Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Terrafin had first entered the library, he had wanted to make use of the quiet and the couches, and take a nap. It was a much better place to catch a few winks than a crowded common room full of students noisily studying, and the hostel was full of students busy "studying". If he positioned himself in front of a book at just the right angle, he could even fool Hugo into thinking he was reading. The plan was foolproof.

Well, almost foolproof.

When he entered the place, the first faces he saw were those of Bash and Pop Fizz, and he kissed his peaceful afternoon goodbye. When those two, along with Hugo, were in a room together, especially in a room like a library, things were bound to get chaotic. Unfortunately for him, the library had been his best option for an afternoon nap.

He couldn't go anywhere else since everywhere he went, there were Skylanders and Skylanders-To-Be. School was back in session, and every spot on the island was crowded with students and teachers. He had even considered taking public transportation to a nearby island, but finally decided against it as he didn't want to go through the trouble. Since the library was the most quiet place in the Academy at that point of time, he figured that he would have to endure whatever problems may happen with Pop Fizz, Bash, and Hugo in the room.

Of course, enduring the three of them all at once did not make it easy to catch any winks. He barely slept at all with the two of them in the library.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Pop Fizz was busy making some sort of strange concoction. As expected, the process was noisy, with pops and bangs coming out of the flasks and beakers every so often. Too noisy for someone to sleep through, so most of his time was spent there, lounging on a sofa while watching the two go about.

It was obvious what Pop Fizz was doing. He was making some sort of potion for his arsenal. They way he went about it, with his excited movements and fidgets. The colorful flasks on bunsen burners making small clouds of smoke as they boiled away, with a different chemical reaction every time a new ingredient was dropped in. The colors changed, the liquid bubbled, and whizzes and pops were heard from them all, echoed by the large, quiet library. The smell that came out of the potions was a sweet, almost intoxicating perfume, the scent of orange and grape and strawberry with sugar mixed in for good measure. He was obviously in the zone and having fun, and Terrafin decided to leave him be.

Bash, on the other hand, seemed dazed and unfocused. He walked about in circles, head faced down at the floor. Even his tail, it now dragged across the floor. The scraping sound it made on the floor was mildly irritating, but that was not what made Terrafin concerned with Bash.

He had been friends with Bash for the longest time. Since the were cadets, up until today, and when Terrafin spent that much time with anyone, he could easily read their body language. Usually, hardly anything got him down, but whenever his tail being dragged, the brows furrowed in thought, and the overall demeanor, there was only one thing that could drive him to this state.

He was, once again, thinking about Flashwing.

'Hey Bash, you alright?' He asked. Bash looked up at the sound of his name, and for the first time since Terrafin walked in, stopped pacing around. He turned around, saw Terrafin, and ran up towards him.

'Terrafin! You're my last hope! I need a cool creative way to tell Flashwing that I want to go on a date with her, and nobody has given me any good ideas so far! Please, could you-' He was promptly interrupted by Terrafin, who gave him a light smack.

'Pull yourself together, man! If you really wanna tell Flashwing your feelings for her, the first step's to keep your cool!' Bash nodded curtly at his friend, and sat down beside him.

In all honesty, Terrafin had no idea how to tackle a problem like this, but ever since Flashwing came, his friend had been reduced to this state every time he thought of her. He wasn't opposed to him being in a relationship, but when someone was this lovesick and this smitten, he knew he had to step in. Even if he didn't care for this lovey-dovy stuff, Bash was his friend, and he needed to be there for him. 'Well, why don't you just tell her? Be yourself?' He asked.

Bash looked at him, eyes widened in alarm. 'Just like that?! I can't do it, Terrafin. I can't just be myself when myself sucks!' He sighed, and climbed up the sofa beside Terrafin. 'Besides, even if she does like me for me, what's to say that she'll want to be something more than friends?'

'Don't worry 'bout that now. Just tell her how you feel. I don't think you've done that yet.'

It was true. Despite his crush going on for as long as it has, he had never truly told Flashwing how he felt. Sure, he had attempted to do large gestures to reveal his love, but most of them had… ended badly, to say the least. He supposed that Terrafin had a point. 

But there was still a part of him that had its doubts. Flashwing has never noticed any of his gestures in love. But was all of that just simply not noticing, or was it just because she really didn't like him. If he couldn't find a huge gesture of love to impress her, someone like him may never have a shot.

'But, even if she does-'

'Look, I don't know jack about this romance stuff. If you want some good, why're you askin' me?' Went Terrafin, folding his arms. 

Bash sighed. He looked down at his heavy tail, which now swung a few millimeters above the stone floor. 'I don't know.' 

From across the room, Pop Fizz overheard everything. Earlier, Bash had asked him for some advice on how to woo Flashwing, but all his advice had been discredited. Alright, sure, it wasn't like he ever had a successful love life, but he was hoping that Bash would have appreciated the advice a little more than he did. Now that he had heard him converse with Terrafin on the same matter, he was more convinced than ever that all Bash needed was some confidence, and a push in the right direction. 

'Hey, Bash-' 

'For the last time, Pop Fizz, I can't sing, so I can't serenade her. Stop bringing it up.' Said Bash, a hint of annoyance in his voice. 

'Who said anything about serenades? I was just asking if maybe it was alright if you could come with me to the Soda Springs tomorrow? You know, take your mind off this type of thing for a while.' He said. From the alchemy set, another "pop" sound was made from the beakers. 

'Yeah, that might be what you need.' Said Terrafin. He folded his arms behind his head with nonchalance, and glanced over at Bash. 'I could tag along too, if you need it.' 

Pop Fizz mixed some soda into the potion over the bunsen burner. 'Yeah, that's fine. I'll be looking for new flavors, so if you're willing to tag along, then come.' He tipped in the final drops of the orange soda, and threw the empty tin behind him. 

'Well, it does sound pretty good.' Said Bash. A day out to find soda flavors sounded like a decent way to kill time, and there hadn't been any major fight that needed to be won for at least a year. It probably would be good for him to keep his mind off Flashwing for the time being. 

Although, a part of him still wanted to come up with something to impress her. Even if it's something minor. If only he could find a way to know about her more. If only he knew how t charm her. If only…

He sighed and stood up. 'I'm going for a walk.' He said, and started to shuffle outside.

'Bye.' Called our Terrafin, but he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice. He walked out the library, and into the Academy square. Instantly, a cold gust of wind hit him, but he soon grew accustomed to it, and started his walk.

Winter was coming to an end, but the weather on the island had not changed. Although the air had only gotten the slightest bit warmer, it was still too cold to be comfortable. The only thing the increase in temperature did was make the once powdery snow melt into cold sludge. During the late afternoon, the sun already begun to set, and the long shadows from the bare trees were stretched out, the branches giving off a monstrous vibe. It was an unpleasant time of year, to say the least.

But Bash barely noticed the cold, or the wetness, or the shadows. His thoughts on Flashwing overwhelmed him, and the harsh outer world didn't even make him shiver.

Worrying never solved anything. He knew that, but at times he couldn't help but stress over things. He had thought of the best way to confess those feelings ever since he first met her, but none have ever worked. The picnic plan was ruined by rain. She slept through the movie date because he could only afford the most boring movie. Worst of all, she ate the note he hid in her dessert during the dinner date attempt. The crush had only gotten worse and worse, since all that time spent with her only made him fall harder and harder for her.

During all that time spent with her, there was one thing that he learned about Flashwing that stood out. It was the fact that although she was confident and perky, she was also very guarded. Something about those traits combined just made his heart melt. It just made him wish he had more confidence.

'If you really want her, why don't you invite her to come with you to Soda Springs tomorrow?' Said a sharp, but quiet voice from behind him. The sound jolted him out of his thoughts, and he turned around.

No one was there. Bash looked around the landscape again, but he was alone.

'Must have been the wind.' He thought out loud, and he continued the walk down the path.

While he walked, his thoughts drifted to that line of advice. The more he thought about it, it sounded like rather good advice. He could spend the day with Flashwing, and have fun with her all day, until at the end of it all, he can confess his feelings! It was perfect!

As he walked along the pathway, he continued to think about the confession. Perhaps it could happen somewhere colorful and fun, like some sort of pond that looked over the sunset. He could bring food, it could be romantic, it was foolproof!

When he walked and planned for the romantic day out the next day, he tuned out. Once again blocking out the outer world and all the cold dark shadows, but this time with a warm fantasy.

It was a shame he didn't look at the shadows on the trees closer.

'That's your plan?' Asked Whirlwind, her head cocked to one side. She lay flopped on her bed, her patchwork quilt covering everything but her head.

'Is it bad?' Said Bash, his voice a little stressed. He sat by her desk, careful not to accidentally push anything off. Not that it would have mattered, it was full of clutter, similar to the entire room.

Whirlwind shook her head. 'No, no. It's just that.' She sighed. 'Why don't you ever take any of our advice and just be yourself? You know, just confess to her without any of the flash.'

Bash sighed. 'I know that you girls find it important to be personal and all that, but, well,' He hesitated, and looked at Whirlwind carefully. There was no hint of a sour mood, so he said it.'Sometimes "be yourself" just isn't the solution.'

Whirlwind's lips thinned when he said it. Thankfully, she had caught herself before she could scold him. She could have gone on and on about the value of individuality and freedom, but he had heard that message from almost everyone who had heard him say that before. She did it once too, and that ended with her getting scolded by Master Eon. So, she held her tongue.

'Well, if you think that's the case,' She pushes the quilt off herself, and walked towards the desk. From there, she took a bright red box dotted with little pink hearts of the top of a stack of books and files, and handed it to Bash.

'Just before you found me, this little girl scout came up to me and said that she was selling these sugar cookies. She told me that they were specifically to give to someone who you were in love with, and if I'm not in love, I should give it to someone who was.'

She lifted the lid, revealing four perfectly arranged sugar cookies. All were decorated intricately with crisp pink frosting and little silver edible pearls in the shapes of gems and hearts. But the smell was the best part, with a warm sweet smell still in the tin, it was hard to believe it was a tin of girl scout cookies. It looked almost custom made for Flashwing.

'Wow.'

Whirlwind smiled. 'Well, she did pester me non-stop until I bought a tin. But beside that, Flashwing has been a great friend to me, and so have you, and I want to see the both of you happy. I know that Flashwing would love this set of cookies, and I know you would love to give it to her.'

