his eyes. A soft gasp came from the ghost, but his initial shock softened as he sat down.

"Who might you be, little ghost?" Tree Rex asked. "You don't seem very fit for the weather around here!"

"I could say the same of you," the ghost chuckled back, and a twinkle shone in his blank white eyes before he turned around. "But, you are right. I'm not quite accustomed to this weather. Normally I'd brave it out in the robot I call my home…"

Another crash sounded in the distance, and all eyes turned to where that robot suit smashed off a glacial cliff! Cold white smoke burst from it as it slid down and disappeared into the clouds below, but the robot only cackled as it pumped its fist in the air. Tree Rex couldn't help but wince at the sight, yet the ghost only sighed below him.

"But then, that awful Noodles stormed my home and kicked me out! That's not even the worst of it. Ever since he took over that robot, he's spent all their time making a mess of this island! All this wanton destruction's left the island in disarray." The ghost curled up into a ball as he leaned against Tree Rex's fingers. "I can't even stop it, either. They won't listen to a word I say!"

"Well lucky for you, you've got help!" Tree Rex chimed in.

The ghost gasped and perked up his head, and Tree Rex only winked in response.

"See, we came here to stop that Noodles guy, too!" Swarm added as he leaned against Tree Rex's shoulder and winked. "Once we're through with him, he won't ever think of touching your robot again!"

"Really?" the ghost asked.

Nods came from all around, and normally, any average being would be ecstatic to hear it! However, the ghost didn't seem quite as happy. Rather, he frowned, and his body phased in and out; his hands pressed together as he peered back up at Tree Rex.

"Are you sure? Those ice ogres placed a lot of obstacles along the way." The ghost drummed his ghastly fingers against his face, which disappeared and reappeared with every phase. "It was a miracle that I managed to get here unscathed!"

"Don't worry about it, buddy!" Thumpback shouted as he rubbed the ghost's head. He grinned as he adjusted his anchor's position on his shoulder, spun around and strode off. "Whatever they have in store for us, I'm sure it'll be nothing!"

Thumpback whistled, grunted as he slammed into something cold and icy, and stumbled back! He shook his head and sent water droplets out his blowhole that quickly froze into icy chips, lifted his head and grimaced. His dour look met with his reflection as it shone in the icy object he slammed into.

"Okay, I stand corrected."

Above them all, a massive block of ice completely block off the way ahead! It was so tall that it stretched well into the clouds and past the heavens, and it seemed perfectly solid. Thumpback's collision hadn't even put a dent in it, and just its presence seemed to chill the area around.

Tree Rex frowned, backed up and leaned in as he charged forward—but the ice completely chilled him to the bone the moment he hit it! A cold, numbing feeling rattled his bones as he stumbled backwards while the world around him turned blurry and spun in circles, and something pulled him back to his feet as his vision cleared. Eye and Swarm both frowned and raised their brows at Tree Rex, and Tree Rex himself just giggled.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Tree Rex remarked.

"Brute force doesn't seem to be the answer to this problem," Eye remarked as he flew off and glared at the ice block. "Perhaps we need to put a little heat on it!"

Eye flew back, and with a slight tilt of his round body, a gigantic laser burst from his corner and seared into the block! Its bright, silvery blue light burned and reflected in the block itself, and white smoke drifted off from the laser's body as it disappeared amid the cool skies. Surely, something of that intensity would work, right? The laser reflected back as it zapped Eye into Brawl's arms. All eyes turned to the block then to find that, aside of a few thin wisps of smoke that blew off of its surface, the ice block was perfectly untouched! Not a single sign of damage rested on its surface, and it sparkled like a pristine diamond still. It probably would've been pretty if it hadn't blocked their way, but for now, it was a nuisance.

"What're we gonna do now, boss?" Swarm asked as he turned to Tree Rex.

Tree Rex just sighed and crossed his arms as he racked his brain. Normally, he would've called upon Hot Head's flames to melt it down, or on Ninjini to levitate the block out of their way, but neither of them were here at the moment. A faint recollection of the battle that separated them flitted into Tree Rex's mind, but he shook his head and dispelled the thought. His main priority was on this ice block for now, but how to move it? Even with all four of them on deck, it seemed far too heavy for them to just lift and toss away! Surely, there had to be some other way out?

"When did these crystals get here?" asked the ghost, his voice still faint as ever.

Tree Rex tilted his head, and turned back to one of those chilly pagodas. There, the ghost fiddled with a massive, laser-spewing crystal that planted in the pagoda's heart. The laser it cast was bright and solid, enough that one burst completely melted the ice around the pillar it shot at, and revealed clear stone underneath! Tree Rex skimmed across the area, where a few other crystals of similar power and stature laid, and his eyes turned back to the block.

Tree Rex grinned as he pounded a fist into his hand. "There's your answer!" Tree Rex cried as he manned the crystal. "Move all these crystals so that they're facing the block, stat!"

Swarm, Eye-Brawl, and Thumpback all nodded, dashed across the land, and grunted as they heaved and pushed the crystals around! The crystals' lasers all locked on a single spot in the heart of the block, and Tree Rex himself grinned as he twisted his own and joined in. Their combined laser blast heated the bottom of the crystal into a clear, lightless white, but it still wasn't enough to melt it. Tree Rex joined up with the others and nodded.

"Just what are you planning?" the ghost asked as he floated up to Tree Rex and placed a hand to his face.

Tree Rex grinned. "You'll see!"

Tree Rex thrust out his solar cannon. Beside him, Swarm placed his arm barbs together, Eye popped off of Brawl's top, and Thumpback yanked his jaw wide open. Tree Rex closed his eyes, and the thought of warm, bubbling, bright light came to mind as his blood heated and broiled within his body. A warm feeling mixed with a sharp, shrieking sound came from around him, and he yanked his eyes open to find a world tinted blue!

"Fire!" Tree Rex cried.

The screech of fast light came from all around as that bright, blue light turned white, and completely masked Tree Rex's vision, but the massive smash that followed showed him all he needed to know! His vision cleared, and a massive hole formed right in the center of the ice block's lower half as green light faded from his solar cannon! With its foundation damaged, the block itself teetered left, and smashed a hole in the side of the bridge as it fell right over!

"That's the power of the Light Element for you," Tree Rex remarked as he crossed his arms, and a soft round of applause echoed from below.

"Bravo, bravo!" the ghost cheered.

Just then, a loud horn sounded off, and sent the ghost fritzing in and out of existence! The horn sounds grew even louder, so loud that everyone covered their ears just to avoid the noise, but, though their ears were covered, their eyes were wide open!

They saw something round and white rumbling in from the distance. It was so far away it couldn't quite be discerned, but the bumpy texture it showed as it came closer kind of looked like… Snow? The white orbs came to a screeching halt right at the beginning of the broken bridge; sure enough, they were giant snowballs, or so it seemed. They shuddered as they came in for a stop. Out from the snowballs' tops popped smaller snowballs with angry faces made of coal, carrots, and silver and blue armor over their heads. These weren't any ordinary snowballs—they were snowwarriors!

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" cried the snowwarrior in the center as sticks emerged from its snowy face and formed angry eyebrows over their shiny coal eyes. "All intruders will face our mighty, chilly wrath!" The snowwarrior shuffled to the smaller snowwarrior on its left and flailed around. "Ready the arms!"

"Understood, captain!" the snowwarrior cried as it shuffled back around.

Tree Rex raised a brow, but Swarm only cackled beside him.

"Oh how scary, they sent out a bunch of snowpeople!" Swarm chuckled as he pointed at the snowwarriors and waved his fingers around. "What'cha gonna do, pelt us with snowballs?"

The snowwarriors' stick arms sunk back into their bodies, and out from them came sleek, silver cannons! The cannons loaded back with a single click. The stick eyebrows the snowwarriors held transformed into miniature logs.

"FIREEEEEEEE!" cried the head snowwarrior.

Right as it shouted this, an entire barrage of snowballs flew out and headed straight for the Elder Elementals—but with how hard these snowballs were, it was like they got pelted with gigantic chunks of hail or ice instead! Tree Rex grunted as several of the snowballs hit his chest, and he flung his arms in front of his aching torso. Beside him, Thumpback grunted as he fell on his back. Thumpback tried to push himself up, but another snowball smacked him right in the snout and knocked him back down.

Eye-Brawl wasn't much better. Eye hit the skies as he flitted away in a panic from the mass of snowballs that came his way. Brawl just squeaked and cowered with his hands over his nonexistent head!

Swarm wove between the waves of snowballs and clenched his teeth. "Me and my big mouth!" Swarm cried. He narrowly ducked under another assault of snowballs, yet one still pelted him right in the face.

He grunted and held his sore face as the snow slid right off. "You might be pretty good at hitting a big target, but how about a smaller one?" Swarm cried as he pounded his arms together. "Better yet, what about an entire swarm of them?"

The snowwarriors all paused for a moment as they turned around, leaned back and squeaked as Swarm disappeared into an entire swarm of angry, buzzing bees! The bees' buzzing turned high and screechy as they swarmed and dashed around the snowwarriors' heads, and the snowwarriors themselves could only flail their cannons to little avail. One shot off a couple snowballs, but the bees zipped out of the way and dashed off. The snowwarriors all frowned and turned back around as the sound of soft, slow buzzing sounded beside them, but the moment their eyes fell on the swarm of bees behind them, they screamed! The bees took the shape of Swarm once more, and in the snowwarriors' moment of fright, he reformed and laid his barbs' sights right on them!

"Prepare to buzz!" Swarm cried as thundering stormclouds wrapped around his barbs!

Swarm jumped back right as the barbs fired, split in three, and sniped off the heads of each snowwarrior! Snow, tattered hats, and coal lumps tossed in the air and thunked against the ground as the snowwariors' bodies liberated themselves of their cannons arms, and stood still as ice. The bodies shuddered for a moment as they rocked back and forth, and out from them popped three wide-eyed, teeth-chattering ice ogres!

"They're tougher than we thought!" the ogres cried as they leaped out of their snowy bodies and dashed between Swarm's legs. "We've gotta warn Commander Noodles!"

"Hey, I didn't say you could buzz off!" Swarm cried as he zipped after them.

Tree Rex, Eye-Brawl, Thumpback, and the ghost all dashed right after Swarm. The snow tracked underneath their feet as they dashed down the cold marble of the path below them. They all panted as their eyes fell just above Swarm's shoulder, where one could faintly spot that trio of ice ogres dashing right towards another snowy island that acted as the foot of small, snow-covered mountains.

Behind them, the Elder Elementals and the ghost charged forward, but then, the ogres hit the snow and stomped their feet! A shriek came from above as shadows cast themselves on the segment of path that stood between the ogres and the Elder Elementals, and down over it came massive hunks of ice! The ice blocks crashed down in sequence and completely barred the way ahead off, their ice so thick and cold that it completely chilled through. Mist came from underneath the blocks' solid white bodies as the Elder Elementals backed off, and the faint laughter and footsteps of ice ogres echoed in the skies.

Swarm's lip twitched slightly. His wings buzzed like a cicada's as he smashed his barbs into the ice's surface like a chisel—but, that wasn't quite a bright idea. His eyes turned wide as his barb snapped in half, and he screamed as he yanked his hand back from the unbroken block.

