Noodles snarled as he raised the machine's fist and prepared to strike, but right before he did, the ice below him began to rumble! Noodles drew his fist up and backed away as pebbles of ice bounced against its surface. Below him, everyone else did the same. Cracks formed in the center of their icy battleground, and everyone dashed off as the cracks grew larger! The rumbling grew even more intense while the cracks grew their largest, and everyone curled up and took cover.

"Look out!" Tree Rex cried over the intense rumble. "It's gonna blow!"

CRACK!

The ice completely shattered! It erupted in a rain of ice shards so sharp that everyone ducked and ran off as they clanged against what remained of the battlegrounds. Even Noodles in his robot suit stumbled back; he nearly lost his balance as the ice got a little too close for comfort, but quickly regained it as the storm settled. He lifted his head towards the top of the geyser, the eye of the storm, and gasped!

There, Chihiro, Eruptor, Terrafin, Cynder, and Whirlwind all hovered in mid-air, but they weren't the only ones! Beside them were five human ghosts dressed in clothes that looked like they came out of a history book. Surrounding the ghosts were colorful glows only accentuated by the bright shine of the crystal, wheel-shaped pendants they wore!

"Hey everyone!" Chihiro cried as she waved down below. "Sorry for the wait!"

The ten of them hit what remained of the icy floors, while a person who donned a blue wheel pendant snapped their fingers and sealed the ice back up in an instant.

"We just had to pick up some old friends of yours!"

Tree Rex's eyes fluttered open and shut. His jaw fell ajar just slightly as he crept up to Chihiro's group. He reached out a large, wooden hand for moments, but drew it back as Sihiri peered up and drew back herself.

"Is, is that really you, Sihiri?" Tree Rex asked.

Sihiri chuckled, floated up and grinned as she met Tree Rex at eye level.

"In the magic and soul," Sihiri replied.

Trree Rex said no words, yet a hint of wonder crossed his face as he extended his palm and let Sihiri rest inside. He was completely frozen in time, only able to stare while Sihiri did the same with a kind of quiet curiosity, but he shuddered as Inochi rammed right into his leg.

"Tree Rex!" Inochi called as she hugged him the best she could with their comparative sizes. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Tree Rex gasped, smiled and gently wrapped his hand around Inochi. "I'm glad to see you too!"

"Hey, Swarm, old buddy old pal!" Luz cried as he floated up and flitted up around Swarm's head. "Guess who's back and better than ever?"

"I don't know if I'd call being a ghost back and better than ever," Swarm remarked with a wink. "More like back and deader than ever?"

Luz just groaned. "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

Thumpback and Eye-Brawl both laughed as they lifted up Vatra and Dej for a chat, and for a moment, all seemed kind of well! The cold air turned warm with the feelings of reunion and camaraderie, and everything around seemed to melt away. Tree Rex, Swarm, Thumpback, and Eye-Brawl seemed just so happy to be reunited with their portal masters; their smiles were wide, their gazes were warm and sweet like honey, and their portal masters were equally as pleased.

A single cough came from behind, and immediately alerted them to the fact that Noodles was still present. His arms crossed as he drummed his fingers against his forearm.

"Hello, aren't you forgetting someone?" Noodles asked as his eyes flashed red. "The Great Evil Ice Lord is still mad about losing that fishing competition! Nobody beats the Great Evil Ice Lord and gets away with it!" Noodles stomped his foot, and his lips trembled as they snarled. "And you're DEFINITELY NOT TAKING AWAY MY ROBOT!"

Noodles dashed across the side of the island and waved his hands.

"Minions, you keep those guys busy for the Great Evil Ice Lord! The Great Evil Ice Lord will take care of the rest!"

The minions nodded as Noodles flew off, but Sihiri just scowled as her eyes fell on Noodles' robot.

"He's getting away!" the ghost cried as he swung around Tree Rex's shoulder.

"But not for long!" Sihiri cried as her hands glowed purple.

With a snap of her fingers, a purple glow enveloped everyone around, lifted them off the ground, and zipped off! They all dashed in pursuit of Noodles, their magic vessels a warm and toasty shield from the oncoming chills of the winter breeze. The shouts of Noodles' ice ogre soldiers were faint as the soldiers fell into the distance, barely able to keep pace as the orbs tailed Noodles over to a massive, icy platform near snowy cliffs.

Noodles panted and leaned against the cliffs, and the light in his robot's eyes dimmed some as his breath grew lighter. "Great Evil Ice Lord… The Great Evil Ice Lord thinks they're gone," Noodles panted as he lifted himself up and cracked his knuckles. "Now, the Great Evil Ice Lord will think of the ultimate plan to crush those guys! Yeah, yeah, the Great Evil Ice Lord will crush them like ice bugs!"

"THINK AGAIN, NOODLES!" Chihiro shouted with a voice so loud it rattled the snow piled on the cliffs.

Noodles gasped, and jolted his head around as the light in his eyes grew once more. "WHAT, WHO SAID THAT?"

"We did!" Sihiri boomed.

Noodles gasped as the purple magic spheres dropped onto the ice below and unveiled themselves one by one! Everyone stood tall, their eyes set on Noodles. Despite the diminutive size they held compared to Noodles, he screamed and backed away.

"The Skylanders? The Portal Master? Some weird beings the Great Evil Ice Lord doesn't know?" Noodles cried before his eyes skimmed over to where Tree Rex, Swarm, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl had landed. "And those guys from the fishing contest too? You found the Great Evil Ice Lord already?"

"You bet!" Chihiro cried as she pointed towards Noodles. "Didn't you learn your lesson when we kicked your butt back at Vindlevale?"

"Guess he's a bit forgetful," Vatra smirked as flames danced across his fingers. "Luckily for him, though, I'd say I'm a pretty good teacher!"