Bashed beamed at Whirlwind. 'Thanks so much for your help.' He took the box from her, and walked off. 'I'll be giving you updates on what happens tomorrow, alright?'

Whirlwind smiled back at Bash. "Good luck Bash. Good luck.

Chapter Text

As it turned out, Hugo wasn't much of an obstacle to overcome during the library visit. Although he constantly watched over Pop Fizz to make sure he was under control, he never had to interfere with his experiment. At the end of the day, he even told Pop Fizz that he was impressed with his behavior.

To top it all off, he had overheard the conversation about going to Soda Springs and had offered to pack some lunch for the two of them. Although since the two of them couldn't cook at all, it was mostly out of survival than kindness out of Hugo's heart. He didn't want them to burn down the kitchen, after all.

Now they stood at the edge of the island, next to a giant collection of beakers, with paper bags full of lunch in their hands. Bash had arranged for all of them to meet at that point, and Pop Fizz had wanted to leave before sunrise. He claimed that the sodas would taste better if they collected them before noon, and it would have been a long journey to get there anyway.

It was early in the morning, and Pop Fizz was busy tying a large green tarp to the Soda Skimmer. He rushed about, busy as a bee, ensuring all glass bottles were safely tied underneath it. On the other hand, Terrafin leaned against his Shark Tank lazily, folded his arms, and closed his eyes to rest. Although the sunrise was beautiful, he would rather be asleep in bed. He rarely got out of bed that early, and when he did, it was for things like working out on his punching bag, or "a mission of grave importance", as Master Eon likes to say. 'The things we do for friends.' He thought.

But before he could doze off, a shrill voice called out to him. 'Wake up!'

'What!?'

'He's coming!' Went Pop Fizz, and he pointed to a small figure in the distance.

'Well, it's about time!' Terrafin walked over to Bash, who had a small leather bag slung around his neck. They had agreed yesterday that he would ride with Terrafin while Pop Fizz drove his Soda Skimmer there, but what they didn't expect was the extra passenger they would have with them.

'Hi, guys!' Said Flashwing with a wave.

'Flashwing?! What are you doing here?'

She walked up to Terrafin, oblivious to his surprise. 'Bash said that you were all going to the Soda Springs to collect some new soda flavors, and he asked me to come along for extra help.' She peered over his shoulder, and the second she saw Pop Fizz behind him with a mountain of beakers, a wry smile crept onto her face.

'So, we're going to fit all of that with us? Or will it all be split up?'

'I don't know, ask Pop about this stuff.' Said Terrafin. He watched calmly as Flashwing walked towards Pop Fizz, then when she was out of earshot, he abruptly grabbed Bash's face and turned it to face him. 'Why'd you invite her, man?'

'Well, I thought that I could finally properly confess my love for her on this mission. You know, we'll spend the day together and by the end of it, we'll be a couple.' He answered bashfully. He studied Terrafin's expression, and shrank. 'Was it a bad idea?'

'Well, this trip was planned so that you'd keep your mind off of Flashwing!' Said Terrafin. He shook Bash lightly with every word, emphasizing his point. It would have been humiliating for Bash, but fortunately, Flashwing was busy talking with Pop Fizz about the trip. So she didn't see her secret admire shaken by his best friend. 'Thank goodness', he thought.

'This wasn't a good idea, man.' Said Terrafin, notably calmer than before. He let go of Bash and walked towards his Shark Tank. But before he took more than a couple steps, he gestured at Bash to follow him.

The two of them walked together in silence, faced towards the early morning sun. It just barely peeked over the horizon, yet its rays were bright enough to cast long shadows on everything. The rays illuminated Flashwing's crystals, and their radiant sheen made Bash's heart flutter a little. His love sickness showed clearly on his face, with a goofy grin spreading out over his lips, and Terrafin noticed instantly. 'I know you like her and all, but it's not good for you if she's the only thing on your mind.'

No response from Bash. Terrafin shook him on the shoulder again, which snapped him out of his trance-like state. 'Seriously man, you needed this trip away from her.'

'Why?' Asked Bash. 'It's not like it affects me that badly.' He shrugged off his friend's comment, and walked ahead of him, towards Flashwing and the Shark Tank. His tail swayed from side to side, with a tinge of nervousness, but Terrafin could tell that it was mostly excitement. He may be trembling, but his smile was excited as if he was certain that this would be the day that he finally gets to kickstart a relationship with Flashwing.

In a way, Terrafin felt his friend's excitement in his heart and was happy for him. That part wanted him to succeed, or at least finally tell Flashwing about his feelings. That part wanted to see a conclusion to this part wanted this to be over with, and he wanted his friend to be happy.

On the other hand, the way Bash smiled when he got closer to Flashwing. When he thought of a new plan to confess adoration. When he gave her another present or a sweet compliment, and she thanked him with a smile, even if she read the interaction as platonic. It all reminded him of whenever Bash believed his dream to someday fly was about to come true.

The journey to the Soda Springs was a mostly quiet one, with not much talking done. They had decided that Flashwing would sit with Pop Fizz in the Soda Skimmer, while Bash sat with Terrafin in the Shark Tank as planned.

Secretly, Bash wished that he had swapped with Flashwing when he had the chance. The ride there was tenser than Bash had anticipated. Largely due to it being so quiet. Most of the ride had been in total silence, and Bash had a feeling that he was partly to blame. He had expected the journey to the Soda Springs to be more fun than this, like a road trip. Instead, Terrafin was completely silent, with his eyes deep in thought and his knuckles white from holding onto the steering wheel tight. The tension in the air was so thick he could practically feel it. It reminded Bash of a rubber band being stretched to the point of almost snapping. One stupid move, and Terrafin would do the same.

He knew that Terrafin was stretching himself for a reason though. He was concerned about him, and he wanted to help him. Which was nice and all, but he didn't understand why. It wasn't like he was obsessed with her or anything. Flashwing was still his friend, and if she wanted to just be friends, he would be fine with it.

Wouldn't he?

He was sure he would. If he wasn't, his friends would have called him out about it. He trusted that they would. Besides, it wasn't like he was doing anything more severe than courting, so it shouldn't be that big a problem.

The silence in the ride carried on, with neither of them saying a word. The only sounds made were the occasional static-coated instructions Pop Fizz gave. Soon, though, he trusted that they could make the rest of the journey themselves without instructions, and it grew quiet.

Halfway through, Terrafin must have felt that it was too quiet, so he dug through his glove box, and pulled out a small cassette tape. Without reading the label, he popped it in, expecting one of his own mixtapes to play. Instead…

'Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooooh, baby…' Went the harmonizing sound of the singer's voice, a glittery synthesizer playing under it. Bash wondered if he heard correctly. Last he checked, Terrafin didn't own any cassettes with bubblegum pop in it.

'Oh, baby, darling, I want you here right by my side! Oh baby, honey, there is no need to hide! I need you now, baby, come kiss me by candlelight, and spend some sweet sweet time with me, if only for a night!'

The song was abruptly cut short by Terrafin, who ejected the cassette and pulled it out. Bash could see the shame and horror in his eyes. No manly boxer of his caliber would be caught dead listening to two-bit bubblegum pop, with a heavily autotuned singer and instruments processed to the point of unrecognition. Yet, he stood there, having experienced the most sugary twelve seconds of his life. His eye twitched.

'What was that?' Asked Bash.

'I-I have no idea.' Said Terrafin, after he regained his composure. He passed the cassette to Bash. 'What does the label say?'

Bash squinted at the teeny-tiny label on the cassette, trying to read the little cursive writing scribbled in pink ink. 'Erm, "fun love songs".'

Terrafin shook his head and rolled his eyes. 'Must be from when someone else borrowed the tank. Could you hand me something else to play?'

Bash nodded and reached into the glove box. Inside, hidden among the miscellaneous junk, were three cassettes. He pulled out one and turned it over to read the label. To his surprise, it was written in the same pink, cursive handwriting as the first cassette, along with being decorated in pink hearts drawn with glitter pens. He read it aloud, slightly confused. 'Uh, this one says "Hugs and Kisses XOXO".'

'Just take out one of my own.' Said Terrafin, his voice dripping with annoyance. 'I just want some good traveling music…' he muttered under his breath.

Bash pulled out the final two cassettes, hoping that at least one of them would be one of Terrafin's mixes. But that was not to be. When he pulled them out, he saw the same pink handwriting printed neatly on both sides, with the same tiny hearts drawn on the sides in glitter ink. 'Terrafin… I think you might need to see this…'

The rest of the journey was mostly spent in silence. The only sounds being the humming of a rift engine and the occasional tree branch hitting the tank. It was tense at first, but after a while, it grew to become rather boring. Bash found himself dozing off several times, his mind still swarmed with thoughts about Flashwing, Terrafin, and his grand plan for confession.

Fortunately, they arrived at the Soda Springs soon enough, and they both got out of the tank in relief. They only had one short conversation between them during the drive there.

The both stretched their legs, and Bash looked out towards the nearby river. He found a little dot in the distance - The Soda Skimmer - and watched as the dot grew larger and the watercraft came closer. He cleared his throat, and straightened himself up. He stood up straight, checked that his smile wasn't too wide nor too small, and splashed a little water on himself to wash of his sleepiness.

As he wiped off the water, he felt a thin leather strap on his neck. His bag! He nearly forgot about it. He grabbed the leather pouch carefully, found it a little heavier than the way it was last night, and for a split second, a wave of stress came over him. Did someone find out about his plans somehow? Pulled a prank on him? He wouldn't be surprised if someone did. But once the split second was over, and his mind cleared up again, he figured that if someone were to play a prank on him, it would either be a light-hearted one, in which case he had nothing to worry about. Or it would be a student, in which case he really hopes that they sort out the housing issues sometime soon, and find a way to house the students away from professional Skylanders. (Why would it take almost three years to do something like that?)

Luckily, when he opened the bag, the box of cookies was still there intact, next to his smashed peanut butter sandwich. In fact, the added weight of the bag was not due to a prank at all. Instead, tucked in neatly next to the box of cookies was a small bouquet of blue roses, wrapped in purple crepe paper and silver ribbons. Beside it was a small bottle of sparkling apple cider, with two little glasses placed neatly next to it. Finally, a small purple card was slotted neatly in with everything. He took it out, the faintest scent of rose hitting him, and opened it up to find small pink cursive written neatly inside it.