"Owch! Owch owch owch!" Swarm wailed as he rubbed his broken barb, his eyes welled with small tears. He winced as he leaned the broken barb against the ice blocks before him, and breathed a sigh of relief as the chill numbed his wound.

"Looks like we're not getting through there anytime soon," Thumpback said as he rubbed his massive chins. "Guess we'll have to go back."

"Or we could take the other way?" the ghost suggested.

All eyes turned down to him, and the ghost just smiled as he pushed open part of the path's railing like it was a gate's door. As the door slid open, a path of shiny silver stretched out before him, and he floated over and ushered for the Elder Elementals to come.

Tree Rex frowned as he peered down the path ahead. "That might work for you, but I think it's a little small for us," Tree Rex remarked as he scratched his horns.

The ghost hummed as he examined the bridge below, sighed and floated back over to Tree Rex's side. "Well, I suppose you're right there," he admitted.

Thumpback continued to rub his chin as his tiny eyes fixed on the gigantic ice blocks that blocked the way off. A low, rumbling hum came from him, the same kind of hum he always made if something caught his eye. Perhaps he had an idea?

"Swarm, can you scout the tops of these blocks for any gaps?" Thumpback asked.

"Odd request, but sure!" Swarm replied. His wings flitted a bit, and he zipped up and away. "If you need an eye in the skies, leave it to me!"

Swarm buzzed above the blocks and hummed as he zipped from block to block, nodded and zipped back to Thumpback. "There's a few!" Swarm replied as he landed back down and held out his hands. "They're about this big, and there's one between each of those blocks—"

"Perfect."

Thumpback smiled, whipped out his anchor and spun it around like a lasso! Snow from the clouds whipped around his anchor and chilled it. Thick, dark clouds seeped out from his claws next, and sank into the anchor itself until it grew so cold that frost formed around its metal.

"Drop anchor!" Thumpback cried as he tossed the anchor above the blocks.

The anchor soared over and landed just across the blocks. Thumpback turned back and winked as he gripped its chain tighter. His feet planted against the side of the ice blocks, and he hiked up the side of the ice block like it was a mountain! As he finally reached the top, he sat down on the side and waved back down.

"How about a little hike, fellas?"

Tree Rex and Brawl just chuckled, but beside him, Swarm and Eye shrugged as they flew back up in the air.

"Well, personally, eye'd prefer a little flight," Eye remarked as he swept around the blocks and flitted off. "We'll see you on the other side!"

Tree Rex swept the ghost off of the path and placed the ghost on his shoulder. "Hang on, little buddy!" Tree Rex remarked.

Tree Rex approached the anchor, gently lifted its chain off the side of the ice block, and shuddered as its cold seeped into his own body. He winced a little, but gripped the anchor tight, and held it tighter as he slammed into the block below him and hiked up. Funny, beings always talked about climbing trees, and now a tree was climbing! Tree Rex couldn't help but chuckle at the irony as he reached the top, beamed and waved down at Brawl.

Brawl took no notice to Tree Rex, for he held a hand to his nonexistent face as he stood beside the chain. Tree Rex knelt down as he pressed a hand down on the icy-cool chain, turned back to Brawl and craned his head up. Brawl lifted himself up, gripped onto the chain and hastily skittered up the block. His feet skidded a little on the ice, and Brawl yipped as he clung to Tree Rex while he crawled onto the top.

Thumpback chuckled as he yanked his iced-over anchor from the other side, and with its body in his hands, the ice melted away and revealed the anchor's normal self! Thumpback leaped across the blocks and hupped with Tree Rex and Brawl close behind. All three of them flipped over and landed at the very end of the path! Snow leaped up from underneath their feet and coated their arms, and Eye flew over and popped back on Brawl's head while they brushed off their arms!

"Good news, guys!" Swarm proclaimed as he buzzed in front of them and waved. "Scouted the place out, and it looks like it's abandoned!" Swarm turned up and gestured to the robot, which lurched over the mountaintops ahead. "That robot's down too!"

"That's great news!" Tree Rex proclaimed. He grinned, and his smile made its way to the ghost as well while Tree Rex turned to him. "We'll be able to get your home back in no time!"

"Thank goodness!" The ghost proclaimed. A chill rushed through his body, and he shuddered as he phased in and out, "I'm getting tired of all this cold and snow."

"That's what you think!"

The ground rumbled below Tree Rex's feet and unsteadied him a little, so he leaned against the ice block behind him and snarled as he lifted his head. Up above him, a quartet of large, white snowballs rolled around the rim of a large bowl of ice, spun forward and slammed down in front of him! The balls shuddered as their heads popped up. They revealed the faces of very angry snowwarriors, and ones much bigger than the last batch to boot. They matched Tree Rex in size, and that was saying something!

Tree Rex's lip twitched; he gently scooped the ghost off of his shoulder, and placed the ghost down on the ground, far away from where the conflict resided. The ghost winced as he floated backwards, but Tree Rex himself quickly lifted his head.

"Let us take care of these guys," Tree Rex whispered, and he forced a smile before he snarled and turned back to the snowwarriors.

"You're not getting anywhere near our commander!" the head snowwarrior cried as it rocked back and forth with such fury that its head nearly popped off of its body. It hopped around, and its stick arms flailed as all its fellow snowwarriors turned to face it.

"Warriors!"

The snowwarriors all hopped around their commander and saluted, but their commander just hopped back around. It turned its stick arms onto Tree Rex, Swarm, Thumpback, and Eye-Brawl!

"To arms!"

The snowwarriors cried out in affirmation, and their arms rescinded back into their bodies before they popped out with weapons made of snow right in their hands! Their axes, staffs, and swords glistened in the light as the snowwarriors screamed to the heavens and hopped ahead. With a single swing, they sent a flurry of snow Tree Rex's way. Tree Rex yanked out his solar cannon and sent a wave of solar energy that melted their snow blasts the moment they hit, but the snowwarriors and their weapons still remained! Their snow shone bright as ever as they leaped for Tree Rex, but Thumpback wrapped his anchor around them before they could strike, and tossed them back. They grunted as they slammed against the icy stone of the mountains before them, yet their snowy bodies didn't break a bit!

"For beings made of snow, these guys are tough as rock!" Tree Rex cried.

"You bet we are!" one snowwarrior proclaimed as they brandished their ax. "Commander Noodles didn't make us his personal guard for nothing!"

That one snowwarrior screamed as they hopped forward and slung their ax at Thumpback; Thumpback brandished his anchor in turn. The ax clanged as it flew back, but the snowwarrior yanked it out of the air and slashed again! Thumpback clutched his anchor in his arms and chilled it with just a touch, until it turned to a solid icy sheet over a heart of metal. It was so icy-cold that frost formed in places over its ice. It was a temperature so chilling that it would have been painful to the touch for most, but with Thumpback's thick layers of blubber, the anchor became his perfect shield!

He threw it up, blocking another blow from the ax, yanked the anchor by its frosty chain and swung it around. The snowwarrior hopped away from Thumpback's blow as it tossed the ax right towards Thumpback, who pulled his anchor back and blocked off the ax just in time. The ax flew backwards and hit the snowwarrior right in the head; if not for the helmet it wore, which froze to such a point that the ax bounced off, its head probably would've split right open! The snowwarrior's coal mouth formed a frown as the ax landed back in its hands; it screamed as it hopped towards Thumpback with the ax raised!

Thumpback yanked his anchor back. The barnacles on his arms glowed with a bright shine, one that spread to his anchor and melted away all its ice and frost in a steaming puddle at his feet! A shout from above lifted his attention back to the oncoming snowwarrior. Thumpback tossed his anchor into the center of the puddle and whipped it around! A swirling, furious whirlpool that bubbled and cackled at his feet formed as he spun, and Thumpback grunted as he spun his anchor further. The snowwarrior lunged for him, but Thumpback stepped back right as the snowwarrior lost its air, and grinned as the snowwarrior fell in and screamed!

The snowwarrior flailed its arms, its ax liberated from its hands as it spun in circles within the whirlpool's grip. Thumpback yanked out his anchor, tossed the helpless snowwarrior in the air, and slashed it to bits as he swung his anchor around. Its ax and armor became scratched and broken while parts of the snow around its body exploded in puffy patches, and one last swing tossed it into the fray! Thumpback smiled as the anchor flew backwards and landed in his hands, but ducked aside a large ax made of pure snow flew overhead. He lifted his head, winced and ran off as another barrage of snowy axes flew off from the distance!

In the center of the fray, Tree Rex grunted and smacked away another barrage of snowy axes! Before him, a snowwarrior cackled as it whipped out another round of axes and tossed them away. Tree Rex whipped out his solar cannon and shot a bright flare of light right towards them! The snowwarrior screamed, hit the deck as the light blast shot right for it, and lifted its head with a grunt. The light blast crashed into a small cliff behind it, but the snowwarrior was more concerned with its axes—or what was left of them, anyways! The light completely melted the axes, and all that was left was Tree Rex. Tree Rex pounded the ground in the snowwarrior's moment of stupor, and shot a shock wave towards the snowwarrior, who screamed and spun around as the shock wave ran through it! Tree Rex charged forward as the snowwarrior sputtered and spun around, smacked it away, but turned around as the sound of sputtering caught his ears.

A snowwarrior that wielded a staff smirked and pointed its staff's head right towards Eye-Brawl. Eye and Brawl both popped off and glared it down! The snowwarrior gulped as Eye flew around and glared at its back. Chills went down its already-quite-chilly spine as it hopped between both Brawl and Eye, but it smacked its staff's base against the ground as stick eyebrows emerged from its face!

"You're not the only one who can split yourself up, you know!" the snowwarrior cried as its body glistened like a diamond.

A shining rainbow of magic burst from its snowy body, and the body flickered as it split into a whole ring of snowwarriors! The bodies all shone their brightest as they solidified and plopped down on the snow. They all cackled in tandem as they hopped closer around Eye and Brawl, until the two of them stood back to back. Now, they stood caught in the middle of a circle of snowy soldiers, and their staffs pointed towards Eye and Brawl at every angle.

Brawl winced and twiddled his fingers, but Eye just scoffed and held himself high.

"And you're not the only one who can call for backup, either!" Eye cried. He lowered his body, and his wings flapped as furiously as they could. "ARISE, MY LITTLE BROTHERS!"

The snowwarriors all gasped and hopped away as the ground below them rumbled and popped, but a whole swarm of tiny, flying eyeballs burst from the ground and slammed right into the snowwarriors! The effigies all grunted and vanished in puffs of light as the real snowwarrior smacked the eyeballs away with its staff.

"Back, back!" the snowwarrior cried as it tossed away the miniature eyeballs. "Stay away from me, you weird, slimy things!" A shadow cast over the snowwarrior. It peered up and gulped as Brawl knelt down to face it. "Oh no."

The snowwarrior went flying with a flick of Brawl's finger! Brawl wiped his hands as the snowwarrior flew into the distance, but flung his arms across his chest as Swarm zipped past. Swarm flew with such speed that he kicked up snow in both Eye and Brawl's faces, yet slowed himself just a minute as he waved back with a wary grin.

"Sorry 'bout that! I've got a little something on my tail!" Swarm cried.