Noodles winced as he stumbled backwards, but screamed as he tipped over and nearly fell down below! His arms windmilled as he teetered back and forth across the ice, but he stomped his foot and regained control. Snow and ice collapsed in avalanches that fed into the skies below like waterfalls from the force of his stomp, and his further coughs as he cleared his throat shot even more down.

"MINIONS!" Noodles bellowed. "THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD REQUESTS YOUR ASSISTANCE!"

Down on the ice, everyone winced and pressed together. Their weapons drew as they scanned the battlefield for the oncoming onslaught of ice ogres, but they blinked and released themselves when nothing came! No, nobody but them stayed on the ice, nor did anyone join Noodles in front of them!

Noodles noticed as well, for his eyes flashed red as he cleared his throat. "MINIONS, THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD SAYS HE REQUIRES YOUR ASSISTANCE!"

The cliffs rumbled, and chunks of solid snow and ice cracked as they crashed off the side of the cliffs from the sheer volume of Noodles' shouts! Down below, everyone shouted as they fell flat on their faces from the way the ground shook, yet Noodles didn't care a bit for the destruction he wrought! He just pounded his fists and screamed, shaking the whole world around.

"WHERE ARE THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD'S STUPID MINIONS?"

The screams continued from down below as Noodles stomped his robotic feet, and thin cracks even started to form in the ice! While everyone else slid left and right from Noodles' constant stomps, purple and blue light slipped across the battlefield and orbs of similar color burst across the battlefield!

The light shimmered and twinkled for a little bit as it shaped itself into the form of bodies. Finally, the light vanished as an entire platoon of ice ogres dropped onto the ice! The ones from Thumpback's fishing contest made their return, and they brought reinforcements in addition! Tall ice ogres wielding axes, smaller ones with staffs, even a few oddly-shaped ones wielding backpacks full of weapons stood among their ranks.

"Sorry for the wait, commander!" one ice ogre cried as it turned around and waved to Noodles. "We just had to pick up a few reinforcements!"

"Noodles told you to call Noodles the Great Evil Ice Lord when Noodles is in Noodles' robot!" Noodles spat as he crossed his arms and huffed. "Whatever, just take care of the Skylanders!"

"Got it, comman—" The ice ogre frantically shook their head. "I mean, Great Evil Ice Lord!"

"What, you think a couple of ice ogres are gonna stop us?" Cynder asked as she flapped her wings. "We've dealt with worse!"

"Yeah!" Chihiro cried as she cracked her knuckles and sprung forward. "I'll finish these guys in a snap!" Chihiro smirked as she snapped her fingers. "As a matter of fact!"

Chihiro thrust her hands forward, and a massive beam of cyan light burst forward with sights set on the ice ogres. As she did, the robot latched onto the side of the island and shook it like it was little more than a toy! Chihiro's light beam veered off to the side and slammed into a cliff, forming a hole in the cliff's side. Chihiro screamed and slid backwards, and the others quickly followed! The ice ogres cackled in their faces, their own places held with magic, but Chihiro didn't even shoot them a glare or a smart remark. The sound of screaming pierced her ears, and she grounded herself with magic.

She turned around as the others tumbled down. Dej quickly forged a platform out of ice, catching the other portal masters and the ghost. The Skylanders and Elder Elementals rolled down and tumbled off the side of the island, down into the depths of the cliffs below!

Chihiro gasped, leaped up, and summon a sparkling star platform with a leap and a clap of her feet. The star platform fell underfoot just as she landed, and she leaned down on it like a surfboard as she dashed over and caught Eruptor. The star platform expanded as Eruptor groaned and laid down. Chihiro dashed further, snatched Terrafin next, and then Cynder and Whirlwind before her eyes fell down to where Thumpback and Tree Rex began falling!

"Crap, I don't think my star's big enough for them!" Chihiro cried.

"Then leave this to me!" Sihiri shouted as she snapped her fingers.

A purple glow surrounded Tree Rex and Thumpback as they sank into the depths, and it completely enveloped them as they teleported away and landed back on solid ice! Eye-Brawl and Swarm appeared beside them in another flash of light. All five of them grinned as their gazes drifted down to where Sihiri hovered before them!

"That was a close one!" Chihiro remarked as she flew in. The star platform vanished below her, and she fell onto the ice as the others dropped beside her. "I almost thought we were gonna be the first to discover Skylands' bottom!"

Bellowing, mechanical laughter rumbled as the island went back to a neutral position, and the robot's eyes flashed as its hands laid on its hips.

"You Skylanders think you're so smart, don't you?" Noodles gloated as he leaned down over them and pointed a gigantic finger in their faces. "Well, the Great Evil Ice Lord's smarter now! And the Great Evil Ice Lord won't be beaten!"

Noodles laughed even harder, the laughter of his ice ogres joining in tandem, and everyone winced as they drew together.

"Alright, just throwing ourselves at this guy isn't gonna do us any good," Terrafin said as he lifted his heads towards the others. "We're gonna need a plan!"

The others shuffled closer towards Terrafin and nodded, but Eruptor just gasped and pointed away.

"DUCK!" Eruptor cried as he hit the ice.

Everyone behind him turned around, gasped, and followed his lead as a massive blasts of magic and a swarm of axes flew right for them! The attack flew into the distance, but as the group got up, the ice ogres that raced in front of them grinned and drew out more weapons.

"You're kidding yourselves if you think we'd let you anywhere near the Great Evil Ice Lord!" the ax-wielding ogre heading the charge cried. "Ogres, charge!"

The ice ogres rushed forward as the group split. As the ice ogres stopped and turned around, Terrafin skated forward and clocked one right in the face! The ice ogre grunted as the punch tossed it right into its buddy behind it, but a lava blob slammed them both in the side and knocked them on the ice.