'Hope you enjoyed our first date! XOXO, Bash.' Read the card. Bash smiled. Whoever gave him this extra stuff must have heard about the date, and had done everything she could to get things right. He made a mental note to ask Whirlwind about it, and if she's the one who did it, to thank her.

The watercraft finally docked by the island, and Bash straightened his posture, a small, goofy smile on his face. He inched himself away from the entrance, and expected to be able to smoothly help Flashwing down the ship. Those expectations were dashed when she bolted out of the craft, with Pop Fizz behind her.

'Hey, Bash. Sorry we're a little late. The wind was acting up, and we got a little blown off course.' She smiled at him, causing his heart to flutter a little. 'Is Terrafin here?'

'Hmm? Oh, uh, yes, he's right there.' He pointed at the dirt shark, who carefully walked alongside the stream, avoiding the water gingerly.

'Great.' She walked towards him, and gestured at Bash to follow. 'Let's go and discuss the plan for today. Pop and I discussed some of it on the way, but we need you two to agree to it.'

'Yeah, sure.'

They both came up to Terrafin, with Pop Fizz in tow, and formed a small circle. Terrafin took a quick glance at the small ring of Skylanders and rubbed his hands. 'Right, so what's the plan?'

'Well, as you can see I only have so many glass bottles with me today.' Said Pop Fizz, gesturing at the large pile of glass bottles under the tarp. 'Since I'll be meeting with a dealer to get my usual supply, two of you will need to go out and get some of the rarer stuff. Since I need the muscles to carry the bottles, you'll need to join me, Terrafin.'

Terrafin stretched his muscles out. 'Alright then.'

'So that leaves you and Flashwing to gather the soda from the rare soda puddles. Once we're done, we'll see how much time we have left and meet up.' Said Pop Fizz. 'You remember how to find them, right?'

Flashwing nodded. 'It's usually some sort of pond that was formed from soda being dumped. They're all scattered around here, right?' Went Flashwing.

Pop Fizz nodded. 'Usually in little corners or at the bottom of cliffs. They make strange new flavors all the time, and their flavors are leagues better than the stuff they sell at Fizzland. Good luck finding them.' He smiled.

Now let's get moving.' He said, placing the bottle in Flashwing's hand. 'You two have a lot of areas to cover.'

Flashwing walked ahead of Bash, with a small bag of bottles strung on her neck. She carried the lighter load, by Bash's request, and behind her, Bash walked up to her with a wagon hitched to him. The majority of the bottles were on the wagon, but he hardly felt how heavy it was.

He had followed her around for about an hour, and still no sign of any magical soda puddles. Flashwing has been given more details on where to find such magic puddles, so she did most of the scout work. This did mean that the two of them weren't able to talk much at all though, which disappointed Bash. He had hoped that they would be able to spend the alone time together.

He sighed. Well, there was no point in feeling sorry for himself. If he wanted to talk to Flashwing, he better make the first move.

'So, these magic puddles…' He began.

'Mm-hmm. What about them?' Asked Flashwing.

'Does Pop usually try to look for these on his trips here?'

Flashwing nodded. 'He doesn't like the stuff they sell at Fizzland, and he says that these puddles get weird mixes of flavors that he loves. The people here tend to dump unused flavors into the Cola Stream, and they usually end up becoming backwash. So all he needs to do is gather it, carbonate it, and mix it in with his potions again.' She skipped ahead some more, her neck craned on the lookout for those strange puddles.

'They should be around here somewhere.' She said. 'They're kinda like, hidden areas. You know, places where the stream touches, but people don't usually see.' She walked a little forward, observing the ground carefully. 'We should be headed up to one right about now, actually.'

Bash perked up at that. 'That's… that's great!'

'Yeah, now follow me.' Said Flashwing. 'I think I know where it is.'

While they walked along the path, Bash began to smell the sugary sweet scent of soda. The strong carbonation in the air tickled his nose, and he could just hear the faintest fzzzz in the distance. 'Is that the stream?' He asked.

'Sounds like it. C'mon, Pop Fizz says there are little puddles that diverge from it. Let's collect those.' She walked ahead, with Bash waddling right behind her.

As they got closer and closer to the stream, the fizzing noise grew louder and louder. The sweet soda smell, once faint, grew more prominent as they moved forward. Soon, the sweet smell of sugar syrup filled the air, like a heavy cloud of carbonated drink. All that carbon, combined with the sun shining hard on them, made the air hot and muggy. Bash's nose tickled, and his eyes watered, but despite that, he could still see the beauty that was the Cola Stream up ahead.

There it stood, in sweet, glittering, glory. The pristine waterfall splashed soft drink down by the masses, allowing the drink to run fast and rapid. The soda splashed heavily against the nearby rocks, making crashing noises to go alongside the constant fizz in the air. But by far, the most distinctive thing about the place was its smell. The place was heavily carbon-filled, making it warm and sticky. The air was heavy, but it was also infused with the smell of candy and fruit, which gave it a playful vibe. It was like a perfume, but more watered down.

Bash turned to look at Flashwing, who also paused to take in the beauty of the place. Her little smile, from her lips to her eyes, warmed his heart. It was rare when Flashwing would take in outside beauty, and when she did, she had the most beautiful smile.

Sadly, that moment did not last long, as Flashwing started to move again. 'C'mon, Bash. Let's go.' She walked on, lights passing through her purple wings. Once again, Bash felt his heart beat faster.

She walked up toward the stream, where she carefully looked for a way to head over to the other side. She finally stopped at a particularly shallow and rocky area. There, she tested the stability of the nearest stone carefully, and taking a risk, she took the first step on it.

She repeated the process across the river, until she finally made it to the other side. Not a drop of soda got on her. She then turned to face Bash on the other side. 'You can just bring a couple bottles over. If we need more, we'll return for more.'

Bash nodded, parked the wagon cautiously, unhitched himself, and slipped two bottles into his leather pouch. 'Doesn't look like it could support me all that well.' He said nervously.

'Don't worry, it's more stable than it looks. Trust me.' Said Flashwing, a genuine glint in her eyes. The little glint in those big pearl-grey eyes was all it took to convince Bash, and he slowly placed his foot on the first stepping stone. It wobbled slightly, but he slowly gained his balance and took the next step forward.

The process repeated itself, with Bash taking baby steps to the other side, all while Flashwing cheered him on. Finally, he took the final step forward, and landed on solid ground. A few specks of soda had gotten on him, but he was still dry. He didn't fall into the river or embarrass himself. Best of all, he was now free to spend the rest of the day with Flashwing. In his head, a small voice cheered 'Yessss!'

'You did it, Bash!' Flashwing smiled. 'Now, let's get moving.' She gestured at him to move forward, and he obeyed.

The two walked alongside each other, barely exchanging a word. Bash peered over at Flashwing, tempted to begin some sort of conversation to fill the silence. He honestly couldn't believe it. Whenever they were separate, there was so much that he wanted to know about her, and all the conversations in his head flowed out as smooth as a river. Yet here he was, next to the most beautiful girl in Skylands, and at a complete loss for words.

Then, a conversation topic popped into his head. Without a second thought, he said it out loud to her in a desperate move. 'So, how do you feel about Pop Fizz doing this every other week?' He said, before immediately regretting it. 'Urgh, you should have said something more romantic and personal! This would have been the perfect time! And your voice cracked too! Urgh, you blew it again.'

But Flashwing didn't notice the voice cracking or Bash's mini heart-attack and answered his question. 'Personally, I think it's a little gross. You know, he just takes his chances with this stuff and looks for random puddles of new flavors. Like, who knows what could be in those puddles. It could be something alright, like strawberry, or it could be something like suction eel.' She grimaced at the thought of such a soda.

Bash nodded in agreement, unsure about what to add. 'Mmm-hmm…' Was all he said, while he scoured his brain for something else to say to Flashwing. 'Erm, your scales look great in this lighting.' He said, finally deciding on that. It wasn't like he was lying, the moisture in the air made her practically glow.

Flashwing batted her large eyes, a proud grin spreading on her lips. 'Aww, thanks Bash.' She chirped. 'I can always count on a friend like you to make me feel even more beautiful. Thank you.'

She then went on an elaborate spiel about her daily skincare routine, detailing her moisturization to her facial masks. Bash listened attentively to her talk, as he usually did. But inside, the one thing that stuck from all that she said was that word. That one word. Friend.

They found their way into a cave, and now searched through the cavern for separated ponds. According to Pop Fizz, that particular cave had the most amount of backwash, and soda spillages were common around here. He went here all the time, and according to his claims, no two pools of soda tasted exactly the same.

The problem was, they were having trouble finding any puddles. It was extremely dry, and any soda found was in shallow puddles. All of it was hardly enough to fill a bottle. But finally, they found one small pool of soda tucked away in the corner.

'There's one!' She called out, and the two of them ran towards the small brown pond in the corner. There they stood, the water was so stagnant it was practically a mirror. A small barrier of rock separated it from the rest of the stream, and as a result, formed the small separate pool of soda.

'This should do it.' Said Flashwing, as she filled a bottle with the soft drink. 'Now all we have to do is find some more.'

Bash nodded, unsure of what else to say. 'There should be more up ahead, right?'

'Should be.' Said Flashwing, as she bottled the soda up and slipped it into her pouch. 'Let's go.'

They headed off further into the cave, the empty glass bottles in their bags clinking together with every move they made. That glass echoed in the empty cave, where the dragons were the only other things filling it, besides the pools and puddles of soda.

Suddenly, a shrill series of beeps came from Flashwing's pouch. A faint rectangular blue light shone through the thin leather, and it made the pouch vibrate lightly. Flashwing reached into the bag, grabbed out her phone, and answered it. 'Hello?'

'Yeah, Terrafin? Oh, well we only got one, so… He wants us to come anyway? Alright then, see ya.'

She turned her phone off and turned to face Bash. 'That was Pop and Terrafin, right?'

'Yup.' She said. 'He's done with the dealer, and he wants us up now.'

Pop's usual dealer wasn't here today. He had expected for him to show up eventually, so her convinced Terrafin to wait a little longer. Then a little longer. Then another few minutes. Eventually, an hour had passed, and still no sign of any dealer.

'Does he usually show up this late?' grumbled Terrafin. The sun had risen, and it was beginning to get warm. Although Pop was his friend, he had better things to do than wait around for someone else.

'No, he's usually here earlier than this.' Said Pop Fizz. He scanned the area again, trying to see any sign of him. The square was mostly empty, and he had been hidden in plain sight before, but even after a thorough look-through with Terrafin, he was still nowhere to be found.