His eyes popped open as a cry hit the airs, and he dodged out of the way as a bomb made of snow soared right for him! Swarm slipped away as the bomb hit the ground and exploded in a massive, spiky ice formation, and scoffed as he turned back to the snowwarrior who tossed it. The snowwarrior shouted out as it whipped out even more icy bombs, but Swarm just turned tail and flew off.

"Get back here!" the snowwarrior panted as it hopped after Swarm, lobbing bombs the entire way. "These bombs aren't infinite, you know!"

Swarm swerved out of the way of one bomb, corkscrewed away from another, and zipped right up the side of a cliff as he drew inches from smashing right into it! The bomb that trailed him there slammed into the side of the cliff and bounced right back for the snowwarrior, who screamed and turned around as the bomb flew right for it. Just as it hopped off, the bomb exploded by its base and tossed the snowwarrior away!

Swarm grinned and seated himself back on the snow. He held a hand over his eyes, a shield from the harsh light of the snow that allowed him to gaze over the snowwarrior. Swarm smirked as the snowwarrior crashed into the pile of its fallen comrades, lifted his hand and placed it on his hip. In front of him, the snowwarriors all groaned as they collapsed in the heaps of snow. The snow around their own bodies rejoined the heaps around, and left tired, exhausted ice ogres in its wake! The ice ogres craned their heads up, and closed their eyes as the snows' chills rendered them unconscious.

Behind them, Tree Rex just smiled and lifted the ghost back from the ground. "That should be taken care of," Tree Rex said as he placed the ghost back on his shoulder. A small chill like a cool breeze brushed against his shoulder as the ghost laid down, but it was more pleasant compared to the bone-chilling colds that brushed around Tree Rex, so he just smiled. "We'll get your robot back in no time!"

"What's this about getting back a robot?" cried a booming voice from above.

Tree Rex lifted his head, and gasped as his eyes fell on the top of a large, icy cliff! Ice and snow fell down from the cliff and crashed into the ground as a figure leaped onto the ground. The figure cackled and stepped into the light, but as it did, Tree Rex gasped. That face, those clothes, that hair! It all matched those statues and banners he saw plastered across the island, so there was no doubt about it.

The one who stood in front of him now, with a smirk on his face and a cackle bubbling from his mouth, was none other than Noodles!

§

"Hey, get back here!" Chihiro cried as the cold, fluffy snow kicked up underneath her feet.

Her hands stretched and grappled after the wheels that floated away right before her eyes. Their glow pulsed and faded as they rounded the corner and disappeared, but the faint streaks glowed against the icy cavern walls! Chihiro rounded the corner and dashed back down, but the wheels flew off faster than ever! The wheels' light enveloped them and transformed them into miniature shooting stars; it reflected against the walls and snow, coloring them in a rainbow of purples, reds, greens, and yellows…

Which honestly would have been a pretty sight if they weren't getting past Chihiro by the second! The snow kicked up, and the light show faded as she dashed after the wheels. Chihiro leaped forward and swiped at the yellow one.

"Gotcha!" Chihiro cried as her finger hooked into its center.

She beamed as she pulled it down, but it wiggled out of her finger and tailed back after the other wheels! Behind it, Chihiro sputtered as she lost her balance; she fell face-first into the snow, but pushed herself up. She spat fluffy white snow out of her mouth as their light faded from the open halls, growled as her fingers dug into the snow, and sprung back to her feet!

"Get back here!" Chihiro cried as she sprinted back down the halls. "Where do you think you're taking me, anyways?"

Chihiro bolted down the corner and down the halls. The colorful flashes of light that crossed the walls drew her closer and closer to the wheels' presence! She slid down a small, icy hill, and as the snow hit her feet, she lifted her head.

Chihiro found herself in a wide room with glassy ice walls, a snowy ceiling and floor, and several open mouths to halls ahead. In the center of it all, her wheels stood bright as ever! They stood idle for a moment, but the moment they caught sight of her, they bent over. It was almost as if they bowed or nodded? Whatever they did, they immediately stopped and zipped right through the left path! Chihiro jolted up, and dashed right down the path after them!

"Wait for me!"

A faint scream and rumble shook flakes of snow down from the ceiling, but Chihiro barely even noticed the noise, or the chills that came over her head as she buttoned her magic coat tighter. She just bolted after the wheels! The wheels spun and danced in the air right before her eyes, yet they flew out of her grip as she sprinted forward and reached for them. Her fingers barely brushed against their cold, crystal surface before she hit the ground once more, yet she just bounced right up again. She grappled out for the yellow one, but it just zipped away and giggled right at her!

Chihiro's cheeks puffed as she dashed right after it. Around her, the walls grew shinier as the lights glowed brighter. She took another step, and promptly lost her footing as she spun across the floor! She screamed as she finally tumbled over herself and rolled into an icy wall, groaned as she staggered up, and caught her reflection in the—floor?

Chihiro raised a brow as she lifted her head up, where the snowy floors of before was replaced with miles and miles of ice as far as the eye could see! The faint glow of those wheels' shine reflected in the walls above, and floors below as faint flashes that quickly disappeared from the eye, but nonetheless indicated their crossing.

She had to get them! Well, she tried to; the moment she sprung forward, she slipped again and her legs split. Chihiro groaned and stood up once more, her arms held outstretched so she didn't fall. She took a few steps forward and slid right into a wall (owch). She tried to stand up and walk once more, but she tumbled over her own feet, and rolled right back to the beginning of the icy fields! Chihiro groaned as she pulled her head out of the snow that barred the two entryways and shook it off, sighed and frowned as her cold breath flew across the field.

"Didn't I do something like this before?" Chihiro remarked as she tapped her face.

The faintest memory slipped into her mind, and a small smile crossed her face. Yes, she actually did do something like this before! Slam Bam taught her how to skate all the way back when they went to Vindlevale that one time. She vaguely recalled what he taught her back then; hopefully, what she recalled was right.

Chihiro held her arms out as she stood back up, and her shoes transformed into ice skates with a pair of stomps! Her equipment set, Chihiro leaned forward and let the ice take her. The floor screeched underneath her feet as she slid forward. She bent down and strode across the ice while her blades scratched across its surface.

"Now go like this," Chihiro whispered to herself as she slid around a corner and bent down underneath an overhead icicle. Her eyes narrowed as she zipped down the hill and across the field, and she swerved around a large ice formation next. "Then do this…"

A large, icy ramp fell before Chihiro's eyes, but she only pushed further! The ramp came closer and closer, and she took one last stride as she dashed up in the blink of an eye. Flecks of ice and snow sparkled around her like diamonds as she pirouetted in the air, slammed back down and skated off. The faint pulses of yellow, purple, red, and green from ahead grew brighter as she skated forward. She grinned and leaped forward with one last stride! The yellow wheel paused in midair, turned around right as she loomed over it, and she snatched it up in one single grasp.

"AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR WHEEL!"

The yellow wheel's glow grew bright as it pressed and pushed against her hand, but Chihiro summoned a bag made of magic and whistled as she stuffed it inside. The wheel pushed the bag in every direction as it tried to escape, yet Chihiro just closed it tight and tied it to her pants. One down, three to go!

The red, green, and purple wheels' lights flared like a siren, and she drew in to its call! Chihiro leaned forward and skated forward. The ceiling above her slowly started to rumble; it wasn't enough to draw her attention at first. That definitely changed when the icicles above broke off and crashed into the floor!

Chihiro gasped, ducked as shattered icicles bits flew above her, and turned her head up as the ceiling's groans sent more icicles crashing down. Chihiro yelped and skidded away just before one could slice her in half. She skated off as the rumbles grew more intense and sent not just ice, but massive mounds of snow crashing down to the ground—and right in front of the way ahead, to boot! She stopped so short that she fell right on her rump as the snow piles blocked the way ahead, but scrambled backwards as the snow shook.

Fanged, snarling faces formed in snow piles' fluffy white exteriors as legs formed underneath them. They swayed side to side as arms popped out from their sides, and finally, their faces popped out and roared! Chihiro gasped and scrambled back further, but while they roared and stomped, she barely caught the sight of colorful glows floating down the halls. Wait, the wheels—they were escaping!

"Sorry guys, I'd love to play," Chihiro cried as she jumped back to her feet and skated underneath them, "but I've got wheels to catch!"

With one last pirouette, Chihiro leaped away from the ice, and onto soft, fluffy snow. Her skates disappeared and turned back to regular shoes; she panted out fluffy, cold white clouds as she dashed down the halls. Behind her, roars shook the caverns around her and cracked the smaller icicles that hung from the ceiling to bits! Chihiro cast one glance aside as the icicles' fragments rained down, but the sight of large shadows creeping across the wheels turned her back up front.

Those monsters caught up, and she had to hurry! Chihiro tapped her heels together as she ran, and gained a burst of speed. She squealed as she ran with such fury that a flurry of snow kicked up behind her. In front of her, the rest of the wheels glowed as they floated down the halls! She had them in her sights!

"Alright, now's my chance!" Chihiro cried. She leaped forward, and her eyes grew wider as the glows grew closer and brighter. "I've got you—"

PLOP!

"Now?"

A massive blob of snow dropped in front of Chihiro, and leaped from the ground as its impact blew her back into the snow. It snarled as it grew a body and limbs, and glared Chihiro down! Chihiro snarled back right at it as she readied a sphere, but her spheres disappeared into sparkles as furious stomping and growling echoed from behind her. She gulped as she staggered back up, and lifted her head right as the snow monsters she abandoned caught right back up with her! Their growls and snarls sounded all around her as they sharpened their icy claws against the walls.

"All of you guys against one, huh?" Chihiro remarked as she summoned a sword and clutched its handle tight. "I've dealt with worse!"

Chihiro held her sword high as she zeroed in on one monster's kneecaps. One clean blow, and the whole thing would go tumbling down! She cried out as she rushed forward and prepared to cut it down, but her cries joined a chorus at the last moment! Chihiro stopped mid-slice and turned right around, as did the monsters as they lifted their heads to the back of the hall. They all watched dumbfounded as a massive snowball round the corner, bounced off one wall and soared right over their head.

The snowball smashed right into the monster Chihiro prepared to slice down, and blew it to bits as it crashed down on the floor. The snowball exploded in all directions to reveal its true contents: Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind! Their heads spun around as they groaned and forced themselves up, but Chihiro just beamed and tossed away her sword.

"Everyone, you're here!" She cried. Chihiro giggled as she bounded forward, tackled Eruptor and Terrafin in a tight hug, and grinned as they shook off their dizziness and sat back up. "What're you doing in that giant snowball, anyways?"

"Well, we were looking for you," Cynder remarked as she flew around and pulled Chihiro away. "Just what were you doing running off like that, anyways?"

"Beats me!" Chihiro shrugged as she peered back up at Cynder. "Those wheels I had just started glowing and flew off into this cave! I've been tailing them, but—"

Chihiro raised her brow as a low sizzle came from below her, and lifted up the bag around her belt—except it was hot to the touch! Chihiro squealed and dropped it. In response, the bag burst into sparkles while the wheel inside sparkled and dashed off! Chihiro gasped, yanked herself out of Cynder's grip, and dashed after it, but scrambled right back as one of the snow monsters jumped right in front of her.