A group of mages skated in and shot blasts towards them with magic staffs. Before they could strike Eruptor and Terrafin, a combined blast of lightning and rainbows blew the mages' attacks away, then the mages themselves as it crashed into them! Cynder and Whirlwind swept down and grinned as the mages collapsed on the ground. Free of distraction once more, Cynder parted away while Tree Rex rushed towards Noodles and leaped up, followed by Thumpback, Eye-Brawl and Swarm.

Cynder and Whirlwind zipped towards Noodles as well, but as they flew, Noodles slammed the robot's hand into the ground. His hand sent a shockwave that cracked the ice and blew them back! Noodles cackled as they all collapsed onto the ground and groaned, but another burst of shockwaves pinned them back down before they could get back up!

While they reeled, the ice ogres leaped to their feet and dashed off for them! A few ice ogres cackled and raised their weapons, but a pair of swords knocked them back before they could strike! The remaining ogres skidded to a stop as a bright flash of cyan light signaled Chihiro's entrance. She panted as she summoned more swords and rushed right for them. Sweat poured down her back despite the cold as she jumped for an ice ogre and slashed, but it slashed back with its ax.

In the moment of distraction, Tree Rex, Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, and Swarm leaped from the ground and split! Tree Rex led Thumpback, Eye-Brawl and Swarm down to where the portal masters flung their own attacks at Noodles' robot with little luck. Behind them, Cynder and Whirlwind grunted and shuddered on the floor.

In the back of it all, hidden away behind an icy rock, the ghost trembled as he examined the battle. Whether it was from the cold of the ice or the tension of the uneven fight, it wasn't certain, but nonetheless he quivered. He flickered in and out of existence as his eyes fell first on the ice ogres fighting with Chihiro fighting, next the Skylanders on the ground, and then to Noodles as he swatted away the Elder Elementals and the ancient portal masters' attempts at damaging him!

But then, his milky white eyes narrowed as they fell on the robot's arms. Though the chills from the ice left frost on his body and turned his mist thicker and cooler, he didn't move from his spot. He zeroed in on the robot, finally forced himself up and floated over to Tree Rex!

"Mister tree, mister tree!" the ghost cried as he nudged Tree Rex's shoulder.

Tree Rex grunted as his latest solar blast bounced off of the robot's chest, turned his head towards the ghost and tilted it. "Yes?"

The ghost leaned closer, until his face was just a hair's width away from Tree Rex's ear holes. He pointed up to the robot's arms, which were dented and twisted in parts and rusted in others.

"Those arms, they're much more worn compared to the rest of the robot," the ghost whispered. "Perhaps if you target those, you'll be able to stop him!"

Tree Rex grinned as the ghost flew away. "Good idea!" Tree Rex nodded, but another pound of the ice knocked him down with a grunt! Tree Rex pushed himself off the ground, and winced as his gaze turned to where Noodles pounded away still. "But first, we'll need to find a way to distract him!"

Tree Rex grunted as he crawled across to where Thumpback, Eye-Brawl, Swarm, and Dej collapsed on the cracked, shattering ice.

"Everyone, listen!" Tree Rex cried, his voice as high as it could be without being heard—which, given the massive volume of Noodles' pounds and shouts, was quite a lot. "The robot's arms are a lot weaker than the rest of the robot! If we can destroy them, we could probably put that robot out of commission!"

Another crash sounded, and Swarm winced as he crawled closer to Tree Rex. "But how, boss?" Swarm asked with his gaze turned to the robot. "That thing's as stubborn as the guy piloting it!"

Dej perked his head up, and grinned as he pushed himself off of the ice. "I take it a distraction's needed?" Dej asked as he skated towards Tree Rex and Swarm. Dej winked, leaped off on a spiral of steaming water and shot towards Noodles before either could reply. "You just get your plan together! We'll take care of this!"

The cold breeze ruffled Dej's hair as he flew up past the robot's gaze. He held out hands dusted with the blue glow of ice, and shot a freezing beam right into the ground below! The cracks and fragments in the ice sealed themselves and stuck together as the beam carved into it.

Noodles screamed as he lifted his arms, and his eyes' glow lowered as he tilted his head down. "Was the Great Evil Ice Lord's reflection always that nice?" Noodles asked as he scratched his head.

A flash of blue light emerged from the clouds, and Sihiri, Vatra, Luz. and Inochi all lifted their heads just as it faded! With a grin, they all floated off the ground and spun around Noodles' head as he admired his reflection.

"Hey, tin can!" Luz cried as he whipped out his shield and spun it around. "Lemme shed some light on something!" The shield's surface grew brighter and brighter as Luz spun it faster and faster, and he held it up as its light reached its brightest. "Never look away in the middle of a battle!"

Noodles turned around, and screamed as a massive beam of light shot right through the robot's eyes, completely shattering their glass! The surprise blow sent him stumbling back, yet he growled and stormed right for Luz.

"How dare you attack the Great Evil Ice Lord?" Noodles cried as he jumped up towards Luz, arms stretched out in preparation to swat him away. "You'll pay for that!"

Just before Noodles could reach Luz, vines leaped out and completely tied his hands together! Luz teleported beside Inochi in a flash of light as Noodles fell down to the ground with a thud. Inochi released a sigh as she unwrapped the vines from Noodles' arms, but she and Luz both squeaked and flew off as Noodles tried to swat them!

"Come back! The Great Evil Ice Lord isn't as fast as you are!" Noodles cried as he fruitlessly flailed and swatted at the air. A blast of fire and magic hit the side of Noodles' head, and he scowled as he turned around. "Hey, who hit the Great Evil Ice Lord?"