What they did see was a younger mabu woman. She showed up with a large wagon full of wooden crates. That wagon, being dragged by her, raised Pop Fizz's eyebrows, and he walked over to her. Terrafin, although a little confused, followed him.

'Excuse me, ma'am, but who are you?' Asked Pop Fizz. He eyed the little red wagon with suspicion. Every dent and sticker on that looked familiar, as it should. It was his dealer's wagon.

The many woman's red lips spread into a smile. 'I'm your dealer's sister.' She said, her earnest, brown eyes magnified by her cat-eye glasses. Her long silk skirt and long sleeved blouse made her look more suited to work in an office rather than at the Soda Springs. 'He's sick today.'

'Oh.' Said Pop Fizz. He reached into his leather pack, and pulled out a small wallet. Most of its leather had peeled off, and and the zipper hardly worked anymore, but it could still hold Pop's money, so he kept it around. Besides, he didn't have much money to hold anyways. It wasn't like he needed much when he became a Skylander.

Expecting to bargain, Pop pulled out two tiny turquoise pieces and pressed them on her palms. The girl looked down at them and smirked. 'You have any potions?'

Pop Fizz smiled back. 'Sure, you want some perfumed water today? Or maybe a bottle of liquid candy?'

She smiled back, humming softly as she made her decision. 'Hmmm… do you have any Essence of Autumn?'

Pop Fizz blinked. 'Uh, no, I don't think so.' Did such a potion exist?

'How about a Shrinking Juice?'

'There's a Shrinking Potion, and a Shrinking Elixir, but from what I know, there aren't any fruits that shrink you, so no.'

She looked at him, her cheeks puffed out glumly and her hand rubbing her chin. 'Are you sure you're an actual alchemist?'

'Two degrees and three awards.' Replied Pop Fizz. 'So, yeah.'

That didn't stop her. She continued thinking of the most outlandish potions that she could think of. 'One that can make a portal?'

He shook his head.

'One that could build a house?' Headshake. 'One that could give me swords as hands?' Headshake.

'Puke potion?' Headshake. 'Puke potion antidote?' Headshake. 'Love potion?' Headshake. 'Love potion antidote?' Headshake. 'Sad potion?' Headshake. 'Sad potion antidote?' Headshake. On and on and on. All the while, Terrafin slapped his palm onto his face, and shook his head.

Finally, it seemed as though she gave up. 'Well then, I'll take these here.' She said, pocketing the two turquoise bits. She started to walk off. 'You can take these and go now.' She said, gesturing at the wagon.

Pop Fizz raised his hands in surprise. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa.' Although Terrafin didn't have much context, based on Pop's reactions, he could tell that something was up. 'Lemme get this straight: You wanna just give me your brother's prized wagon, along with all this soda, all for two small pieces of turquoise?'

The mabu woman smiled bashfully and rocked slowly on her kitten heels. 'Umm… Yes?' She flashed two rows of pearly-white teeth. The salesman smile. In this case saleswoman, but it was the same basic principle.

Pop Fizz squinted at her, as if performing an examination, and rubbed his chin with introspection. Before he smiled. 'Sweet! I always wanted his wagon! Thanks for giving me the best deal I've ever had.' He then turned to face a stunned Terrafin. 'Could you call Bash and Flashwing now? We don't have much time to do any more soda hunting, so we'll just be having lunch here and leaving.'

Terrafin nodded, and reached for his phone. Pop then turned away from him to thank her, but she seemed to walk away under his nose.

Bash chewed on his peanut butter sandwich, his claw rested on the small box of cookies. He bit his lip and watched as Flashwing ate her chicken salad. She was the only person he knew who could eat salad with such beauty and grace. Normally, bread crumbs got everywhere and spinach got stuck in teeth, but not with Flashwing. Every bit of her vegetables go down her throat, and no breadcrumbs spray anywhere. It was wondrous to him, watching her eat.

He grabbed the box of cookies and held them close to his chest. He would have to do it eventually; he knew it in his heart. It had to work out now. He grabbed the little wooden box, placed it carefully beside the bouquet of roses, and walked over to Flashwing. To alert her to his presence, he cleared his throat. Flashwing heard, and with one final scoop, finished the last of her salad. She then looked up at Bash, cheeks stuffed full of her lunch.

Bash cleared his throat again, this time for luck. He dipped his hand into the bag, and pulled out the bouquet of roses first. 'For you.'

Flashwing's eyes lit up the moment she saw them. 'Aw, Bash, for me?' She smiled.

He nodded. 'Yeah, for you.'

'Aw, thank you.' She happily received the roses and took a good, long, sniff. 'Mmm.. they smell heavenly.'

'Yeah. Roses smell great.' Said Bash. He instantly regretted doing so, and in an attempt to save some face, she reached into the bag, and pulled out the wooden box. 'I have another gift for you.'

'Ooh!' She received the box from him gracefully, and opened it. Upon which, her already bright eyes grew even brighter. 'Aw, Bash! You shouldn't have.'

'Well, Whirlwind has some hanging around. It was no big.'

She immediately took the first cookie out of the box, and stuffed it in her mouth. 'How did you know that sugar was my favorite flavor?'

Bash rubbed the back of his head, 'Well, again, Whirlwind.'

She beamed at him. 'I have the best friends.' She then took another big bite out of her cookie, and reached into the box for another one. 'You want one?'

Bash politely declined. 'No thanks. They're your favorite, have them all.'

Flashwing smiled. 'Thanks, Bash. Thank you so much for today.' Bash felt his heart swell up with pride, but the next line deflated it. 'You're the best friend any girl could ever want.'

Chapter Text

Bash was awake. At least, he felt awake. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could feel the sun pour through his window. The warm glow of the outside world sheltered him like a blanket as he tried to sleep of the events of yesterday.

He failed again. He had failed many times in the past, but this particular time it made him feel... numb. He was the closest to ever achieving his goal, the closest he had ever gotten to finally going steady with Flashwing, and he blew it! He didn't even have any time to make up for that, because when he got back, he had a scheduled patrol, and Flashwing got called to clear chompie pods. To say that he was disappointed would be an understatement.

All he wanted to do at that point was curl up in bed, and sleep it off. He could get up a little later, if there were any emergencies, an alarm would be sounded, and he'd help out then. But now all he wanted to do was to sleep in. The only one in the room being himself, under the blankets, the warmth of the sun only added to the heat. He was completely alone, the only things he saw were his closed eyelids, and the only sound he heard was his alarm clock next to his glass of water and someone else's breath.

His train of thought halted. That couldn't be right. Who else could be in the room with him?

He opened his eyes to see his door swung wide open, and his first thought was that it was due to one of the students. 'They really need to settle the housing arrangements.' He thought. (How hard was it to just have a separate building for students?)

But as he crawled out of bed, he caught a glimpse of someone seated pretty in his armchair. Her gem-encrusted body glowed radiantly under the morning sun, and that same sunlight provided her with a little sunny spark in her eyes. Her posture was relaxed, but not sloppy, and a small, graceful smile was spread out on her face. As if she had been waiting for him to wake up. 'Good morning.'

When Bash saw her, he pinched himself, and he did it again. He did it again and again, until Flashwing finally noticed his pinches, and giggled. 'Don't worry, silly. You're not dreaming. I'm really here.'

Bash blinked. 'H-how did you get in?'

'You didn't lock your door last night.' She answered. Bash felt the creep of embarrassment crawl upon himself, and a small lump formed on his throat. Flashwing must have felt that embarrassment, for she hopped off the armchair, and sauntered over to the bed. There, she sat beside him, and gently caressed his face. Bash felt himself grow warmer as she did that, his tail swishing slowly from side to side. He couldn't believe that that was happening. 'Don't worry dear. You were adorable when you slept.'

'W-what brings you here Flashwing?' He asked, still stunned at her presence.

'Well, Bash...' She began, her voice a soft purr. 'I was thinking about yesterday all night. All those little gifts you gave me, and well, I realize that you're actually super cute.' She batted her eyes at him and smiled at him in a way that gave Bash a mixed feeling of discomfort and enticement. 'Like, more than super cute. I think you're really cute.'

'I've been so, so blind.' She continued. 'So, well…' She pulled herself closer to him, leaned in, and whispered ever so softly, yet so sensually. 'Would you like to go out with me today?'

Bash's pounding heart almost stopped dead right there. He couldn't believe it, he really couldn't. Did the girl of his dreams, the amazing, beautiful Flashwing, just ask him out? The girl of his dreams, the one who had spent years being completely oblivious to his affections, the girl whom he would do anything for.

He turned to face her, a wide grin on his face, and whispered back a soft 'Yes!'. Then he fell back onto the bed, his eyes sealed shut and his mouth curved into a large, goofy grin. Flashwing looked at him, a soft look on her features. She found him absolutely adorable.

But she really did want the date now. That desire in her burned hard, so in a quick motion, she took a small cup of water from off his bedside and dumped the cold water on him. That did the trick, and Bash was jolted awake from his fainting spell.

'Good morning again.' She purred. 'Now, are you ready for the date?'

Bash blinked, before nodding vigorously at her. 'Yes, definitely, absolutely yes. But can you give me some time to freshen up first?'

After a quick shower, and an extra spray of cologne for good measure, Bash was all ready for that little date. Flashwing patiently waited outside the bathroom for him, and with a smile, escorted him under her wing down the stairs. Bash accepted, although he was a little reluctant. After all, shouldn't he help her down the stairs? He didn't care enough to address it though. He was simply too stupefied that he was somehow able to win her over at long last.

As he walked down the stairs slowly with her, he took another good look at the fine specimen of a dragon she was. Her pearly-white scales, the radiant gems that grew out of her wings and head, even her grey eyes. Although now that Bash took a closer glance at them, he realized that they weren't fully grey, as he previously thought they were. There was a thin outline of blue surrounding the iris. Strange, he thought that he had gazed at her enough to learn all about her, but it didn't matter what her eyes looked like. She was still beautiful.

The blue around her eye gave her this strange allure. Like an electric spark in her eyes. They gave her eyes a spirited look, like she had magic bubbling inside her. Bash was certain that she did.

As they made their way down the last of the steps and turned to the mess hall, Bash couldn't help but watch the reactions of those around him. Most were too invested in their own little worlds to care, but a few close friends did notice.