The remaining snow monsters growled as they blocked off the ways ahead. Their icy hands balled into fists while sharp icicle fangs lined their mouths. They snarled as they leaned closer towards Chihiro, Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind, yet the five of them only snarled back and readied to fight.

"Actually, I think we can save the explanations for later," Whirlwind remarked as her horn flared with rainbow light. "We've got bigger problems right now!"

"You've got that right!" Terrafin spat as he glared down the gigantic snow monsters before him.

Chihiro chuckled, summoned another sword and rose it to the ceiling. "Skylanders!" she cried as she swung down her sword. "ATTACK!"

"Right!" Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder, and Whirlwind all called back in tandem.

Eruptor sprung in front of the second snow monster, clapped his hands and sent lava spewing over the cold floors! The lava evaporated the snow and ice below into thin streams of steam, and the snow monsters hooted and squealed as it stumbled back from the lava's hot touch. With it distracted, Eruptor just nodded back to Terrafin, who sprung above Eruptor and socked the monster right in the chest! The monster cried out as it crashed into the floor below and collapsed into a mound of snow.

Terrafin fell down and beamed back at Eruptor, but then, the ground ahead shuddered as the remaining snow leaped up and formed an even larger snow monster! The snow monster yanked its head forward, and roared so hard that it not only blew Eruptor and Terrafin back, but spat icicles right towards them! Eruptor hacked out a storm of fireballs in the heat of the moment. The fireballs slammed into the icicles in the center of the fleet, and they all burst into a massive steam clouds!

Cynder and Whirlwind, meanwhile, slid out of the way as the icicles slipped past them, stabbed the snow monster behind them in the chest, and shot forward as electricity crackled around them. The two of them spun around each other, moving faster and faster as the lightning crackled. As they drew towards the monster, they formed into one big lightning bolt that stabbed the monster right in the chest! The monster groaned and collapsed into snow as Whirlwind and Cynder split apart, and they smirked as they shook snow from their bodies.

Behind them, Chihiro laid her eyes on the snow monster before her, who only wailed as it tried to yank the giant icicles from its chest. It was completely immobilized, only able to squeal as its trembling hands fruitlessly tugged on the icicle that stabbed it.

"Now, how's about we finish this with a bang?" Chihiro asked.

She held a hand out, and a giant cannon made of magic formed beside her! With a giggle, she snapped her fingers, crafted a match, and struck it against the cannon's fuse. She whisked it away as she plugged her ears.

"FIRE!"

The cannon shot out a cannonball with a bang, and the cannonball slammed right through the snow monster with an even louder one! The snow monster screeched as the cannonball shot right through its chest. Its face melted away as it groaned and collapsed into the snow below.

Chihiro chuckled as the cannon vanished beside her. "That was easy," she remarked, and her face fell as she tapped her foot. "A little too easy…"

The ground quaked and rumbled as the snow bounced around it in tandem, and Chihiro only gulped.

"And something tells me it isn't over yet!"

Growls and roars echoed through the halls as snow monsters sprung up from the ground. They were all so massive that they completely blocked the ways around once more! Their very presence was so cold that mist formed around the area, and even the lava Eruptor sent out chilled and turned to icy-cold rock underfoot!

Everyone winced, steadied themselves as they leaped forward, and faced the monsters once more! Terrafin dug through the snow and shot through a row with a massive punch, Cynder dashed through another row, Eruptor and Whirlwind combated a group with both fireballs and stormclouds, and Chihiro even dashed below and cut them down with her sword! The monsters all groaned and collapsed into snow around them. For a moment, Chihiro and the Skylanders all took a breather, but the roars sounded off once more and the monsters leaped back up again!

"There's no stopping these guys!" Eruptor cried. "Every time we knock them down, they just get back up again!"

"Guess there's only one thing we can do!" Chihiro shouted as she backed up.

"And that is?" everyone else asked as they turned to her.

Chihiro gulped, vanquished her sword and down between two monsters' legs.

"BOOK IT!"

With a flick of her hands, a toboggan big enough for five manifested in front of Chihiro, and she quickly jumped on as she snatched the reins.

"Hop on!" Chihiro cried as she turned back to the others.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Eruptor cried as he hopped on.

Terrafin, Cynder, and Whirlwind were quick to follow. All of them clung tight to each other as Chihiro snapped the reins, and she sent the toboggan sliding down the halls! The monsters stampeded behind them, but the five of them just clenched their teeth as they clutched each other tight.

That is, until a large icicle fell from the ceiling and shattered beside them! Chihiro swerved out of the way just in time, but in her haste to escape, she didn't notice the rocky ramp that laid before her. She turned around right as the toboggan hit the ramp, and all five of them flew and screamed as the toboggan jumped off! They all quickly crashed down on the toboggan, groaned as they sat up and clutched each other one more, but screamed as their eyes fell on an icy floor full of pits before them!

"Chihiro, Chihiro, turn right!" Eruptor cried as he jabbed his hands at the floor.

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she pulled the toboggan to the right, screamed, and swerved left just before she could fall into another pit! She sighed and wiped the frozen icicles of sweat from her face, but when her eyes popped open, they fell on another pit that came in dangerously close. She screamed and twisted the toboggan to the left; she just barely brushed against the rim of the pit, and sent everyone behind her screaming as they clung to the toboggan for dear life. They all grunted and slammed into Chihiro they regained their seats, and Chihiro herself stopped a bit short as she swerved out of a wall's way!

"Give me that!" Eruptor snipped as he yanked the reins from Chihiro's hands (or at least, yanked them the best he could given his lack of fingers). "I'll handle the steering from here!"

Eruptor pulled the reins away as another pit came in sight, but the toboggan wouldn't even budge despite all the pulling, prodding, and yanking he did. It slid further and further down across the icy floors, kicking up fluffy clouds of mist and snow as it zipped straight for the holes. Eruptor screamed and pulled even more frantically, yet the reins just slipped from his round hands! Eruptor blinked, and he and Chihiro screamed and clung to each other as the toboggan nearly dipped into the pit!

Terrafin burst forward and yanked the reins before it could! The toboggan slipped right and skirted around the pit as Eruptor and Chihiro drew back from each other. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll take things from here," Terrafin grunted as he squeezed himself between Chihiro and Eruptor with the reins held tight in his grip. "You just sit tight!"

Terrafin snarled, his fangs packed tight as his eyes fell on the masses of pits and holes that tightly squeezed together! He hastily yanked the reins this way and that as the toboggan bumped and rattled with every side and tiny hole it hit. In the back, Cynder and Whirlwind both let out jilted screams that vibrated as the back of the toboggan bumped and shuddered with every hole it hit.

Finally, Cynder snarled as she jumped up and pushed Terrafin away. "Who in Skylands taught you how to steer?" Cynder snapped as she flung her tailfin in Terrafin's face, pushing him away as she yanked the reins up. "You're not supposed to run over every hole you can!"

Cynder flicked her tail against as she prepared to make another smart remark, but grunted as the toboggan started to tip over. She flung forward, forced to cling to the front of the toboggan. Terrafin slipped back into his place, and yanked the reins from Cynder as he tilted the toboggan back onto solid ground! The toboggan slid down once more, and Cynder and Terrafin both shot glares at each other.

"And you're supposed to look where you're going!" Terrafin shot back as he fixed his eyes on the path ahead and swerved past another pit. "Just let me take care of this!"

Cynder scoffed as Terrafin slipped past another hole, gasped and yanked the reins away! Terrafin shouted out as she pushed him aside in her attempt to steer away, and Terrafin pushed back before he could slip off the toboggan!

"Hey, watch it!" Terrafin shouted as he pulled back the reins, and barely slid past another hole as he glared down Cynder.

"You nearly drove us right into that hole!" Cynder shouted back as she pulled the reins.

Chihiro, Eruptor, and Whirlwind all cried out as the toboggan slid left, but another yank from Terrafin slid right! The two of them shouted and groaned as the toboggan slipped left and right amid Terrafin and Cynder's squabbling and shouting. Chihiro herself groaned and leaned on Eruptor, her eyes spinning around in her head as the fighting rang in her ears. The screech of the toboggan sledding against the ice was hardly a footnote in her mind as she shook her head, groaned, and lifted herself up to meet with her own reflection in an oncoming wall of ice! Chihiro quickly yanked the reins away from Terrafin and Cynder, veered off, and sighed as the toboggan slipped down the ice.

"From now on," Chihiro panted as she squished herself between Terrafin and Cynder and hung her head, "just let me drive."

The two of them both scoffed. Nonetheless, they shuffled apart and let Chihiro take the reins. The ride itself was quiet as Chihiro steered the toboggan down the cool, icy floors below, which were now thankfully free of pits.

Instead, the crystal clear ice floors dusted themselves with a thin coat of frost that glistened like diamond dust. The walls crystallized, and reflected them in all sorts of shiny pastel colors as they passed by on the toboggan! Clear, crisp, cold wind flew in from small holes and cracks within the walls; it brought not just a pleasant breeze, but a cool chime as well. The whole area sparkled and twinkled while the reflections fragmented and morphed. It was almost like a hall of mirrors at a carnival!

The tension from earlier completely melted away as everyone admired their reflection in the mirrors. Well, everyone save for Eruptor, who sulked as he laid on his back. Poor guy probably got so dizzy from earlier that his stomach was in knots!

Chihiro shrugged as she peered back down at him, lifted up her head and grinned as her reflection slipped from mirror to mirror. As she passed by one, brighter, richer flashes of color burst in the mirrors! Red and greens, some purple and yellows too, and they were far brighter and clearer than what the mirrors offered! Chihiro gasped as a twinkling sound hit her ears, and turned her head around to find those wheels hovering right beside her.

"There you are!" Chihiro cried.

She leaned forward and snapped for them, but the wheels just spun around and zipped off right before her eyes. The wheels twinkled and left behind a trail of sparkles as they rounded the corner.

Chihiro scoffed and tossed the reins in Terrafin's arms. "Actually, you take the reins, Fin!" Chihiro cried as she leaped off the toboggan and smacked her feet together. "I'm getting those wheels!"

Chihiro's shoes glowed as she hit the ground, and a magic snowboard formed right underneath her feet! The icy floors glowed cyan as Chihiro leaned forward and skated down the way, the faint flashes of red and green light her guide as she pursued them down the halls. The wheels came just a bit closer in view, enough that Chihiro could catch glimpses and slivers of their crystal amid the light, so she leaned in and prepared to jump!

But, as she pressed forward, her legs bent over a little too quickly and she fell over her own feet! A nasty chill hit her bones, and sharp twinges of pain fell over her body as she crashed face-first into the floor. She tumbled over and rolled down the hall! Her arms numbed from the cold as the ice slammed against her body. She screamed as the world around her spun, dizzying, spiraling, and darkening aside from the flashes of color. She slammed into a wall, rolled off the left while the world grew darkest—but something yanked her by her back and pulled her into a smooth, strong grip!

"You alright, Chi?" Terrafin asked.

Chihiro shook her head. Though the world around her still blurred and danced, she barely made out Terrafin's face! Chihiro weakly nodded, her head still spinning too badly to talk. She crawled over to a reddish blur that she guessed was Eruptor and leaned against him.