"We did!" Vatra cried as he and Sihiri flew up and crossed their arms. Vatra scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Frankly, your icy lordship, you could stand to be a little less sloppy in form!"

"NOBODY CALLS THE GREAT EVIL ICE LORD SLOPPY!"

Vatra and Sihiri split off as Noodles swatted for him, but Luz and Inochi laughed in Noodles' face as they zipped past him! Noodles screamed as he swatted towards them, but they just flew right and laughed even harder. With a growl, Noodles flailed his arms around in some attempt at swatting them away, yet they dodged his every move. They buzzed around his head like flies while he shouted and cursed!

While Noodles was busy swatting them away, Swarm, Tree Rex, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl all lined up in front of him and grinned as Swarm raised his arms!

Noodles grunted as yet another attempt to swat away Sihiri, Vatra, Luz, and Inochi failed. He grunted as a pair of stingers shot right through the robot's broken glass eyes and stabbed the back of its head's inside! Noodles snarled as he turned down to where Swarm, Tree Rex, Thumpback, and Eye-Brawl stood, shouted out and pounded his fists into the ice. The icy floor below cracked and cratered underneath the weight of his blows, but the five of them skidded off!

Noodles snarled as he pulled his arms from the ground and prepared to strike—but as he did, vines and whips made of light lashed around his left arm. Raw magic froze his second arm into place as ropes of fire wrapped around it! Noodles grunted as he turned around to find Luz, Inochi, Vatra, and Sihiri straining with all their might as they kept their spells in place. He tried to pull his arms off, but the familiar sound of freezing ice and a flash of blue loosened his focus. He turned back down, and Dej winked down at Thumpback while he hovered beside Noodles' now frozen fists!

"Talk about an easy catch!" Thumpback smirked as he brandished his anchor, smirked and turned to Dej. "He fell right into our trap, didn't he, Dej?"

Dej clicked his tongue and smirked. "Fell for it hook, line and sinker!" Dej remarked.

"NOW!" Tree Rex cried with a smile.

Swarm jumped off the ground and flew off as Eye popped off of Brawl's head. The two of them flew off and shot right into the robot's shoulders! Their attacks tore through the shoulders' metal and left smoking gaps and dents.

Noodles cried out as sirens and red lights blared from the robot's head. "Hey, what're you doing to the Great Evil Ice Lord's robot?" Noodles cried as he swung the robot back and forth, wriggling and thrusting in some futile attempt to free the robot of its bindings. "Knock it off!"

Swarm and Eye just continued firing! Swarm's barbs slashed and tore through the metal while Eye's lasers rotted and melted it away! As they worked, Tree Rex, Thumpback and Brawl readied their weapons down below and fixed their aim on the lower half of the robot's arms. Tree Rex shot out lasers that burned and tore through the metal, Thumpback widened the gaps with slashes from his anchor, and Brawl leaped up and pounded on the metal, denting it and sending bones sprouting through its arms! Sparks and flames flew from the wounds in the robot's arms as the three of them jumped back, and the smoke turned more intense and to a thick, grayish color as it flew out in droves! The robot rattled as the sparks flew further, and Noodles gulped.

"That can't be good," Noodles gulped, his voice filter now warped and distorted.

With a pair of loud pops, the robot's arms popped right out of their sockets! Their rusted, charred, and strained wiring stretched as far as it could as the arms hit the floor.

"Alright!" Luz said as he released his whips and flew down with Vatra, Inochi and Sihiri behind him. "That oughta take him down a peg!"

"Not just a peg, either!" Swarm said as he and Eye flew down. "I'd say the whole board!"

"And we've got those ice ogres all wrapped up too!" Chihiro cried as she skated up with Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder, and Whirlwind close behind. Chihiro chuckled as she turned her head to where to ice ogres she faced sat struggling and wrapped up with magic ropes, turned back to the robot and summoned a sword. "Now let's finish this!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Noodles cried as those red lights and sirens blared further. "You may have broken the Great Evil Ice Lord's arms, but the Great Evil Ice Lord has plenty of other weapons too!"

Another loud blare sounded from the robot as its chest unfolded. Out from it came a gigantic board that shot out an entire fleet of burning rockets! Noodles cackled as the rockets charged right towards the floor, but everyone gasped and drew back!

"Everyone, get behind us!" Sihiri cried as she and Chihiro raised their hands. "We'll handle this!"

Everyone else skated over and ducked behind Sihiri and Chihiro the best they could. The two of them nodded as their hands glowed; the cyan light of Chihiro's magic intermingled with the purple light of Sihiri's as it swirled away from their palms. The lights fused together, crafting a gigantic shield that shouldered the brunt of Noodles' rocket assault! The rockets exploded and took the shield with it, but another round of rockets came in still with fires blazing and smoke clouding the air!

"I'll take care of these!" Chihiro cried as she clapped her hands. A cyan glow surrounded them, and she thrust them out as their glow brightened, its light scattered across the icy floors. "Rockets, return to sender!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and the cyan glow leaped from her palms. It infected the rockets as they stopped in mid-air! That cyan glow grew more brilliant, a striking sight against the already-blue sights, turned tail and hurtled right for Noodles!

The lights in the robot's eyes flickered, and Noodles screamed as he turned the robot around. "Noodles needs to get going!" Noodles cried as he jumped off.

He prepared to fly right as the rockets crashed into the robot's chest and exploded! When the smoke and fire cleared, the chest itself was left smoldering, blackened and burnt. One single compartment opened up in the chest and shot Noodles right onto the ice! Noodles screamed as he flew off and crashed into the ice, but as he spun belly-first across the ice, he only groaned and lolled out his tongue.

"Alright, looks like he's almost out!" Chihiro cried as Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder, and Whirlwind flew up beside her. "We'll take care of this guy!"