Whirlwind saw them in the hall, and she practically squeaked with excited joy when she saw them together. Terrafin noticed them too, and although a little stunned at first, nodded and waved at the couple as they passed him. Bash waved back, but Flashwing continued to push themselves forward. Even a few students stared and whispered at the couple, although Flashwing would always give warning looks at those who whispered, and gently pulled Bash in closer to her whenever they did.

Bash didn't really mind much, as her wings were surprisingly comfortable for something so gem-encrusted. Another reason to be envious of winged dragons.

'Come on Bash,' Pushed Flashwing. 'I'm getting pretty hungry, and we've got a lot to talk about, don't we?' She sauntered forward, Bash still tightly placed under her wing.

Finally, the made it to the mostly empty mess hall. They had missed the rush earlier, and the only person left in there was Pop Fizz. He didn't even eat anything, instead opting to have more soda for breakfast. When he saw the two enter the room, however, he immediately placed the flask down and greeted them. 'Morning guys!'

'Good morning Pop Fizz.' Smiled Bash. Flashwing merely pushed him forward, before she pulled out a chair for Bash. 'Thanks.'

'So I can see that yesterday went well.' Said Pop Fizz while he swirled the contents of his beaker. 'Congratulations.'

'Thanks.' Cheered Bash. He felt Flashwing tap on his shoulder and turned to face her. 'What would you like for breakfast?' She asked sweetly.

'Oh, it's no big deal Flashwing. I can get it myself.'

'I insist, Bash.' She smiled. Bash sighed. How could he say no to that face? 'Alright, you can just get me some raw meat. Thanks.'

With a nod of her head, Flashwing walked off, leaving Bash alone with Pop Fizz at the table. They looked at each other in silence for a while, expecting the other to say something. 'So, how was the soda we collected?' Said Bash.

Pop Fizz shrugged. 'It was alright. Nothing special though. It was mostly the normal backwash stuff you find in the river, but there was some strawberry and orange stuff mixed in too. Funnily enough, there might have been some blueberry and mango soda in there too. That was the interesting stuff.'

Bash blinked. 'You got all that from one little vial?'

'Well, duh. You don't drink thousands and thousands of different sodas and become a master of alchemy without being able to tell different ingredients apart.' He shrugged and poured in the contents of his flask into his mouth.

'Alright…' Said Bash. He saw Flashwing come closer towards him with two large plates. One was full of small fruits, but the other, the one that was clearly his, was filled with piles and piles of raw meat. It came in all varieties. Sausage, hams, chicken, duck, even veal. Bash's eyes almost popped at how much was on his plate. He didn't think that he would be able to finish all that.

'Well, enjoy!' Said Flashwing, as she pulled a chair out and slid in. Bash tried to mirror her smile, but it came out awkward and unsure. 'Thanks, Flashwing.'

'No problem, dear.' She said, and popped a grape into her mouth. She didn't seem to notice Bash's discomfort at the mountain of food on his plate, but Bash didn't say anything. All he did was pick up a sausage, and started working his way through the small mountain of food.

Or at least he tried. Halfway through, he started to slow down. Flashwing had already long finished her fruit platter, and now waited for him to finish. If one were there, one could practically see the hearts form in her eyes. Pop Fizz also looked over at Bash. He had also finished all his soda and wondered why he hadn't asked for help with completing his meal. He felt the awkward silence strongly, so he began to strike up a conversation with him.

'So, yesterday Terrafin said that I was nuts for letting you go on the mission with Flashwing.' He began. 'I told him that since you managed to get Flashwing to come, you were confident enough, and the trip wouldn't need to build that. Now all you needed was a push in the right direction. I guess I was right.' He chuckled. 'Guess now he owes me five dollars.'

Bash chuckled along with the inside joke, but Flashwing merely gave him a small, nervous, laugh. 'That was a nice story Pop Fizz, but if you'll excuse me, Bash and I have other things to do.'

Before Pop could retort, she grabbed Bash by the arm and dragged him away. 'C'mon Bash.' She gushed. 'We have a date today, don't we?' Bash, with his mouth stuffed full of sausage and ham, couldn't reply and allowed himself to be dragged off by Flashwing. Before they walked out of the dining hall, he turned slowly to give Pop Fizz one last apologetic look. Then he got ushered off by Flashwing, away to their first official date. It left Pop Fizz alone in the kitchen, with a plate half-filled with meat for him to clean up.

'So, what plans do you have for this date?' Asked Bash, slightly shaken at the force Flashwing had dragged him out. Goodness, she was excited.

She batted her eyes at him. 'Mmm, well… I was kinda hoping that you would decide. I'll be willing to do anything with you.' She grinned sweetly at him.

Bash's eyes widened. 'You're- you're serious?'

She nodded. 'Of course! Now Bash, what do you want to do today?'

Bash felt his head spin with the possibilities. There was so much he planned for him and Flashwing to experience together. So many date ideas and possibilities, what did he want to do that day…

Then it hit him. 'Well, if it's alright by you, I would just like to spend the day with you. You know, just you and me, alone together, going with the flow.' He smiled, but where he expected Flashwing to respond, he got blank silence. His heart almost stopped right there and then. Was that the wrong thing to say? Was he supposed to name something more romantic? Urgh, he blew it again. He hung his head and pawed at the ground. 'Well, we don't have to, if you don't-'

He couldn't finish his little lament. He never did, all thanks to Flashwing. She had tackled him to the ground, her eyes glittering like gemstones. Much to Bash's surprise, her lips had also curved into a wide grin. One of the widest grins he had ever seen. 'I love it.' She whispered. 'Now, let's have ourselves an adventure.'

Their day out went great. They had started in the entrance of the Academy, where Bash started to run. Classes had started, so there was absolutely no one out there to stop them. Flashwing chased after him, her wings spread out wide. Through the great wintery fields they ran, through the pounds and pounds of wet snow. They didn't mind how cold it was, nor how wet they were getting. All that mattered was each other, and they were both having fun!

They both fell back into the soft, wet snow, and started to make snow angels. Bash with his arms and Flashwing with her wings. When they were done, they got up giggling and stood there to compare. 'Wow, yours is way better, Flashwing.'

'Oh stop it.' She nudged him gently. 'Yours is way more special than mine! Don't beat yourself up.'

Bash rubbed the back of his head, an embarrassed grin on his face. 'Well, thanks Flashwing. But don't put yourself down either.' A part of him found the behavior a little off for Flashwing. Usually, she loved compliments. 'Yours has this pretty angel shape. I like it.'

It was true. Although Bash's was made with his limbs, Flashwing made her's with her set of wings, and with their unique shape, created a gorgeous snow angel.

Flashwing smiled at Bash. 'Thanks…' she said meekly. They looked at each other for a moment, watching as their breath condensed vapor. 'So…' Began Flashwing after a while. 'What do you want to do now?'

Bash rubbed his chin. 'Hmm, well, I'm not exactly sure…'

He looked around the island. In his mind, he started to plan a route to the next destination. Maybe they could go to one of the nearby islands and have some fun there. Yeah, that would be great. They could do something there that was fun. Although truth be told, he didn't really care what he did. All that mattered was that he spent time with Flashwing. Although there was the matter of how they would get there. He started to narrow down his options, but alas, the best option was far from ideal date material. He sighed. Hopefully, she could stand a few hiccups along the way.

'Flashwing,' He began, slightly embarrassed. 'How do you feel about taking public transport?'

Thankfully, she didn't mind taking the public balloons. Their balloonist was a friendly old woman who treated the two of them royally. Throughout the ride, she was always giving them little teasing looks and smiled at their tender moments.

'Well, I hope that you two lovebirds have a great day out.' She smiled, a sparkle in her brown eyes. With a wink, the tiny woman dropped them off on the nearby island and rode off away in her pink balloon. Bash and Flashwing took a moment to watch the hot-air balloon fly away and then turned towards the red mountain together.

'I've never climbed this mountain before.' Said Bash. 'I guess I was always too busy training during my free time to do anything like this.'

'Really?' Flashwing wrapped Bash with her wing again. 'That's alright, Bash. It's my first time climbing this mountain too.'

That fact made Bash feel a little better. If they were experiencing this together, it could make it a little more romantic. With that, they proceeded towards the mountain together, Flashwing's wing still around Bash.

'Watch out for that ledge over there Bash. It doesn't look very stable.'

Bash heeded her warning, and carefully chose another ledge to climb up on. 'Thanks, Flashwing.'

She grinned back. 'You're welcome, Bash. I think we should almost be there.'

They had spent several hours on that mountain when Bash felt a rumble in his stomach. 'Flashwing,' He began. 'Do you think we could stop for a lunch now?'

She turned and dragged herself onto a wide ledge. 'Of course. Did you pack any?'

Bash dragged himself up onto the ledge with her. He was about to answer when a realization struck him. 'Erm, no.' He hung his head.

'Oh.' She said. They were already halfway up the mountain, and although Bash would be willing to do anything for Flashwing, he didn't know if he would have the time to call for public transportation, make a lunch for the two of them, and find their way back to the mountain. Regret hit him in the stomach like a soft punch. Fortunately, while he was busy feeling sorry, Flashwing had been exploring the little area they stood on and had found a little shrub tucked away in a dry, rocky area.

'I guess we could always eat these.' Said Flashwing, while she plucked a handful. 'These berries should be safe to eat. I think I had some before. They're super sweet and juicy, and I think you'll love them.'

Soon, the two of them were lying on their undersides, stuffing those red berried into each other's mouths.

'It's amazing that it was over there right when we need it, isn't it?' Said Bash, his mouth full of delicious red fruit.

Flashwing swallowed her food, then rubbed off some jam off her mouth. 'Well, they say that when romances work, stuff like that happens. Like the universe just wants the couple to be together.'

Bash swallowed his berries down with a large gulp. 'Mmm, interesting.'

'It is. I think I learned it in a class when I was a cadet. I think it was "Advance Destiny Theory".' She sighed. 'I like those days, when I was a cadet. But I think I'm way happier with you now, Bash.'

Bash popped a berry into her mouth, a soft look in his eyes. 'Same here Flashwing, same here.'

The two relaxed by each other's sides for a short while, taking in the world that spread out around them. In the summer, it was a dry, red desert, but in the winter, a thin layer of snow covered the rocky terrain. It looked like powdered sugar on top of the miles and miles of red sand and rock. It was a real sight to behold.

Then, they both got up, rubbed out the jam around their mouth, and started their hike up the mountain again.