The warmth from his body unfroze her numb, cold body, and her head finally cleared enough to catch a glimpse of the path. Except, something was wrong—the lights, they were completely gone! Did the wheels finally shake them? Well, that wasn't much of a concern to Chihiro, for a massive icy ramp formed in the stretch ahead!

Terrafin grunted as he tried to steer away, but he cane in so fast, and so soon, that he didn't get a chance! The toboggan dashed up the ramp, leaped up as everyone onboard screamed, and dipped down as it crashed like a comet towards a thin, icy floor! The toboggan came in so fast that it completely smashed through the floor; its body reduced to sparkly, crystalline shards as the toboggan vanished in puffs of sparkles, and painted those shards in shades of blue.

With the toboggan gone, Chihiro, Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder, and Whirlwind could only scream and tumble down into the dark abyss below! The screams echoed, ruminating around the chamber as they sank into the realms below…

And as they disappeared, only silence rang.

§

Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm all gasped as Noodles leaped down before them, their eyes wide as they fluttered open and shut. This Noodles being finally shown himself at last, with his icy blue eyes fixed on them! His green skin and tall, black mohawk tinged with patches of frost; snow covered the dark blue, amber-encrusted sash and gloves he wore; it was notably absent from his black snow pants and blue boots, however. He grinned a grin that showed all his sharp, white fangs as he crossed his arms, but that was far from the most notable thing about him.

No, it was that he, he, he was… Small!

When they heard word of this awful being known as Noodles, they expected a giant, a titan even—but he was no bigger than the average cyclops! With him being so diminutive in size, his haughtiness seemed hardly threatening as he glared down Tree Rex and uncrossed his arms.

"Well, well, look what we have here!" Noodles cried as he hopped down from his cliffside position and glared down the quartet. "Some intruders poking around where they don't belong!"

Noodles leaped down from the cliff and grinned as he crossed his arms. He barely even reached their ankles, yet he still carried himself with an air of confidence as he stood them down. He was either very full of himself, very dumb, or maybe just a little bit of both.

"You may have been able to get past my defenses, but there's no way you'll get my robot! Noodles, the great and powerful evil ice lord—" Noodles paused mid-rant and turned around with a frown. "Wait, what's with those looks?"

Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm all blinked as they faced down Noodles, and Swarm burst into utter, hapless laughter! He slapped his knees, clutched his chest, and wiped away his tears with a grin.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just," Swarm cackled. "You're just this little guy, and you're acting like you can beat us?" Swarm cleared his throat and smirked. "I mean, there's four of us, and we're all way bigger and more powerful than you are! There's no way!"

Eye and Tree Rex both reluctantly nodded.

"That's kind of a haughty way of putting it, but it's true," Eye remarked.

"At our size, being threatened by something so small is like having a kitten hiss at us," Tree Rex remarked. He cleared his throat, and his eyes narrowed. "But, that's of no matter right now!" Tree Rex shoved a finger right in Noodles' face and snarled. "Give that ghost his home back and leave this place! You have no business tearing it apart this way!"

Swarm, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl all nodded in tandem. Noodles only gulped as he stepped back. It seemed as though it finally clicked for a moment how unevenly matched they were as his legs started to tremble, but then, he grinned!

"It's true, you guys are pretty big," Noodles remarked as he turned around, "but, Noodles has a robot that's even bigger than you guys!" Noodles dashed off with a grin. "Once Noodles gets in it, you'll all be flatter than icecakes!"

"He's running away!" the ghost cried. "Quickly, before he gets in the robot!"

Noodles cackled as he dashed up the ramp across the mountains, and Tree Rex only snarled as he bolted off. Thumpback and Brawl sprung forward behind him while Swarm and Eye flew on both sides. All their eyes fixed tight on Noodles and sent chills down his spine. He turned back around as their pounding footsteps shook the area, screamed as he turned forward, and frantically whistled!

"Snowballs cannons, start!" Noodles cried as he dashed ahead.

While Noodles fled the scene, parts of the icy wall beside them all shuddered and completely vanished. Gigantic cannons made of ice popped from their vacancies, hovered above the path, and shuddered as they fired off rounds of massive snowballs—all of which had their sights set on Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm!

They all gasped and ducked as the snowballs sprung forward, and bolted down underneath their massive onslaught of snow. The cannons swiveled around and shot down below. The five of them all sprung back, flattened themselves against the walls as a row of snowballs shot forward, and bounced off the wall as another one hurtled straight for them. They ducked under another blast, leaped above a second, and practically twisted themselves into pretzels as a third came!

One snowball smacked Swarm right in the face, and he snarled as he wiped it off. "That's it!" Swarm cried as thunderclouds formed around his barbs, "I've had enough of this!" Swarm thrust his arms forward and set his electrically-charged barbs on the cannons ahead. "I didn't come here to play dodgeball!"

Swarm slid backwards as barbs shot off from his arms and slammed right through the snowballs. The snowballs exploded into snow as the barbs sliced clean through them, and they slammed into the cannons! The cannons frizzed and sparked as the electricity fried their insides, and puffs of smoke popped out of their bellows as they slunk down!

"I spy an opportunity!" Eye cried as he zipped forward.

Eye glowed with a light so bright that he looked little more than a glowing orb with wings, flew back as a massive laser came from his center and completely obliterated the cannons. Their fried remains crashed down onto the icy path below and rolled down the mountain. Eye turned around and hummed, but cried out as something shot him in the back! Eye hurtled right into Brawl's arms, his body sore and chilly and as he moaned.

Beside him, Thumpback withdrew his anchor and frowned. At the end of the rope, another snowball cannon gleefully fired snowballs away with all sorts of gusto. Thumpback charged ahead as the snowballs flew, and swung his anchor forward! The snowballs broke to bits under the might of his anchor's metal, but the anchor slammed into the cannon's base and wrapped tight around it. With one pull from Thumpback, the anchor yanked the cannon off the mountain's side and released.

The anchor slid back into Thumpback's hands as the cannon bounced off the side of the mountain. Thumpback sprung forward once more with everyone tailed close behind him. Just above the horizons, his eyes fell on Noodles, who hastily skated up the side of an icy bowl…

And leaped right up to where the robot sat idle! Thumpback's eyes popped up at the very sight, and he quickly turned back to the others.

"He's almost there!" Thumpback cried as he hit the top and leaped into the ice bowl. "We have to" — Thumpback's legs skittered and tapped against the sleek ice, and he screamed as he slid down the side — "HURRY!"

Thumpback screamed as he slid and slipped across the ice bowl. His arms held out as he tried to steady himself, but to no use! He rolled around the bowl, slid across it and leaped right onto the other side!

"Thumpback!" Tree Rex cried as he bolted forward, "Don't worry, I'll get" — Tree Rex slipped forward and fell on his chest — "YOUUUUUUUUUU!"

Tree Rex's screams quickly joined Thumpback's as they both spun in large circles around the rim of the ice bowl.

The ghost only floated onto a snowy platform and winced. "Calm down, everyone!" the ghost cried, though even his loudest voice was barely a whisper over the winds. "Just stand up and bend down! You should stop then!"

Thumpback and Tree Rex didn't even hear him! They continued to scream and slide around the ice bowl, and the ghost sighed as he shook his head.

"Well, I tried to tell them."

Swarm and Eye-Brawl both cast worried glances at each other as the reached the rim of the bowl. Swarm hovered in the air and zipped down to the bowl.

"You take care of that Noodles guy!" Swarm shouted as he dashed down. "I'll get everyone else!"

"Aye-aye!" Eye cried as he zipped off.

Swarm buzzed as he floated down and grappled for Thumpback's hand right as Thumpback slid underfoot. Thumpback quickly jumped back up as Tree Rex crashed into him, and yanked Swarm down by the foot! Swarm screamed as both he and Tree Rex slid across one end of the ice bowl, leaped up the rim, and slid back across as they fell back down.

Brawl gently tapped his foot against the ice, slid down, and held his hands behind his back as he skated across the bowl! He carried himself with grace as he glided across the ice—but planted face-first into the ice as Swarm and Tree Rex crashed into him. They all screamed as one blow from Thumpback slammed into them all, pushing them across the bowl and right onto the snow! They all groaned and spit out snow as they staggered up. Their bodies remained covered in burns and throbbing red spots from all the slipping and sliding they did against the harsh cold of the ice.

"Is everyone alright?" the ghost asked as he floated before Tree Rex.

"Maybe," Tree Rex panted back as he shook snow off of his head.

"I don't think I'm made for ice skating," Swarm remarked as his eyes spun around in his head.

"This reminds me of when I caught the two-faced ballerinafish in the middle of a storm," Thumpback groaned. "No, this was much worse."

They all groaned as they finally collapsed back onto the floor, but their pain was forgotten as a snow-covered Eye crashed right before them. Brawl gasped and swept Eye up in his arms, and a firm cackle echoed from across the way. All eyes turned to the end of the platform.

There, Noodles grinned as he climbed into the chest of the robot and disappeared as the door closed behind him! The robot's eyes flashed bright as the robot heaved itself up, and those cackles grew louder and more booming, enough to send snow flying all across the area! Though Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, Swarm, and ghost clung to the ground in some attempt to avoid flying off, Noodles hardly cared!

"Now you're really in for it!" Noodles cried, his voice amplified and robotic thanks to the robot's filters. "You're all gonna get crushed!"

"We'll see about that!" Tree Rex cried as he leaped to his feet.

Thumpback and Swarm popped up beside Tree Rex and snarled. Brawl popped Eye onto his head and stormed up. Tree Rex cast a glance back and squeezed his fist. The ghost flitted away and winced, but a smile from Tree Rex eased his fears enough to take sanctuary down in the ice bowl.

"Everyone, get into the robot suit dismantle formation!" Tree Rex cried as he turned his attention to the robot.

"Right!" Thumpback, Swarm and Eye-Brawl cried back.

Tree Rex cried out as he charged forward, and bright light and churning green smoke alike swirled at the tip of his solar cannon. Beside him, Swarm and Eye flew off while Thumpback and Brawl charged at the robot's eyes! They all screamed as they leaped forward and prepared to fight…

But Noodles just sighed, and smashed his fists down onto a pair of snowy cliffs that flanked their sides! The cliffs rumbled as their icy halves smashed off. They crashed into the ground, which trembled as their shattered remains crashed down below in an icy avalanche!

Brawl, Thumpback, and Tree Rex stopped mid-strike, turned around, and charged out of the way as the first avalanche stormed through! It coated the ground below in a thick mass of ice, and the second avalanche stormed through as it swept them up in its grasp before they even noticed! They all groaned and popped their heads out of the snow as the second avalanche settled, but leaped into the air as Noodles slammed his fist onto the ground!

They all screamed as they flew forward. As the robot's hand flew above them, Tree Rex latched onto its finger and flipped himself onto the hand's base! He cried out as he stormed up the robot's arm, flung out his solar cannon, and sent blasts of thick green smog and bright sunlight right across its chest. The robot cried out as it flailed its arm and tossed him back to the ground, but it didn't dislodge the searing bursts Tree Rex planted in its chest any.

Swarm grinned as he hovered in front of the robot, held out all three of his stingers, and sent out a barrage of barbs that slammed right into the bursts, detonating them! Swarm flew away and cackled as the bursts exploded into bright green lights and smog, but the robot only cried out and stumbled backwards. As the robot did, a bright laser shot out from its head and slammed into an icy cliff!