"Commander Noodles!" the ice ogres cried.

They all skated over, lifted Noodles so that he could at least sit up, and one ice ogre even made a chair out of ice for him to rest in. Noodles shook his head as the cold ice seeped into his skin, and he grinned and sighed in relief as he slunk down in his icy throne. The ice ogres all breathed sighs of their own, but their relieved looks turned to scowls and cross brows as they turned their weapons on Chihiro.

"You're not getting anywhere near the commander!" an ice ogre wielding a staff cried.

"That a statement or a fact?" Chihiro cried as she cracked her knuckles while a subtle blue glow burst from her hands.

The ice ogre blinked, lowered their ax and scratched their face. "I mean, I said it and all, but—"

A flash of sparkles and cyan light burst from Chihiro's place as she vanished, and a scream hit the air as Noodles' throne exploded into icy chunks! The ice ogres all turned around right in time to catch Chihiro raising a sword as she chased Noodles across the icy floor. They gasped and sped after her, but skittered back as Terrafin, Eruptor, Cynder, and Whirlwind flew in front of them!

"Sorry, buddies, but we can't let'cha pass!" Terrafin shouted. "Our kid's a little busy right now!"

Terrafin cracked his knuckles as his eyes fell on the ice ogre wielding the ax, rushed forward and prepared to swing—but with a swing of its ax, the ice ogre disappeared and popped up right behind him! Terrafin gasped and swept aside before the ax could slice him up. Its blade only grazed and scratched the barnacles in his back as he skated back. The ice ogre's mouth twitched as it squeezed its ax tighter, but it swung around and teleported again. Terrafin raised his brow as a faint twinkling sound came from behind, and ducked as the ice ogre appeared once more and swung for him!

The ice ogre gasped as its swing hit nothing but thin air, and Terrafin jumped up as he punched it right in the face! The ice ogre screamed and held its face as its ax fell and dug into the ice. Terrafin grinned as he skated forward and body-slammed right into it! The ice ogre crashed into the ice and cried out, but Terrafin grinned and wiped his hands. A chill that ran down his spine forced him to swing away! Another ice ogre popped up behind him with an ax held tight in its grip.

"What the?" Terrafin sputtered as he jerked his head to where the reeling ice ogre was1right as it burst in a colorful array of sparkles!

Terrafin clenched his fangs, and leaped up as the real ice ogre swung for him once again! His feet landed on the flat side of the ax's blade as the ice ogre drew to a stop; he back flipped and body-slammed right into the ice. The ice around fragmented, cracked into a massive wave of spiky ice that crashed right into the ice ogre, and knocked it across the ice! The ice ogre grunted as it flew backwards and right into a gigantic flower's mouth, screamed and flailed around as it got stuck within the flower's mouth!

Terrafin chuckled and gave a thumbs up to Inochi as she walked up and patted the flower, but turned around and jumped away as a bomb crashed on the ice and exploded into a plume of flames! The flames melted a hole in the ice and unveiled cold, rocky ground underneath. Terrafin winced and turned his gaze up as another string of explosions sounded off in the distance.

Across the fields, Eruptor grunted as he flung blobs of magma towards a round ice ogre dressed in leather gloves and boots. The ice ogre dug into the leather backpack on its back, and shot bombs right back at him! Eruptor screamed and skidded away as the bombs bounced off the ice, but that wasn't the end of it. While he lingered around, the ice ogre just shot another round of bombs right for him!

Eruptor's lip twitched, and he snarled as he clapped his hands together. "All this running is making me hot under the collar!" Eruptor cried as he shot out his hands. "How about I give you a taste?"

Eruptor's hands bubbled, and out from them burst an entire stream of lava! The lava melted the ice around and turned it to warm, hard rock. More than that, the moment the lava hit the bombs, the bombs burst into pillars of fire and lava!

The ice ogre screamed and turned tail as the lava and explosions came closer. Before it could run, a bomb fell from its backpack right as the lava crept in! The bomb exploded in a fiery pillar of lava and heat, and the ice ogre went flying!

Eruptor chuckled and raised a hand over his eyes as he lifted his head. His gaze set on the ice ogre as it went blasting across the skies, but a stray rainbow slammed into its side and tossed it across the floor!

A couple flashes of light shone from the side as Whirlwind and Cynder backed into each other. Around them, ice ogres wielding staffs and axes had them surrounded. The two of them leaped in the air as one ice ogre slashed for them with its ax, and slipped away as a string of magic blasts hit the skies.

"Looks like we'll need some cover," Whirlwind cried as she flapped her wings, "and I've got just the thing!"

A large gust cast over the arena as Whirlwind flapped her wings, and the ice ogres planted their feet in the ice before they could get blown away! They shook their heads and opened their eyes, but they found neither Whirlwind or Cynder—just a massive, misty fog that coated the entire area around them! The ice ogres backed away as cackles and squeals came from within the fog. They gulped as flashes of purple smog came from within the clouds, gasped. and screamed as a bunch of ghosts flew out and snagged their weapons from them!

The ice ogres shouted and turned tail as they bolted after the ghosts. The moment their backs turned, bursts of lightning jumped from the fog and zapped them in the back! They all screamed as the lightning hit their backs and knocked them on the ice.

Behind them, the mist cleared as Whirlwind and Cynder flew off, and Whirlwind smiled and lowered her horn. With a few zaps and flaps of her wings, a tornado bursts from the winds she created, and a zap from Cynder sent it flying! The tornado swept the ice ogres off the ground and tossed them all across the arena. They flew into the floors, to the cliffs, and banks of snow. Whirlwind and Cynder just flew off before they could get hit.