They reached the top of the mountain around evening, just in time to see the sunset. The sky was a pale blue, with the setting sun glowing in yellow. The light colored the surrounding clouds in warm orange. They both felt tired, partially due to climbing up a mountain all day, and partially out of being cold-blooded. Despite that, the two of they lay beside each other and watched the pretty picture that had been set before them.

'It's gorgeous, isn't it?' Sighed Bash, as he turned to Flashwing.

'Mm-hmm…' Flashwing leaned in closer to Bash. 'So, Bash, how did you find today?'

Bash idly stared off into the sunset, trying to find the right word for that day. He wanted something that could describe "great", but he didn't want it to describe it as too "great". He wanted to save that when it actually was that great. Bash went through a list of descriptive words in his head, scouting for the right one. Until he finally found it. 'Today, well, today was exceptional.'

Flashwing smiled at Bash and leaned in even closer. 'Really? I feel exactly how you do, Bash.'

They stood there silent for a while until Flashwing noticed something next to them. 'Look Bash!' He did. 'Huh, that's nice.'

Sure enough, next to them was a small series of red pebbles, arranged in a series of 'x's and 'o's. The symbols of hugs and kisses.

'You wrote those in your notes, didn't you?' Recalled Flashwing. Bash smiled back at her and nodded. 'Those should be our symbol Bash. We can write them on all our gifts to each other.'

'That's not a bad idea.' Agreed Bash. Once again, they stared out at the sunset in silence. They had said everything they wanted to say. Until Flashwing started talking again.

'We should see each other tomorrow.' Said Flashwing. 'You know, do something else. Life's been kinda dull lately. Today was honestly the best day I've had in a long while. Let's do it again tomorrow.'

Bash wrapped his arm around Flashwing. He agreed with her, in that life was rather dull at the moment. But most of all, he wanted to spend more time with her. For that, he would do anything. 'Sure,' He answered. 'Let's do it.'

When Bash got back to his room, he immediately started to plan out all the activities he wanted them to do the next day. It took most of the night, but by the pale moonlight, he sketched out a rough pathway on an aging map.

He imagined the activities in his head, constantly cutting and changing the path to maximize their enjoyment the next day. He went through so many pencils that by the end of the night, the wastepaper basket beside his desk was half filled with short pencil stubs and half filled with papers and pencil shavings. Even though he was tired, he barely slept a wink last night. All he wanted to do was to plan another perfect date out. One that could top their day out today. That was all he had on his mind that night, and its importance exceeded everything else. Even sleep.

He knew deep down in his heart that this was more than a little self-destructive, but it didn't matter to him. He had just spent the entire day with Flashwing, and he wanted some more. The day out was everything that he had imagined it to be. In fact, it exceeded expectation. He wanted the next one to be way better.

He never believed that simple gestures would do for someone like Flashwing. He needed big and grand to please her. Gestures of love that went beyond simple words. Sincere simplicity may work for others, but he truly believed that Flashwing would appreciate the grander things more.

As the first rays of sunlight entered his room, Bash placed his pencil down and gave his plan for the day one last look. He had spent all night toiling on it, from how they would start, to how they would end. Every beat had been meticulously planned, and after the final look-through, he rolled the plan up and went to get ready for the day.

Unfortunately, due to his sleep deprivation, he failed to notice a shadow that fell briefly, before that shadow noticed the sun, and ran off.

They had started their day on another nearby island. A small one, where most overlook due to its difficult forest terrain. Nevertheless, Bash decided that it would be the perfect way to start off their day. He had packed a picnic breakfast for the two of them to enjoy, and he brought a thick blanket for them to sit on. He had thought of everything.

They sat by the riverbank, on the thick chequered blanket. Even with it, they could still feel the lumpy pebbles underneath it, but the blanket made it marginally more comfortable to sit there. The river itself was coated with a thin layer of ice. Too thin to skate on, but still a pretty sight to see.

Bash sat by Flashwing, eating his sausage quietly. 'So.' He began. Flashwing looked up from her food to face him. 'What caused to realize that I was the one anyways?' Halfway through his planning session, the question popped into his head. He had never thought about it before that point; he had been too excited at the prospect of spending time with her. But now the question did make him curious.

He waited for Flashwing to answer, no doubt due to her trying to select her words carefully. 'Well, I'm not really sure. When I started developing feelings for you, it kinda came over me. You know, just one of those feelings that grow on you.' She shrugged. 'It felt something like that.'

Bash nodded. 'Mmm, I see.' To be fair, he often felt the same way around her.

The rest of their breakfast was spent making small talk and looking at nature. Once they finished, they cleaned it all up, and walked off to the next location. Bash had planned a day out through that forest island. He had been to this particular island before, as part of a recent training mission. Thankfully, his memory of the place had not been too different, and all the prettiest places were still there. Including a little patch of flowers.

In late winter, the flowers were less varied in color, but that never made them any less beautiful. The small patch of snowdrops stood strong in the snowy field. Their leaves and stems all gave a refreshing splash of green in the forest, where the predominant colors had been white and dark brown. The white petals of the flowers looked soft to the touch, like they were made of delicate silk. It was all a very pretty sight.

'So,' Bash began. 'What do you this of all these?'

Flashwing looked out into the field, her eyes sparkling. 'They're…' She paused again to choose the right word. 'They're gorgeous, Bash.'

Bash felt his heart soar at that comment. Flashwing almost never used that word to describe anything. Except maybe herself. He personally couldn't blame her. If he were that gorgeous, he wouldn't use that word for any random thing either. To use that word would mean that something was especially beautiful. 'Really?'

'Well, they may not be as beautiful as me (Bash thought that should be expected), but you showed it to me. That makes it way more special.'

Bash felt his heart warm up. 'Thanks, Flashwing. Thanks.'

The rest of the day was spent with Flashwing being given a tour of the forest island by Bash. He showed her all of the prettiest places. From a grove of mushrooms that grew on a giant log, to a huge empty cave full of stalagmites. All of them Flashwing loved. 'It's just like a fairytale, Bash.' She sighed as she danced through the woods. Bash trailed behind her, a wide grin on his face.

At one of their locations - a small cave with an opaque, greenish-blue pool in the center - there had been a series of small polished pebbles streamed across the place. The stones all formed a little arrangement of 'X's and 'O's. All of them arranged in pretty little arrangements, like little stone bouquets.

'Oh, wow Bash!' She smiled, a hand on her mouth. 'It's amazing! When did you find the time to fix this all up.'

Bash merely smiled at her, but internally, he wondered who really did that. It certainly wasn't him, but Flashwing was happy, so he never brought it up.

They spent the afternoon at that little spot, where they first stopped for a quick lunch of sandwiches and orange juice. Once they were done, they cleaned it all up and spent the remaining time wading through the pond and looking for pretty stones and pebbles. After some time, they grew tired of it and laid down beside each other to rest. While they took that rest, Flashwing sorted the pebbles out into an assortment of patterns to entertain the both of them. The most common one being the 'X and O'. 'You're so creative.' Praised Bash. Flashwing cuddled him under her wing in response.

They concluded the day with a sled down a hill. The slushy nature of the snow made it perfect to do so. All of them she loved. Yet another successful date was pulled off today. He walked Flashwing over to the edge of the island, where they would wait for their hot-air-balloon.

For a while, they stood there patiently while they waited for the balloon. Flashwing leaned against Bash, a satisfied look on her face. She smiled and curled up beside him. 'So, Bash, do you think we can do it again tomorrow?'

Bash grew quiet and thought about his situation for the first time in two days. He had spent two whole days busy with Flashwing, by right he should be going back to Skylander duties tomorrow. If he wanted to spend some time with her, it was going to have to be after any duties. He didn't remember any scheduled patrols for him, at least not for another week, but he should be there for emergencies. He had already used up a lot of free time to spend time with Flashwing, and he should really get back to being constantly prepared.

'Well, I dunno Flashwing. These two days have been fun and all, but I think that we need to focus on our Skylander duties now. We did spend these last two days not working.'

Immediately, Flashwing's wings drooped, and her eyes grew downcast. 'Aww, really?'

Bash felt his heart drop at her looking like that. He didn't want to hurt her. In an effort to make her feel better, he tried to add to the statement. 'Erm, well, what I mean is that I need time to plan these dates. I need to put in effort and such, and since I had already used up most of it planning today, I need more time to think about it.'

'Well, why didn't you say so?' Said Flashwing. Her features lit up when she heard that. 'I could plan tomorrow's outing!'

'A-are you sure?' Asked Bash. He had been hoping to tactfully tell Flashwing that tomorrow should be spent on their responsibilities. But he thought of that doleful look that Flashwing gave him earlier and kept his silence.

'Of course. You've done so much already, I should return the favor.' She smiled that charming smile of hers again, sending butterflies to Bash's stomach.

He bit his lip. 'Well, alright…'

'Great! I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll-' She was cut short by the arrival of a hot air balloon. The balloonist there wore messy, baggy, mismatched clothes, and her headscarves were worn haphazardly. Almost as if she just threw the outfit together at the last minute. Her bright smile would have made up for the sloppiness in her attire if it had not been lathered with sloppy red lipstick.

'Well, look at who we have here!' She cheered, her voice almost a little too high pitched. 'A young couple! Are y'all looking to go somewhere romantic?'

Before Flashwing could say a thing, Bash replied with a shake of his head. 'We're just going back home. We've had a full day out today.'

The Mabu woman's lips thinned, and she nodded. 'Ah, alright. Get in my balloon kids.'

The next day, Bash was awoken with Flashwing leaning over him. 'Good morning Bash!' She smiled, her wings flapping about in excitement.

To allow him out of bed, she hopped off. Once she did, she gave him a long rambling rundown of all the events she had planned for the day. 'Alright, Bashie - can I call you Bashie?'

He nodded.

'Great! So Bashie, I have a ton of plans today for the two of us. So, first off we're gonna have some breakfast first. I made some pancakes for the two of us - you like blueberries, right? Anyways, after breakfast, we'll go over to one of the little nearby islands again. I don't really go there, so I don't know many good places, but I have been to that forest one with Zoo Lou before. The wolves there are doing a lot better now…'

She rattled on and on, all while Bash listened patiently. He was half-awake, but for Flashwing he tried to listen to her talk. It wasn't easy though, because she just kept doing it. Her talk carried on as he walked out of his room, into the hallways, and just as he was about to enter the bathroom. She almost followed him in, but he just stopped her in time.