A part of the cliff crashed down onto the ground and fell aside as the rest of it crumbled, but Eye-Brawl and Thumpback just perked up. The two of them dashed up to the ice chunk, grunted as they lifted it up, and flung it straight into the robot's chest. The robot screamed and reeled back as the ice shattered and dented its already burning chest, but it quickly regained its balance and leaned forward.

"You think messing with Noodles' robot is funny, huh?" Noodles cried as he flailed his arms. "Well, Noodles'll show you funny!"

The robot screeched as its eyes glowed brighter, and massive lasers shot out from its eyes as they carved into the icy platform below! Thick cracks formed as entire chunks of the ice collapsed underfoot and crashed to bits. White smoke leaped up from the cliff and coated the rest in a thick fog.

Swarm, Eye-Brawl, and Thumpback all jumped back as a massive crack formed underneath them and sent part of the platform crashing down. As the platform fell, Tree Rex slipped down and went falling with it! His hand latched onto the side of the cliff at the last minute, but it was so cold and slick that he could barely keep his grip. He gulped as his eyes fell on the shattered ice miles underneath him, grunted as he swung up, and grappled for the cliff with his other hand.

"Boss!" Swarm cried. He fell to his knees, and strained as he tried to pull Tree Rex up, but he could barely yank Tree Rex up even with all his might!

Thumpback and Eye-Brawl lined up behind Swarm and pulled along with him. The three of them all grunted as they pulled Tree Rex back onto the platform, and Tree Rex groaned as staggered up. The four of them smiled as Tree Rex stood to full height when a massive shriek sounded from aside. They turned around, screamed as a laser crashed below their feet, and they shot into the cliff behind!

A crack sounded behind them as they popped off of the cliff and collapsed onto the ground. They all groaned as they laid cold and sprawled. Though they tried to push themselves up, the weariness of battle and the chills of the area around sapped all their strength. They could only lay on the ground. The most they could force themselves to do was glare at Noodles while he loomed over them.

"That's what you get for trying to challenge the great evil ice lord!" Noodles boomed. "Now, let's get this over with!"

Noodles' eyes flashed with brighter light as shrieks came from their panels. Their lights grew brighter and warmer as he charged up another laser blast! Noodles cackled as the Elder Elementals glared him down…

Save for Thumpback, who just staggered up and dashed in front of the others!

"Wait, don't do it!" Thumpback cried as he flung his arms in front of the others, limbs still trembling from their injuries but standing nonetheless. "It's not a good idea, I'm telling you!"

"Huh? Says who?" Noodles shot back as his eyes' light glowed even brighter. "Give one good reason why Noodles shouldn't just wipe you off the face of this glacier!"

"Because" — Thumpback placed a hand on his chest — "as a member of Captain Frightbeard's crew, I know where the treasure he buried here is!"

"Treasure?" The light in the robot's face faded completely, but a sparkle still shone as it clapped its hands. "Noodles likes treasure! What kind of treasure is it?"

Thumpback smiled and cleared his throat. "Why, a bounty with only the finest treasures you could dream of!" Thumpback proclaimed. "Rare jewels, mountains of gold as far as the eye can see, ancient artifacts and weapons… It had practically anything you could ever imagine! In fact…"

Eye-Brawl, Swarm, and Tree Rex raised their brows and frowned as Thumpback continued on his spiel, but Noodles was absolutely enamored! He bounced up and down and clapped his hands together with every word Thumpback spoke, as if just the very notion made his heart do flips in his chest. Of course, with Noodles being in the robot still, this also caused the entire valley to shake, and nearly knocked everyone else off their feet, but Noodles paid it no mind as Thumpback continued to ramble.

"And that's just the things I remembered!" Thumpback proclaimed as he crossed his arms. "For all I know, there could be much more out there!"

"Where is it, where is it?" Noodles begged. "Noodles wants to know where the treasure is!"

"Oh, I'll tell you —" Thumpback released his crossed arms — "but, only if you beats me in a fishing contest!" Thumpback placed a hand on his chest. "And, if I win, you'll give us that robot!"

Noodles hummed and placed a hand on his robotic chin. Finally the robot slunk over and fell inactive as Noodles dashed back out of its chest! Noodles paused to hop over a crack in the fields as he scurried over, leaped up and grabbed Thumpback's hand.

"It's a deal!" Noodles cried as he furiously shook the hand, dashed over to the ice bowl and slid down. "Noodles is going to prepare now!"

Tree Rex, Swarm and Eye-Brawl frowned as Noodles cheered and disappeared down the bowl. Their strength returned just long enough for them to claw their way out of the snow and crowd around Thumpback, who only hummed as he crossed his arms.

"Hey Thumps, is there really treasure buried here?" Swarm whispered as he flitted up to Thumpback's earhole.

The cool, calm look that Thumpback held faded into a frown, and he only shook his head. "Actually, no. I was just bluffing to buy us time."

Everyone else's eyes popped open, but Thumpback only smiled as he held his anchor.

"But don't worry. I'm sure I'm going to win this. I didn't spend all those years fishing for nothing, after all."

They all frowned as they followed Thumpback back down into the ice bowl... And then, screamed as they slipped and went sliding once more!

§

Chihiro groaned and brushed the snow off of her head as she finally pulled her cold, almost numb body off the ground. The whole room around her was dark as night and icy-cold, but the faint sound of moaning and groaning, and a soft crackle of amber light in the distance, showed that she wasn't alone. In fact, that soft, amber light came with a kind of heat, one that drew her in until it glowed brighter and brighter and a faint shape formed in its light! Chihiro crawled over to where it was brightest, held up her hands and drank in its heat.

"Eruptor, is that you?" Chihiro asked as the warmth tinged her cheeks rosy with frost.

The source of the amber light groaned, and flipped out of the snowy grounds as the soft snow melted and evaporated into steam on its warm, rocky body. Sure enough, it was Eruptor! His eyes spun around in his skull, but they quickly settled themselves with a pinch of his brow. How that was achieved was uncertain, considering that Eruptor didn't have fingers, but bygones were bygones.

"Think so," Eruptor grumbled with a shudder. "Whatever this place is, whoever owns it needs to turn on the heat!" Eruptor shuddered once again, and rubbed his shoulders while his amber light grew brighter and warmer. "It's freezing in here!"

"You've got that right." Chihiro turned her eyes up to the never-ending dark of the ceiling, and the down to her palms. "How's about I shed some light on this place, too?"

Chihiro clapped her hands, and out from her palms came a bright, warm cyan sphere of light! She nuzzled it against her cheek for a few moments, and bounced it in her hands before she tossed it to the ceiling! Its warm light exploded and coated the area around in a cyan tint as it lit the way.

It revealed that around them, Terrafin, Cynder, and Whirlwind laid in the snow! The three of them groaned as they shook off snow and dizziness. They pulled their faces from the snow; they were tired and trembling from cold, but they were alive still!

"You all alright?" Chihiro asked as she stood up.

Moans and grumbles came from them as they finally stood on their own feet, but then they all nodded and grinned.

"Yeah, pretty sure we are," Whirlwind remarked as she brushed powdery snow from her wings and peered up, "but where are we, anyways?"

Chihiro frowned, turned back to the walls around her and grinned. The walls around were made of solid, pure crystal unlike the cold ice of before. They all shone with a radiant rainbow light that flashed in all sorts of pastel shades, each tinted cyan by the light Chihiro cast! Their light reflected on the snowy floors as they lit in a rainbow array of color. The gentle, colorful sparkles gave a kind of tranquil beauty, one accentuated by faint chiming sounds and what appeared to be the sound of dripping water. Wait, why would water be dripping in such a cold place? Shouldn't it have frozen over? Ah well, it was so pretty that Chihiro couldn't mind it too much.

"It's beautiful here!" Whirlwind remarked as she padded through the snow, and admired her rainbow-tinted reflection in one of the crystal walls. "All these colors remind me of the auroras back in Winter Keep."

Eruptor and Terrafin both silently nodded in agreement, and even Cynder, for all her coldness and grump, still cracked a smile.

"It's pretty, I guess," Cynder remarked as she walked between Chihiro and Whirlwind. Her smile faded, and Cynder brushed her wing against Chihiro's arm as she turned to her. "But we can't stay here forever. We've still got a mission to attend to, you know."

Chihiro sighed as she drew her hands away from the cold, but gentle grip of the crystal walls. Cynder was right. They did come here to get that robot back, to say nothing of the whole mission they had ahead of them. but Chihiro couldn't rest until she got her wheels back!

Except, that posed another problem. Just where did those wheels go, anyways? Chihiro sighed. She slid back down to the snowy floors when a soft flash of purple light turned her, and everyone else's, attention aside! Pulses of purple light came from an open mouth carved into the crystals walls. A way out, maybe?

"Well, only one way to find out!" Chihiro remarked as she dashed down the path.

The sound of footsteps and flapping wings behind her indicated the others' presence. She didn't care so much for that, so much as she did the bright, purple lights that shone across the crystal walls around and lit the paths below in shades of indigo and violet! The light carried with it a semblance of magic, a kind of mesmerizing aura, even.

It drew Chihiro across the snowy paths as the lights faded and glowed in time with her own footsteps. She panted as the faint chills wormed their way into her legs and numbed them a bit, but still she strode forward… And sank into the snow? Chihiro frowned, and peered down to find a trail of footsteps just her size that embedded into the snowy paths! She turned aside, and the open mouth that led back into the room where she fell still shone with its cool rainbow light.

"How did I get back here?" Chihiro asked.

She rubbed her chin, but grunted as something hard and warm knocked her into the snow! Chihiro pushed herself up and grunted as Eruptor rolled into the snow beside her, frowned and turned around, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind ran up beside her, and towards a soft, white light the came from the wall.

"Chihiro, what'd you run off for?" Cynder asked as she flew up to Chihiro.

Chihiro cast a glance at Cynder, but only for a moment before her eyes fell on the walls before her. A single white crystal stood embedded amid the shiny purple ones, and it shone with a light unlike the cool purples that the area drank in. it was small and faint, yet carried with it a stronger sense of magic than the others! Suspicious crystals like those were never placed without reason!

"Whatever this place is, it seems like there's no other ways out," Whirlwind remarked as she glanced back at the room where they came from. "Looks like we'll have to retrace our steps—"

"Or do we?" Chihiro chimed in.

Everyone crowded around Chihiro as their eyes fell on the crystal as well, and Chihiro took it as a sign to press the white crystal in—so she did! The crystal groaned and dimmed as it sank into the wall. The wall glowed like normal for a few moments, but then, the crystalline panels all folded into each other as the wall opened up before them! A fainter purple glow pulsed from within the opening's dark walls. It flashed runic symbols unlike anything Chihiro saw before, or anything that anyone else saw before, judging from their wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"A secret tunnel!" Whirlwind cried. "Where does it go?"

"Only one way to find out!" Chihiro chirped. Chihiro spun around, kicked up snow, and giggled as she raced down the tunnel.

The bright purple runes flashed and glowed brighter with every step Chihiro took, and the whole place shone with a magic aura much stronger than the tunnels before. From the strange glow of the runes on the walls, to the cold, dark purple stones to the eerie dimness, the air of mystery it carried gave Chihiro a sense of belonging. It felt like home, almost, but maybe it was only natural that she felt that way given her choice to study the Magic Element.