In the midst of it all, Noodles panted as he skittered across the ice. His feet slipped underneath him as he slid from place to place while he zipped away from Chihiro—but everywhere he ran, Chihiro teleported in front of him and sent him running again! He dashed towards a wall and she immediately popped right up with a sword to his neck, so he slipped towards the other side and dashed off. As he skated across the ice, a flash of cyan shone and Chihiro popped up beside him, sword still in hand!

"You can't run forever, Noodles!" Chihiro cried as she floated in front of him.

"Yes Noodles can!" Noodles cried.

He leaned forward and headbutted Chihiro right in the gut. In the moment she screamed and released her sword, he slapped her aside! Chihiro grunted as she tumbled across the ice, but Noodles grinned. His eyes turned to where the others stood budy fighting off his minions, and then to where his robot laid inactive!

"Time for Noodles to finish this!" Noodles cried as he skated over to where the robot laid. He grinned as his eyes fell on the robot, and his speed increased as it came closer in his grasp!

With a pirouette, Noodles leaped in the air and reached out to the robot's open chest…

But right before he could, a blue flash burst past him and zipped right inside the robot! Noodles grunted as the blue flash lingered and pulsed within the robot for moments. The robot itself lurched up and sealed the entrance in its chest!

"What? What happened to Noodles' robot?" Noodles demanded.

"This isn't your robot—this is my home!" the ghost cried from within the robot's depths, its voice louder and bellowing thanks the robot's systems. "And you're being evicted!"

The ghost raised the robot's broken hand with what little power the nearly-severed arm still held. It slapped Noodles down in the ice in one motion swift, yet one so powerful that the ice dented and cracked into large, pointed shards.

Noodles groaned as he stumbled up from the dent, and the first thing to greet him was a sword in the face! Noodles gulped as Chihiro smirked and pressed her sword a bit closer to Noodles' face. He screamed, stumbling back and nearly falling back into the crater. He whipped out a cannon and hoisted it over his shoulder! With a single slap, a trio of snowballs shot right for Chihiro, but she flipped backwards as they hit the snow below and burst.

"You want a snowball fight, huh?" Chihiro asked as she released her swords. "Alright, you're gonna get one!"

Chihiro's swords burst into light and sparkles, but instead of disappearing, they floated up and swirled around her hands! It seated itself in her hands as a dense, magical snowball about as big as Chihiro herself, yet light enough that she flung it right towards Noodles with a single swing! Noodles screamed as the snowball slammed right into him and rolled back down into the ice crater.

As it drew to a stop, he popped his head out and groaned. "Pretty birdies…" Noodles moaned before his face collapsed into the snow.

The ice ogres all gasped as they peered over the crater, the sheer shock of the unconscious Noodles enough to drain their faces of color. They all dropped their weapons and scrambled! They haphazardly slid across the icy floor, feet twisted and heads in a panic as they rumbled over the horizons.

"The Great Evil Ice Lord has been defeated!" the ice ogres wailed. "Flee!"

While the ice ogres stampeded away en masse, everyone else turned to each other with a few chuckles and a few rolls of the eyes. Their eyes turned up to the machine.

It still stood with lights bright as ever, but admittedly, it wasn't exactly in the best shape. The dents in the arms caved and formed slits where white smoke flew out, sparks bounced from every gap in the robot's body, and a few patches of metal even peeled down or fell into the depths below! The small of charred metal flew off from it, a disgusting scent that sickened everyone just from its presence.

"Thank goodness, it feels good to be home!" the ghost remarked. The lights flashed for a moment, but they quickly dimmed as he examined the broken, battered state of the robot. "I… Do wish it ended up in better condition, though."

A couple of winces and uneasy glances fell upon the damaged robot, but Chihiro rubbed her chin and shrugged.

"Eh, I'm sure the wilikin could fix it up!" Chihiro remarked. "They might be a little strange, but they know their way around technology!"

"Hello, friends!" cried a voice from above as a ship-shaped shadow cast over the ice.

Chihiro chuckled and held her hands over her eyes. "And speak of the devil, looks like they're here!"

A wooden ship parked beside the ice, and out from the ship came the wilikin and Ermit too! They all shouted and giggled as they skated over the ice—well, the wilikin did. Ermit just scoffed as he fell on his rump and spun across the ice. He muttered something underneath his breath as he got up and brushed snow crystals off of his clothes, lifted his head and scoffed.

"Couldn't you have gotten this thing back in a better shape?" Ermit asked with a scoff.

The machine's lights flashed as the ghost peered down, and a purplish tone came to them as the ghost scoffed and crossed its damaged arms.

"Oh, look who came back!" the ghost remarked, and a sardonic tone crossed its otherwise whisperlike and soft voice. With a faint blue glow, he popped out of the robot and floated down to Ermit. "You didn't seem awfully fussed about the machine's condition when you left it here to freeze!"

Ermit groaned and buried his head in his hands. "And now I'm starting to remember why I abandoned it in the first place."

"You know, it was so cold and so lonely here. I had to huddle in the engine room with all the loose pipes just to keep myself warm! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was, having to listen to that awful noise they made? The hissing, the screeching, the steam blowing in my face?"

"Can't we kick him out again?" Ermit whined as he tugged on his ears.

The others all rolled their eyes, but Chihiro prodded up to a skating wilikin man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Think you can fix this robot up?" Chihiro asked as she gestured to the robot, which now had sparks and smoke coming out of its shoulders as the ghost carried on. "It got a little" — Chihiro hissed and scratched her head — "banged up."

The wilikin man grinned and whipped out a toolbox from nowhere. "Sure can do, friend!" The wilikin man cried as he skated to the robot. "Come on, friends! This robot needs our help!"

The other wilikin who took to the ice whipped out toolboxes of their own and cheered. They scaled the robot, mending dented metal and tears in the robot body with a cheetah's speed!