When he got out, she stopped her talking, and she led him under her wing towards the dining hall. With a skip in her step, she pushed him forward, and quite forcefully too. Bash had walked under Flashwing's wing before, and although the gemstones were hard and sharp, he enjoyed being under them. That was mainly due to the owner of those wings, but also because he felt that they were genuinely comfortable.

The wings felt a little harder and sharper this time though. Her crystals hit him harder than she had ever done so before, due to all the pushes she gave. Bash knew that she was probably just excited, and with a deep breath, patiently let her carry on.

They finally arrived at the kitchen, where a table was filled with pancakes. All around were short stacks on large round plates, the only thing that did not fit the description was the syrup and jam. Bash's eyes nearly popped at the sheer amount of food on the table. How did Flashwing find all the time to make these?

'Do you like it?' She asked, eyes all sparkly and bright. Her voice was a little higher than usual, as if she knew what his answer would be.

Bash thinned his lips, stretched them out into a smile, and nodded, unsure of what else to say. Flashwing clapped her hands in response and dragged him towards a chair which she pulled out for him.

Once he sat down, Flashwing had already started to pour maple syrup onto a nearby stack of blueberry pancakes. With her grin broad and sunny, and her eyes magnetic and heavy. Bash grinned back at her, then faced his pancakes with uncertainty.

The stack was completely engulfed in a blanket of syrup. The pancakes themselves were thick cakes, and although there were only four on the plate, the stack looked taller than something Bash could finish. Nevertheless, he caught sight of Flashwing's eager grin and grabbed a fork.

He stabbed it into the plump pile of pancakes and pulled out a sticky piece as if it were an actual cake. Slowly, he pulled it out and popped the whole chuck whole in his mouth. The sweetness of those pancakes swarmed his mouth. He never took that much sweetness, but the warmth of the pancakes more than made up for it.

'Mmm… It's delicious, Flashwing. Thanks.' He personally would have preferred his meal to have a lot less syrup. At least the compliment made Flashwing's smile grow a little wider. He loved that smile, to the point where he was willing to suffer through overly sweet pancakes.

And suffer through them he did. He did a good work on them, devouring them bit by bit until he was done. When he finished, the only trace of food left on his thick ceramic plate was a drizzle of maple syrup and a few crumbs. He leaned back in his chair satisfied and stuffed, while Flashwing picked up his plate and rubbed a napkin around his lips.

'You must have been starving Bash. Thank goodness I cooked so many pancakes, who knows what would have happened if I didn't!'

Bash couldn't help but feel like she was being slightly over-dramatic. 'Erm, I guess the worst thing would be me being hungry for a while until I get my own breakfast?'

Flashwing shivered at the thought. 'Not on my watch. You shouldn't have to worry about stuff like that Bashie.' She took his plate and walked off towards the sink before Bash could tell her he could take it there himself.

Flashwing walked him out of the Academy again, where they both found a balloon already stationed by the side. In it, there sat a small mabu woman. She wore a thick pair of aviator goggles, a matching cap, and a thick fur coat. Upon their arrival, Flashwing alerted her of their arrival, and she looked up from her book with a sweet smile. 'Going anywhere special today?' She asked.

'We sure are!' Chimed Flashwing. She ushered Bash into the hot-air-balloon, then hopped in herself. 'To that island please!' She pointed to a small forested area in the distance.

The balloonist placed a hand over her eyes and squinted at the island. After she got a good look at the place, she turned to Flashwing with a thumbs-up. 'Sure thing, missy. Just hold on, and we'll be there faster than two shakes of a lamb's tail.' The balloonist's brown eyes sparkled as she got her balloon started. Flashwing herself held on to Bash tightly as they took off, her own eyes sparkled with joy and manic love.

Bash, on the other hand, could hardly breathe. His eyes showed it.

They arrived on the tiny forest island in no time, and when they arrived, Flashwing immediately grabbed Bash's arm and dragged him away from the balloon. Bash tossed the fee at the mabu woman, who caught it and waved at them cheerfully. 'Have fun you two!'

Bash nodded, but when the woman was out of sight, Flashwing turned towards him gleefully. 'Okay, Bashie, what do you want to do first?'

Bash tapped his chin, uncertain about how to go about the day. He wondered what he could do in a forest type area. He had never been there before. All he knew was that there was some sort of wolf problem a while back. Flashwing did mention that the problem was resolved. He was sure it had been some time ago though. At least a year. Who knows what the state of the woods was like now.

'I guess we could just take a walk?' Suggested Bash. Flashwing nodded in agreement, and with one wing around him, walked him forward down a long, winding dirt path.

'So, Flashwing, do you have a plan for this date?'

'Well, of course!' She smiled, and pulled him forward. 'Just be patient. We'll be arriving there soon.'

Bash nodded tentatively at her. Flashwing nodded, and beamed at him. 'Now, you're gonna have to trust me, and follow me forward now, you hear?'

Bash nodded again and followed her. Even as she walked off the dirt path and into the woods.

They had walked for hours through the snow. Bash felt his feet grow numb and cold, and his patience had worn out. Where exactly was Flashwing taking him? It felt like hours had passed during their walk. Based on the placement of the sun, it had been hours.

'Flashwing, where are you taking us anyways?'

'Just wait, you'll love it. We're almost there.' Her wings flapped gently to keep her above the snow.

Bash dragged himself through the cold, wet grass behind her. He looked down at the shadows of the trees around him, all of them short from the risen sun above them. It was already noon, and yet there was no sign of being anywhere close to their destination. Flashwing still hovered straight ahead without so much as a look to see where she was going, and all Bash could see were trees, trees, and more bare trees. Did Flashwing really know where she was going, or was she just making it up as she went along?

It wasn't long before he got an answer. 'Well Bash, we're here!'

Bash looked up from his dragging feet and found a large obsidian platform right in front of him. The black volcanic glass shimmered brightly in the afternoon sun, and although a small lava lake was right next to it, it looked cold to the touch.

'Wow, Flashwing, was this what you wanted to show me?' Asked Bash. He walked over to the platform and saw his reflection in it. He felt it gently, and not only was it cool to the touch, but it was also smooth and polished.

'Yup. I talked to some of the fire Skylanders about this thing, and I asked Freeze Blade to come over and help to smoothen it out. I owe him big time now,' She tossed him a roll of socks. 'But for now, let's just enjoy this moment together. Put these on.'

Bash did, careful to not tear the thin fabric of the socks. To his surprise, they didn't. 'Do you like these? I asked a favor from Short Cut.'

'Was he alright with it?' Asked Bash. He pulled on the last sock and realized that he had gotten them all on without tearing one. Either he had gotten more careful, or those socks were truly made with excellent craftsmanship.

'Oh, he was fine with it. He owed me a favor for offering some gems to him anyways.' She answered and pulled him onto the platform with a chuckle.

They steadied themselves onto the platform, with Bash surprised at how smooth it was. It felt just like a frozen lake at the beginning of winter, except it wasn't as cold. That would always be his main problem with frozen ponds and ice-skating rinks, that they were too cold. But the obsidian platform felt different. Although it was cool, it didn't feel freezing. Bash didn't feel uncomfortable at all standing on it, yet in all other regards, it felt very much like an ice-skating rink.

'So, Bashie, have you skated much before?' Asked Flashwing, as she slowly let go of Bash and stood on her own.

Bash was about to respond, but when she let him go, he slipped hard onto the platform. Flashwing pulled him up and steadied him. 'I'll take that as a "not much".'

'Yeah.' Said Bash, slightly embarrassed.

Flashwing nodded with understanding and spread a wing out. 'Grab onto this then.' She said.

Bash slowly wrapped his claw around her wing, and the moment he did, Flashwing slides off with him. It caught Bash off guard, but before he could slip, the strong wing he held onto kept him on his feet. He looked up a Flashwing, who seemed unfazed. 'You're not hurt, are you?'

'No Bash, don't worry about me. Now, let me try to teach you a little more about skating.' With one swift move, she hung her opposing wing onto his shoulder and pushed herself backwards.

'First thing you have to do is learn how to fall properly, according to Freeze Blade.' She said. 'So, because we're both quadrupeds, we fall like this.' She allowed herself to slip on the platform to showcase a pratfall. Sliding carefully, she spread her legs out and landed gently on her underside.

'Keep your head up when you do, and since your head's a little bigger than mine, you're gonna have to be a little more careful.'

'Erm, alright.' Bash stopped his struggle on the ice, and allowed himself to slip downwards. Unfortunately, the slip soon turned into a slam onto the obsidian platform.

Bash got up with his chin sore and his knees knocked. 'It looks a lot easier when you do it.'

'Well, Freeze Blade did say that it takes practice. Besides, you don't have to worry about falling Bashie.' She said, while she placed a wing onto his shoulder and gripped his arm. 'I'll be here to catch you if you slip.'

She glided on the obsidian with grace and pulled Bash along with her. As she danced on the platform, Bash felt like a clumsy oaf beside her. How balletic and lovely she looked, wings shimmering under the afternoon sun and her big grey eyes just as bright. Meanwhile, he slid around beside her, a lump of rock beside a glistening gem.

He studied Flashwing. It was easy from where he was. She barely seemed tired from dragging him around at all. Instead, she had a beguiling look spread all across her features. Her mouth curved into a pleasant, but not obvious, grin. Her snout was not pointed downwards or upwards, but aimed right at him. A sure sign that she saw him as an equal. And her eyes, her dazzling grey eyes, they enchanted him again. The soft but steady gaze she gave him captured him, and he found himself studying them once more.

That sparkling grey coated with a line of blue. He stared harder at the line of blue. It had been something he hadn't noticed until very recently, and he was still surprised at it. He had thought that her eyes were pure grey. But there was something magnetic about the blue. Something that pushed him. Something that made him feel more comfortable. Something that made him feel confident. It made him feel braver. It made him feel bolder. It made him feel steadier. Sturdier. Stronger. Swift.

'Wow, Bash, you're not a bad skater for an amateur.' Praised Flashwing. Bash broke away from gazing into Flashwing's eyes and found himself sliding effortlessly across the obsidian. Flashwing did most of the maneuvers, but Bash held his own quite well. He glided along with her in rhythm, and with every slide and twist, he fell in sync with her. They practically danced on the obsidian platform, the two lovers alone with each other. They were locked in a smooth waltz, and though Bash didn't know how, he somehow managed to keep in step with everything Flashwing did. He didn't miss a beat, he was light on his feet, it was as if magic had taken over him.