Chihiro skidded to a stop as the path below her completely ended, but the runes gained a steady glow that highlighted a path of lavender snow beneath her. A hill, perhaps? Chihiro giggled, jumped up, and knocked her shoes together to craft a snowboard underneath her feet! The board sloped down, screeched down the hill while snow kicked up around, but disappeared as it hit the base of the hill.

A shining glow from the room ahead drew Chihiro in, so she passed inside and frowned. The floors below her were made of firm, but not cold, stone. The lighting here was a plain and simple whitish color compared to the fancy multicolored light of before. Even the walls and ceiling were made of simple, unassuming snow compared to the fancy crystals and ice. The stone walls in front of her held a mural, one that depicted humans donning wheel pendants and all sorts of fancy, ancient-looking garb. These humans fought Arkeyan robots with all the powers of the elements at their disposal, and the one leading the charge was a woman with deep brown skin dressed in purples that held a purple wheel pendant rested on her neck.

Chihiro frowned, drew closer to the mural and pressed her fingers against it. Something about it seemed somewhat familiar, but it was on the tip of her tongue and she just couldn't get it off. She drew her fingers further across the mural, and the whole area glowed with a lavender tint! She gasped and stumbled back as the purple glow shone down and tinted the area, but a few thunks turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"What is this place?" Terrafin remarked as he wiped the snow from his arms while Eruptor, Whirlwind and Cynder came in behind him. Terrafin crossed his arms and hummed. "Doesn't look like there's anything here."

"Well, nothing except for that fancy painting!" Eruptor remarked as he skipped up beside Chihiro and tilted his head. "Yep, that's one fancy painting." Eruptor raised a brow at Chihiro. "Hey Chi, what're you thinking about?"

"Whatever it is, it can wait for later," Cynder remarked as she turned back. "You can look at paintings of old humans all you want when we get out of here and get that robot back." Cynder wrapped her tail around Chihiro's arm. "Now let's go."

Cynder tugged at Chihiro's arm, but Chihiro didn't even budge! She kept eyes steady on the portrait while an inkling of a feeling bubbled in her mind. It was something familiar, something with a bit of an old-fashioned feeling...

"Wait a second, now I know where I recognize that person from!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed to the woman in the mural. "She's one of the free magicians! I saw her in that book!"

"Quite correct, young one!" boomed an echoing voice.

Cynder froze in her tracks, zipped back up to the mural and snarled. "Just where did that voice come from?" she asked.

"From right here!"

The purple lighting in the room glowed even brighter, tinting the mural in all shades of purple. A warble came from its center, and out from it popped… The purple wheel! It shone even brighter than before as everyone backed away in the presence of its light, and a powerful magic aura radiated from its surface!

"There it is!" Chihiro cried as she basked in the wheel's light and reached out for it. "There's the wheel! I've been looking all over for you!"

Chihiro brushed her fingers out as she went to snatch the wheel, but gasped as a glowing lavender hand reached out from the wheel and grabbed her right back! Normally she'd scream and jump back, but something about its presence felt… Calming, and almost familiar. So, Chihiro held the hand as the wheel's light morphed into the shape of a person's silhouette, and a sparkly, translucent string formed around the wheel's surface!

A soft chuckle warmed the room as the light faded away from the silhouette, and from it came a person's translucent ghost! It had a sparkly, purple glow of magic aura around it, and it took the form of a thin woman, Her kind purple eyes brought to mind the very essence of magic itself with their sparkles, and her cool brown skin, deep and radiant as it drank in the purple light. Her long, purple locs were carefully braided together to resemble a star in shape; a bow stood in its back, and more locs like ribbons or a shooting star's trail running down her back. Her eyelids and round, plump lips were painted with sparkly purple makeup. The wheel pendant rested against her chest, and it snuggled tight within the many layers of purple silk and fabric that formed into an elegant gown.

The woman only chuckled as she rubbed her fingers, cold like a ghost but still with the warmth of magic, against Chihiro's own palms. In that instant, a kind of smallness from awe came over Chihiro. This woman, she carried herself with elegance and grace, yet with the same air of confidence that a leader held. She reminded Chihiro of Master Eon, in a sense—wise and calm, but still with a hint of whimsy and mystery to her.

"Thank you for waking me, young one," the woman remarked as she finally let go of Chihiro's hand. "I can't imagine how long I spent sleeping in that pendant, but it must have been quite a while. Last I checked, the Northern Base hadn't been this frozen over."

The woman's eyes popped up as her eyes fell on everyone's shocked faces, and she chuckled. "Oh my, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself!"

The woman clutched the sides of her skirt as she fell into a curtsy. "I am Sihiri, leader of the free magicians and guardian of the Magic Element."

Chihiro's eyes fluttered, and she clasped her hands and bowed her head. So she was one of those free magicians! Chihiro wanted to ask further, but something about being in Sihiri's presence left her a bit small and overwhelmed. Guess she kind of understood how everyone else felt when they met the Elder Elementals.

"Excuse me, Miss Sihiri," Whirlwind remarked as she flew up to Sihiri. "Just what exactly is going on here? What is this place, and why were you in that wheel?"

"I'll explain on the way," Sihiri turned back to the mural and ran her hand across the mural's surface, "but first, we need to find the others. I can feel their presence in these caverns."

The mural rumbled as it halved itself and sank into the rest of the wall, and the space that once held it unveiled a room full of pure magic and wonder! The whole room seemingly had no bottom; it was all just endless stretches of sparkly purple, pink skies with puffy, sparkly candy-colored clouds, and rainbows that swirled and stretched around the way like windy breezes! Fireworks and strange orbs burst into bright colors on occasion while cubes, orbs, and other shapes with runes carved into them spun in endless propulsion. There was no sort of traditional pathway through the area, but some of the purple cubes that scattered about aligned in a way that looked suspiciously like a path. Heck, a few of them even floated in front of them all as if offering a ride!

"Follow me!" Sihiri remarked as she leaped onto one of the cubes and took a seat. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. I crafted this room myself, after all."

Sihiri winked back and Chihiro chuckled. Something about how at ease Sihiri seemed eased Chihiro's own tension, so she hopped onto a block and knelt down. Terrafin, Eruptor, Whirlwind and Cynder joined them, and the blocks revved like cars as they soared around the area.

"You see, these pendants were more than just our symbols," Sihiri explained as she held up her wheel pendant, which sparkled as a burst of rainbows flew by her. "Though we may have had the Ancients' gifts at our disposal, the Arkeyans were much mightier than we were, and they had no problems wiping out forces out in droves. Their machines brought the end of many of our allies, and without the magic our bodies provided, we had no means of fighting the Arkeyans from beyond the grave."

Sihiri stopped short as the blocks stopped off at a single platform made of lavender stone, hopped onto the platform and waved as the block beeped back at her. The block flew backwards, but in the process, it slammed right into Eruptor and sent both blocks both spinning! While the passengerless block was quick to recover and went on its merry way, Eruptor screamed as he spun around and slipped off.

His round hands clung to the side of the block as best they could, but he flung backwards and slammed right into Terrafin! The two of them screamed as they fell down into the abyss, but Sihiri snapped her fingers and they stopped in midair! A bright, sparkly purplish-pink glow surrounded them as they floated in midair and landed beside Sihiri, who only grinned. A soft blush dusted Terrafin's face as he scratched his head and turned around, and Eruptor only chuckled as he rubbed his own.

"That was a pretty nasty fall!" Chihiro remarked as she zipped up and hopped off her own block. "You guys alright?"

Terrafin chuckled as he forced a nod, and he lifted his head as the sound of flapping wings soared above him. Cynder and Whirlwind dashed off ahead of him, and before him, Sihiri chuckled and trailed down the stone path that spiraled ahead.

"As I was saying," Sihiri explained as Chihiro, Terrafin and Eruptor followed after her, "the Arkeyans wiped our forces out in droves, and we needed something that could combat this. That was when one of our ranks suggested an idea: what if we had something that contained our magic essence, something that would allow us to harness the full range of our abilities even without our bodies?"

"And what was that, exactly?" Chihiro asked as she pushed herself between Terrafin and Eruptor and trailed up to Sihiri.

Sihiri chuckled and lifted her pendant by its string. "Take a guess!"

The soft crackle of warmth burst ahead while embers spat out, and Sihiri smiled even though Chihiro jumped back.

They reached the end of the room, and all that stood before them was a door made entirely of warm molten rock! Stagnant lava veins formed through its surface, tiny embers burst out of cracks within the stone, and its whole appearance heated the room by at least ten degrees. The presence didn't intimidate Sihiri in the slightest, for she held her hand out while it glowed purple.

The door rumbled and sank into the ground below as Cynder and Whirlwind took a seat beside Chihiro, and Terrafin and Eruptor hopped up beside Sihiri right as the door vanished.

Out from the door's open mouth came a massive realm of volcanic rock. Entire rivers and waterfalls made of lava poured like water and stretched through the realm; large bookshelves carved out of the masses of volcanic rock made up the room, and they stocked themselves to the brims with stone tablets and books; it even had sitting areas perfect for an afternoon read improvised from the materials surrounding. If not for the oppressive heat, it would have been a pretty cozy area, in all honesty.

"Now, Vatra should be somewhere in here," Sihiri remarked as she stepped in and crossed her arms, "but where?"

Everyone else paused, turned around as they stepped into the room, and reeled back as orange light burst from ahead. A geyser of lava burst from the floor, shattering a stone pillar to bits, and the flecks of lava rained down right over them! Chihiro gasped, immediately cast a shield around everyone, and gulped as the lava smacked and sizzled against it.

Sihiri downed part of the shield, and chuckled as she stepped forward. "And there he is!"

Out from the diminishing shower flew that bright red crystal wheel, which shone with an aura of heat as a pale red silhouette formed around it! A string dropped around the silhouette's neck as its light burst away in batches of fire, and from it emerged a person. His skin was tanned and slightly red in undertone; it was if it was kissed by the sun itself, save for a pair of curved scars on his breasts that were lighter in tone. His brown eyes were warm and tinted red under the heat. His red hair was a bit messy and disheveled. However, it did little to diminish the pristine look of the rest of his attire, from the trousers, sandals and lengthy jacket drenched in shades of crimson, to the pendant that still hung firm from his neck. The only thing not drenched in red were the bandages wrapped around his hands; they singed black in some places and tinted yellow in others, yet they still stuck tight to his hands.

He chuckled as sweat dripped down his long, triangular nose, and an aura of warmth burst from him as he fixed up his hair and stretched.

"Ah, that was a nice nap!" this man remarked as he let his arms fall down and chuckled. "I can never escape your notice, can I, Sihiri?"

Sihiri chuckled as Vatra brushed a finger against her cheek, so close and intimate. He paused and raised a brow as his eyes fell on Chihiro below him.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" he asked, and his warm tone became cooler.

"Are you two a couple or something?" Chihiro asked. She stumbled back and chuckled as Sihiri and Vatra raised their brows. "I mean, you two were getting so close, and that's what people say couples are supposed to do, right? Get all super close and cuddly and stuff?" Chihiro jolted up and turned away. "Ah, I mean, sorry, I said something super weird, didn't I?"