"Those little guys might be a bit strange, but they work fast!" Chihiro remarked as she crossed her arms and nodded. A purple glow shimmered beside her, and Chihiro blinked as she turned to Sihiri. "So, what are you gonna do now?"

This one question from Chihiro perked up Sihiri's brows, and she hummed as she turned to Chihiro. "Pardon?"

Chihiro shoved her hands into her pockets as she craned her head up to where the wilikin repaired the robot. "Once we get this robot fixed up, we're gonna head out to where Kaos is and stop him!"

"Kaos?" Vatra asked as he leaned over Sihiri's shoulder. "Who's Kaos?"

"Really evil dude." Chihiro cringed and clenched her teeth for a moment. "He's a portal master—er, free magician who uses his magic for evil, and he wants to take over Skylands! He's already gotten his hands on an Arkeyan robot, and he's raising up an army to try and take over!" Chihiro pounded a fist against her palm. "So, we're going to stop him!"

Both Sihiri and Vatra exchanged worried looks, raised brows and clenched frowns and all. Judging by the looks of similar status that Dej, Luz and Inochi held as they joined the former two, they were all pretty concerned. They whispered amid each other for a few moments, and with a nod, they drew apart while Sihiri strode up to Chihiro.

"Then, I suppose that we'll tag along!" Sihiri remarked as she laid a hand on Chihiro's shoulder. "If a free magician is using their powers for evil, it's only natural that we step in and stop them, correct?"

Chihiro's eyes fluttered, and she rapidly shook her head as she turned up to Sihiri. "You, you mean it?"

Sihiri nodded, and Chihiro grinned as she leaped up and pumped a fist to the cloudy skies.

"ALRIGHT!" Chihiro cried at such a volume that the snow around shuddered. "WE'VE GOT ANCIENT PORTAL MASTERS ON OUR SIDE NOW!"

§

The sound of pounding hammers and creaking wrenches resounded like birdsong against the snowy skies as the Wilikin remedied the kinks and bumps in the robot. All was peaceful now, and everyone below seemed poised to enjoy it as they took in the falling snow cascading above them. Well, all save for one!

"You were so, so, so, cool!" Chihiro cried as she bounced between all the ancient portal masters at once, her eyes bright like stars. "They way you were all like" — Chihiro bounced around front and mimicked the motions of a fight as she spoke — "Blam! Pow! Wham! Zap! Bang! And he was like" — Chihiro dragged her hands across her face for emphasis — "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Well, that wasn't quite how it happened," Vatra remarked, then yipped as Luz elbowed him.

"Ah, don't be such a downer, Vats!" Luz remarked, a brow raised. "After all, we've still got it!" Luz chuckled as Vatra scoffed and rolled his eyes, bowed down to Chihiro and turned his grin to one of pride. "Happy to be of service."

Sihiri held a hand to her face and chuckled, and Chihiro grabbed her hands as she shoved her own face right into Sihiri's! A small gasp came from Sihiri, but Chihiro's grin stayed fixed as ever.

"Hey, hey, do you think you could teach me how to do all that?" Chihiro asked.

Chihiro grunted as Inochi pulled her off of Sihiri and placed her back on the snow, and tilted her head as Sihiri chuckled again.

"I'm sure you'll learn all these things in due time yourself, young one," Sihiri remarked.

"Yeah, you seem magically inclined enough," Dej added as he ruffled Chihiro's head, "I think."

"You really think so?" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down and tossed snow everywhere.

Dej and Sihiri both slowly, hesitantly nodded, and Chihiro squealed with utter delight! Her cheers soared across the skies as she bounded around and spun and flung snow everywhere she went. She giggled, and fell right into the fluffy, untouched parts of the snowbanks that started to form! Snow cascaded down over her, but she grinned as its pleasant chills cooled her warm heart.

"I still can't believe I'm getting to meet actual portal masters of old!" Chihiro heaved a pleased sigh as she kicked her legs in the snow. "It feels like a dream!"

Another chill brushed down Chihiro's spine, but it didn't come from her excitement or the icy cold of the snow that surrounded her. No, it came from the ghost as he phased right through her! The ghost floated up to the robot and clasped his hands, his head tilted down as his lips trembled. He drummed his fingers against his fist as he lifted his head up.

"If you don't mind me asking," the ghost said as he lifted his head, "are my body's repairs finished yet?" The ghost shuddered as a chilly breeze hit his body, and he phased out for a moment before he return to normal. "It's getting very cold out here."

One wilikin man frowned as he hammered another nail into the robot, turned back and waved down at everyone else!

"The repairs are done now, friend!" the wilikin shouted as he waved back down… Only to lose his footing and fall right into the snow! The wilikin grunted as everyone backed away from him, but he just popped his head out and shook it off. "Your body should be perfect now!"

The ghost floated up to the wilikin and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

His blank eyes turned up to the robot, and he zipped forward as he slammed right into its chest! The robot lurched over further and twitched for a few moments as its eyes grew blank, but soon, a soft, white glow filtered through as it leaned back up and stretched!

"Ah, just the way I remember it!" the ghost's voice echoed, its volume amplified by the robot's own speakers. The ghost stretched the robot's arms and legs further, and another chuckle came from him. "It feels good to be home!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're haunting the robot again, everything's back to normal," Ermit remarked as he walked up. "Now, by any chance, think you can take that robot and drive us all the way to this place called, er" — Ermit tapped his fingers against his beard — "Troll Home Security or whatever?"

The ghost paused his stretching, and his eyes' glow dulled as they fell on Ermit. "Oh, so that's why you came back after abandoning me in the coldest wasteland you could find?" the ghost remarked. "Just to ask me a favor?" The ghost turned around and huffed as he crossed his arms. "What makes you think I'm inclined to do something for you, when you left me to freeze? It was so lonely and cold, sitting here all the time, you know, and…"

Ermit groaned as he dragged his hands across his face. "Now I'm starting to remember why I left you here in the first place."