Vatra chuckled and knelt down to ruffle Chihiro's hair. "Ah, don't fret, child. No, we're not lovers, just close allies as one would say." Vatra stood up and smiled as he placed his hands in his jacket's pockets. "That strange aura of yours… You're one of us, correct?"

Chihiro blinked and furiously nodded. "Yeah, I'm a portal master! That's what you guys are called in our time!"

"Our time?"

Vatra frowned, and Chihiro was the one to laugh as she spun around.

"I can get you up to speed later!" Chihiro replied as she skipped across the molten rock platforms. "For now, Sihiri was telling me about those pendants of yours and how you made them, so tell me more!"

Vatra chuckled as he trailed after Chihiro. "I suppose I'll enthrall you," he remarked as he spun his wheel around his finger.

"We took the pendants we used as our symbols, and infused them with part of our own magic essence. Once activated with a spell, our ghosts would awaken, and use the essence inside to fight and thrive until our bodies could be healed and revived!"

Vatra grunted as something pushed against him. He peered down as Chihiro gazed up at him with the widest of grins, and the brightest of sparkling eyes on her face.

"That's so cool!" Chihiro cried as she bounced up and down. "I've never even thought of doing something like that before! It's like having infinite lives in a video game, but in real life!"

"What's a video game?" Vatra asked, but the soft bubble of lava caught his ear and he pulled Chihiro back. "Actually, hold that thought!"

A massive plume of lava burst from the lava river, but Vatra just snapped his fingers and sent the lava right back into the river! While it gurgled and passed on, Vatra smiled and waved his hands. In tandem, the river flooded forward and sent massive rock platforms floating before him.

"It's nothing too fancy, I'll admit. Any trained magician can do it as long as they're careful."

Vatra hupped as he hopped across the rock and onto the other side, strode over to a door made of shiny white and yellow marble, and hovered his hand in front of it as the others followed suit. The door buckled and burst into sparkles underneath his presence. He smiled as he urged for the others to come along with a slight of his hand.

The dull thud of warm stone underfoot turned to the clean sound of clacking marble, and everyone left Vatra's realm in favor of one much more shiny and polished! This new area was made of white marble with golden streaks. It was all carved into neat little cubbies, towers, and pillars that shone just as brightly as the warm light that made up the world around! Pale yellow stone floors lined the area around, forming ramps, platforms, and all sorts of nooks and crannies. The whole area seemed simple, yet held so many secrets.

"Luz, Luz!" Vatra called as he stepped into the room. "Where are you? I know you're in here, so come on out!"

"I can feel his presence," Sihiri remarked as she stepped forward and rested a clasped hand on her chest, her head craned back and forth, "but where?"

Chihiro frowned, poked her head between Vatra and Sihiri, and narrowed her eyes. A faint sparkle of golden light came from a cubby in one of the many marble pillars scattered amid the area. At first she thought she might've imagined it, but then, it sparked even brighter!

"There!" Chihiro called as she pointed towards the cubby.

Sihiri and Vatra's eyes fell on the golden spark, and it giggled as it zipped out and revealed itself to be the yellow wheel.

"You'll have to catch me first!" the wheel chuckled. It laughed as Vatra stumbled forward and tried to yank it out of the air, but zipped right off as he stumbled!

Whirlwind flew up and zipped after the wheel as Vatra regained his balance. "Just leave it to me!" she cried.

Whirlwind zipped after the wheel as it dove back into the cubby, and popped out of a door in one of the platforms as the wheel dashed off! It hovered above, zipped up and down across a series of ramps while Whirlwind tailed right after it. Just as it stopped to catch a breather, Whirlwind burst out from a door in a pillar and snatched it out of thin air!

"Caught you!" Whirlwind cried as she flew back up to Sihiri and Vatra and opened her front paws.

The wheel sighed as it floated out of Whirlwind's paws, and its light formed a solid silhouette of pale gold that matched a person's body.

"Ah, looks like I'm beat!" the wheel remarked as a string formed around the silhouette's neck.

Its light beamed out in all directions, and burst as it revealed a chubby ghost with a golden aura like sunlight! His brown skin had a warm, sunny undertone to it, one that perfectly matches his spiky blonde hair and golden brown eyes. He donned white and gold robes occasionally accentuated by pieces of armor, from shoulderpads to a chestplate and arm and leg guards. He chuckled and rubbed his round nose while a youthful smile crossed his face, but it quickly fell the moment he faced Sihiri and Vatra.

"Hey, where's Fintster?" Luz asked as he craned his head around. "And everyone else, for that matter? Heck, how did we end up at the Northern Base? Last I remember, we were fighting in Arkus!"

Vatra paused and rubbed his chin. "That's a good question, actually," he remarked. "I don't remember anything—just a big explosion, and everything going numb and dark."

"Likewise," Sihiri remarked as she turned an eye on Chihiro, "you said that some time had passed, right, young one?"

Chihiro blinked, sighed and twiddled her fingers. "Looks like it's my turn to do the explaining," Chihiro said through clenched teeth. She hissed a bit, and sighed as she faced Sihiri, Vatra and Luz. "See, it's been ten thousand years since your big battle with Arkilles. Skylands changed a lot since you were around last…"

The three of them gave Chihiro frowns, and she chuckled as she raised a finger.

"But, on the bright side, you did end the Arkeyans' reign of terror!" Chihiro turned aside and rubbed her hands. "On the flipside, you kinda also died, I guess, and got banished to all parts of Skylands, too? I found your wheels scattered all over the place while the Skylanders, the Elder Elementals, and some of our buddies went to stop Kaos…"

"Wait, did you say the Elder Elementals?" Sihiri asked. "Are they alive too?"

"Yep!" Chihiro nodded furiously, and her eyes went wide. "Speaking of, I've gotta get back to them!" Chihiro stormed forward and climbed up a platform. "Where's the exit to this place? We've got a mission to do!"

"A mission?"

"Yeah! Long story short, our enemy's trying to bring his empire back, and we need to stop him, but our transportation got stolen by some dude and he's making a whole mess of the place! I think I kinda left the Elder Elementals to deal with it…"

Sihiri, Vatra and Luz all turned to each other and nodded.

"Just follow us. We'll show you the way!" Sihiri proclaimed as she stormed ahead. "After all, we've got some friends to reunite with, too!"

"And if someone's causing trouble on our turf, then we've gotta deal with them, right?" Luz remarked with a wink.

Chihiro giggled, and bolted after them with Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder and Whirlwind hot on her heels! They all caught up right as Luz opened a door made of solid ice, and dashed forward—only to slip and fall into a heap! Everyone groaned as they sat up, greeted their reflections in the icy path below their feet, and jolted up as the door slammed shut behind them.

"Oh dear Ancients," Vatra moaned, "I forgot whose room was after this…"

"Whose is it?" Eruptor asked as he tilted his head, and gasped as the floors started to slide.

"JUST HANG ON!"

The ice that made up the halls turned cooled and slicker, and everyone went sliding down before they knew it! They screamed as the hall turned into a ramp that dipped down and tossed them up in the air, zipped down the halls, and spun around in place with fury!

"Just what is this thing?" Terrafin shouted as he spun around.

"I'm getting dizzy!" Eruptor cried between hacks.

"I can hear my brain rattling around in my head!" Chihiro whined. "Somebody stop this!"

A whir came from above as parts of the ceiling parted, and Chihiro lifted her head right as cannons emerged from their open slots! She screamed, ducked as one of them shot a giant snowball right at her, and leaped up as another slammed into the ground below!

"Dej did always like to keep our skills sharp!" Sihiri cried as she tossed aside a snowball with magic and slammed it into another oncoming one. "I just wish he had less dangerous ways of doing it!"

"You're telling me!" Eruptor whined as he teetered back and forth between the snowballs that barraged him. "I want off this ride!"

The ceiling whirred further as a part of it collapsed and crumbled to bits, and out from it came a gigantic snowball cannon! The cannon shuddered as it sprung to life, shot out a gigantic snowball and completely shattered part of the path ahead. Everyone screamed as the icy remains crumbled down into the caverns.

"Jump for it!" Vatra cried.

They all did, but their jump was fruitless. The gap was so big that they only made it about halfway before they collapsed. Everyone screamed and clung to each other as they fell down, but just before they collapsed, Chihiro shot out her hand and crafted a giant net out of magic. Instead of falling into nothing, they all slammed against the net and bounced right back on course! They all slipped onto paths of ice through a solid tunnel that walled off everything else, and sighed with relief as they slipped through. At least falling into the abyss was of no concern this time.

Chihiro groaned, held her head, but lifted it as a twinkle of blue passed her by. She jumped back up to her feet, summoned a magic sticky hand and tossed it right at the glimmer! The sticky hand yanked it out in an instant, snapped right back and dropped the glowing blue object in her palm—a shiny blue crystal wheel!

"Took you for a little ride, didn't I?" echoed a chipper voice from the wheel as its blue glow grew brighter.

The blue wheel flew out of Chihiro's palm as its bright glow formed a pale blue silhouette of a person's body, and the glow melted into a torrent of water as a string formed around the silhouette's neck! The silhouette dripped with water as it transformed from a silhouette to a ghost with a chilly blue aura.

The ghost was of a muscular person with pale skin, and sleek black hair that cascaded down their chiseled jaw in loose curls that brought to mind ocean waves. Their deep blue eyes with epicanthic folds shone with a twinkle. Their wheel pendant sparkled against their bare chest, one accentuated by the puffy blue vest tied around the ghost's chest just enough to cover it while still showcasing their pecs. Dark blue trousers kept their place around the ghost's waist with a tightly-tied baby blue ribbon, and the moment their bare feet hit the ice, the floors transformed to fluffy snow instead.

"Name's Dej," the ghost said as he crossed his arms, "I hope you enjoyed the little ride I set up for you!"

"Enjoy it, my ass!" Vatra spat as he stormed up and shoved a finger in Dej's face. Smoking fumes burned from his ghastly form. "You nearly got us killed!"

Dej chuckled and pushed away Vatra's hand. "Chill out, Vats!" Dej teased with a single poke of his tongue and a wink. "I just wanted to make sure your skills were still sharp before I caught up with you!"

Dej walked ahead while Vatra crossed his arms and mumbled, but Chihiro ignored them. Instead, she looked down at her hands and counted off her fingers.

"I think that green wheel's the only one that's still missing," Chihiro remarked as she lifted her head.

"That must be Inochi," Sihiri remarked as she clasped her hands against her heart and chuckled. A soft giggle escaped her lips, and she seemed a little more coy as she wrung her hands together. "Oh, I can't wait to see her again." Sihiri lifted her head. "Her room, actually, shouldn't be that far."

"In fact, it's right here!" Luz called from the end of the tunnel.

Everyone dashed down, and Luz grinned and made a peace sign as he presented them with a door made of flower-covered vines.

"Knowing her, she's probably off tending to her flowers or something." Luz waved his hands in front of the door while its vines peeled away. "Bet this place is still sparkly-clean as ever. She's a real stickler for that…"

Luz gasped and jumped back as the door opened up, for out from its spilled masses of twisted, overgrown vegetation!

"Stuff!"