But while Ermit groaned, Chihiro padded up and clasped his hands.

"Actually, mister ghost, we do really need to go there!" Chihiro explained. "There's a really evil dude trying to take over Skylands, and we need something strong enough to get to this place and disable his fortress's security systems!" Chihiro bowed her head and shook her hands. "If we don't stop him, all Skylands could be in danger, so please lend us a hand!"

"All Skylands would be in danger?" The ghost repeated. He turned back to Chihiro, and as she nodded and affirmed this, his glowing eyes faded and he paused. "Alright, if the circumstances are that grave, I'll take you."

Chihiro cheered and leaped in the air, but the world below her shuddered and she dropped right back into the snow! She grunted and pushed herself up right as the robot's chest lowered and opened up. All around her everyone grinned as they prepared to board. Well, all except for Luz, who frowned as he stared into the distance.

"Luz, is something wrong?" Dej asked. "What are you looking at?"

"There's something flying in over there!" Luz cried back as he pointed to the distance.

Everyone turned back to the skies. Sure enough, there in the distance was something purple and sparkly! It gently floated in the distance, so small and unassuming that it could barely be made out amid the snow and clouds.

"Just what is it?" Dej asked.

"Maybe it's a bird?" Luz suggested as he turned back to Dej.

Vatra shook his head and pushed past them both. "No, it's a plane!"

"Maybe it's a flying flower?" Inochi suggested as she put a finger to her face.

Chihiro frowned as her eyes fell on the strange sparkly purple object, and she summoned a pair of magic binoculars. She hummed as she lifted the binoculars to her face and narrowed her eyes, but gasped and dropped them on the floor.

"No, it's a butterfly!" Chihiro cried as she sprinted across the ice and snow.

The sparkly purple butterfly came in right as Chihiro met its landing spot and held out her wrist. In turn, it perched on her arm and paused for a moment. Its own bright light absorbed it, and it leaped off of her wrist to form a screen! The screen shuddered with static for a few moment, but slowly, an image started to form between the noise.

"This thing on?" remarked a voice from the screen. It was one slightly fuzzy, but clear enough that hearing it made Chihiro light up!

"Spyro! That's Spyro's voice!" Chihiro cried as she turned around and waved. "Everyone, I'm getting a message from Spyro!"

"Spyro?" they all cried as they huddled around Chihiro.

Everyone got together right as the static cleared. Before them, the screen showed Spyro standing on the Dread-Yacht's deck—but not just him, either! The rest of their scattered party rested on the deck, and they seemed no worse for wear save for a few scratches and bumps! They were alive, they were alright!

"Hey, Chi!" Spyro proclaimed as he grinned and waved to the screen. "I'm guessing that my messenger butterfly must have finally found you!"

Chihiro grinned, waved right back in spite of it being a recorded message, and leaned back as Spyro turned around on-screen and held out a wing.

"As you can see, we're alright!" Spyro turned back to Chihiro and shrugged. "We had a heck of a time, but we managed to get away from those ghost pirates! Funny story, I'll tell you all about it when we get caught up" — Spyro shook his head — "but for now, I'll just say that we're gonna try and get back on our original path!"

A clunk sounded off and Spyro winced. "That is, if Flynn can figure out where he's going." Spyro shook his head. "Nonetheless, let's meet up soon, alright?"

The screen's light faded and it completely blipped out of existence. Even though the message faded, the cheer it left them all with didn't! After all, their friends were alive and alright, and they would reunite soon! Well, hopefully.

"Thank goodness he's alright," Chihiro sighed. "Hopefully, he'll get my message in time for us to meet up at that Troll Home Security place!" Chihiro turned back around. "Speaking of that, we'd better get going—time's a wastin'!"

They all dashed into the robot with renewed spirits, grinned and sat down as the door sealed behind them. The inside of the robot was surprisingly spacious despite its smaller appearance outside; it held blue and gold metal walls, and sleek, blue velvet floors with plenty of seats to spare. A control panel lined with buttons and levers and all sorts of fancy stuff made up the front, and bright lights dangled from the ceiling.

"Now, one question," Terrafin remarked as he leaned against the wall, "who's piloting this thing?"

"I'll take care of that," the ghost's voice remarked.

The ghost phased through the floor, floated towards the console and worked away! He tapped a few buttons, pulled a lever or two and spun some dials, and in response the robot shuddered and clunked before it flew off! The faint sounds of wind howling sounded outside, all muffled by the thick metal that walled them off, and everyone sighed as they took their seats.

"I've lived here for so long that I know this robot's controls inside and out. In fact, sometimes it feels like this robot was made for me," the ghost remarked as he floated into a seat and grinned. "Just leave all the piloting to me."

"Good thing, too!" Chihiro remarked as she took a seat beside him. She chuckled and ruffled her head as a slight blush crossed her face. "Last time I tried to pilot a giant Arkeyan robot, it didn't go so well…" Chihiro drifted off and frowned as she glazed over the ghost. "Say, what's your name, anyways?"

"My, my name?" the ghost repeated as he turned to Chihiro. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them as he turned away. "I, don't actually remember what my name is. It's been so long since I've talked to anyone, let alone been referred to by it."

"Then I'll give you one!"

Chihiro hummed and rubbed her chin as she examined the ghost. "You're a ghost living in a machine," Chihiro said, "so I'll call you the Machine Ghost!"

The Machine Ghost blinked, grinned and tilted his own head. "Sounds good to me!"

"Then Machine Ghost it is!"

And so, they both chuckled as the robot flew full speed ahead.