'Bash?' Whispered Flashwing, as she laid her head on his shoulder.

'Yeah?'

'How did you learn to dance so well?'

Bash tried to come up with a charming, witty answer. He wanted to, it was what he learned he should do when it came to winning over a love interest. But his mind drew blank. He couldn't think of anything, all he had on his mind were his feelings and the truth. No witty remarks or clever comments.

'Well,' Began Bash. 'I'm not actually sure. It's like you cast a sort of spell on me. Like suddenly I can just feel like I can dance with you. It's strange…' He blushed at the words he practically blurted out.

'Oh,' Replied Flashwing. She nestled her head on his shoulder. 'Whatever it is, you were great, Bashie.' She leaned in, and pecked him gently on his cheek. The moment her lips touched him, Bash felt himself grow warm. Every part of him felt lighter, as if he could fly. He felt his head swim and his thoughts swirled around him like a cloud of delirium. He never thought that he would ever be in this situation, Flashwing and him alone together in the woods. It was strange, and it made him dizzy and warm. He wanted to lean in closer and just-

'There you guys are!' Went a voice, and Bash was snapped out of his euphoria.

He turned around to see Hugo and Freeze Blade. Both looked at the couple with their arms folded. Hugo even had his brows furrowed and his teeth gritted.

'We were looking all over for you two. I had to wait until Freeze Blade came back from a mission before we had any idea as to where you guys might have been.' Snapped Hugo. 'We tried calling both of you, but neither of you even bothered to bring your phones!'

Bash hopped off the obsidian platform and went to meet his friend. 'Look, Hugo, I didn't mean to scare you or anything, but-'

'But nothing! You guys know that you have to be contactable at all times, or else who knows what might happen. Why, if it weren't for the SWAP Force pitching in at the last minute, the Mabu Market might have become a war zone!'

Bash gulped. He could see the anger in Hugo's eyes. Real pure anger. When you saw anger like that, you knew it was serious business. 'W-what happened anyways?'

Hugo wanted to respond, but Freeze Blade placed a hand over his mouth before he turned to the couple. 'It was just a small fight. Nothing that the SWAP force couldn't handle.'

'Small fight?!' Hugo pulled Freeze Blade's arm away. 'A cyclops gang showed up! People could have died!'

'But no one did Hugo. We acted as fast as we could, and no one got hurt too badly.' He then turned to the couple. 'Next time, please bring your phones along. Or at least tell us where you'd be.'

Bash and Flashwing nodded. 'If there's anything we can do to make it up, we can do it.'

Hugo, although still angry, had calmed down slightly and stopped yelling. 'There's nothing you can do now, just next time please let us be able to contact you guys. There may not be any major threats, but you guys always have to be vigilant, you know.'

'We know, and I understand why you want us to be on guard. Sorry, Hugo.' Apologised Bash. 'We'll remember to be more responsible next time.'

Flashwing nodded in response, but she immediately returned to gazing dreamily at Bash afterwards.

'So, what happened during the mission?' Asked Bash. He ate up the last of the chicken he had for dinner.

'Eh, it was nothing we couldn't handle. Just another fight.' Said Terrafin as he rubbed his wrists. He had already finished his dinner, and his empty plate lay in front of him, having yet to be cleared and cleaned. 'Where were you anyways?'

'Away in the woods with Flashwing. We were having the best time there, then Hugo and Freeze Blade showed up and told us about the cyclopes.' He sighed. 'After that, I told Flashwing that we couldn't go on a date tomorrow.' He hung his head.

Terrafin raised an eyebrow at Bash. 'For a guy who just had three full dates of dates, you sound pretty upset.'

'Yeah, but when I told that to Flashwing, she only gave me this moody look. For the whole balloon ride home, we didn't really talk much either. She was just kinda quiet through the whole ride.'

Terrafin folded his arms behind his head and sank into his seat. 'Mmm, yeah. Girls can be like that.' He sighed.

'Do you know what to do now?' Asked Bash.

Terrafin shrugged. 'Usually, when girls get mad at me, I just leave them alone for a while. They usually return fine afterwards. Just give Flashwing a little time to brood, and she'll be alright.'

Bash blinked. 'Flashwing doesn't sound like the type to brood.'

Terrafin shrugged back at him. 'That's from my experience.'

'So basically I should just let Flashwing be for a while? Then come and talk to her again?'

The two of them picked up their plates and walked towards the sinks. 'Yeah, pretty much.' Said Terrafin, as he picked his teeth with his sharp fingernail. 'Good chicken today.' He commented. Bash nodded in agreement.

The next day, Flashwing ran into the seat next to Bash at breakfast. She came in, her claw clutching her bowl full of cereal and her cup full of orange juice. The second she sat down, she placed the cereal down and neglected it to make goo-goo eyes at Bash for all of breakfast. 'Can't you come with me today? We could pair up on a mission together. I'm going to be helping a village of elves repair their village today, and it'll be so boring without you!'

Bash sighed. He had agreed to eat breakfast with Flashwing yesterday, and make it the last time they meet up that day, but now here she was trying to convince him otherwise. 'Sorry Flashwing, but I'm already assigned a mission today.' The moment he said it, he saw Flashwing's wings droop and her eyes grow upset, and an uncomfortable feeling filled his stomach. 'But I could talk to Master Eon, and maybe-'

'No, no, it alright Bash. I'll make it through today.' Sighed Flashwing. 'We'll be able to make it through today. We'll be together soon. You'll come back soon, and I'll come back soon, and we'll be able to spend some time together at the end of the day.' She smiled with plastered teeth at Bash, and slowly walked away from him. 'We'll be together at the end of the day. I'll make it through.'

At the end of the day, Bash walked back to the Academy joking alongside Terrafin and Pop Fizz. The entire day had been spent with each other on patrol in the Faylair Jungle, and they came back with more than a few new in-jokes and good memories.

'It was still pretty boring, to be honest.' Said Terrafin. He crossed his arms behind his head and walked lazily alongside his friends.

'Eh, it wasn't all bad.' Went Bash. 'There was a lot of waiting for any fights to begin, but we got some eventually.'

'Yeah. Eventually. That's what made it boring.'

'To you. Only to you.' Snickered Bash. Pop Fizz chuckled alongside him, and even Terrafin managed to smile at the remark.

The laughter soon died down, and the three were soon left in serene silence. It was only when they headed up towards the Academy entrance did Bash start up the conversation again. 'I think I should probably talk to Flashwing again. I talked to her earlier, but I didn't really say much. I think I should check on her again.'

'How was she like earlier?' Asked Terrafin.

'Well, she was a little frazzled, but nothing terrible.'

'Let her be.' Shrugged Terrafin. 'She'll get over it if you do.'

Bash kicked at the ground, brows foreword in thought. 'I guess, but are you sure that's what Flashwing would want?'

'I think so.' Agreed Pop Fizz from the side. He rubbed some soda off his lips, and chucked the empty bottle behind him. 'I mean, that's how most girls I know act when they're upset.'

Bash rubbed his head. 'Well, I guess.'

They walked in silence until Bash arrived at his room. There, he turned towards Terrafin and Pop Fizz with a large grin. 'Well, see you guys.'

'Seeya Bash.'

'Bye.'

And with that, they both left Bash, who retreated back into his room. With a contented sigh, he shuffled over to his bed and fell onto the soft covers. He rolled under them, yawned, and started to drift off. Today had been a busy day, and tomorrow would be the same, but before then, he wanted some well-deserved sleep.

But the minute his head hit the pillow, he felt something small and flat on it. The harder texture snapped his out of his tired state, and he rolled over to take a better look at the object.

Lying on his pillow, now flattened by his head, was a slip of paper. He picked it up and examined it. Through the wrinkles, he could make out some writing, but it was too dark to read. He flipped on his lamp and read out the small, cursive written neatly in hot pink ink.

'Dear Bash,' It read. 'I miss you already. I hope that we can go on a mission together tomorrow. XOXO, Flashwing.'

Chapter Text

When Bash has woken up the next day, he had forgotten about the note entirely. He had jumped out of bed without noticing the wrinkled piece of paper on his nightstand, and he had taken off without another thought.

Once he entered the mess hall, he took a bowl of his breakfast and searched for the first empty spot available, which was right next to Camo. He rushed over to the empty spot. 'Morning.' He said 'Is this seat taken?'

When Camo shook his head, Bash crawled into the seat with his bowl of raw meat and ate it up. The two are in silence for a while, before Bash struck up a conversation. 'Do you have any missions today?' He asked in between bites.

'Oh, yeah. I'm assigned to go and clear out the chompy pods in the Falling Forest. I'm gonna need to go ask some guys for assistance though. You have any missions today?' Said Camo, his mouth still full of fruit salad.

'Not yet. I'm okay with helping you clear out chompy pods though.' He said. Camo smiled at Bash.

'Awesome!' He said, finishing the last of his fruit. 'You'll go clear it with Master Eon right? Cause right now I need to use the bathroom.'

'Sure thing.' Said Bash with a nod.

'Great.' Said Camo. He swallowed up his salad, grabbed his empty plate, and went to clean it. 'Meet you outside the Academy afterwards, alright?'

'Okay.' Agreed Bash. Camo nodded back at him and walked away.

Bash quickly finished up his meat and cleared away his bowl. It was time again for another mission, and he needed to notify Master Eon of any plans he had. It felt good doing this again. The dates with Flashwing were fun and all, but after those dates, it felt good to be back on the job.

But as he left the mess hall, he didn't notice Flashwing looking across the room. Her big grey eyes pierced at him longingly, as if she wanted to call out to him but couldn't. When he walked out without so much as an acknowledgment, a flash of jealousy filled those eyes.

Pop Fizz sat beside Flashwing that day, and as he ate his own breakfast, he caught the whiff of a strange series of smells. In the air, there were the faintest of smells, but his experienced alchemist nose caught the scent of alcohol, strawberries, roses, and chocolate. It smelled as if it were oozing from something, diffusing into the air slowly from someone's skin. He sniffed the air for a while until he identified the source of the fragrance.

He looked over at Flashwing, who was still watching Bash leave the mess hall. With a tap on her shoulder, he drew her attention away from Bash, and she turned around sharply to face him. 'Yes?' She said, voice sharp as a knife.

'Morning Flashwing,' Replied Pop Fizz, oblivious to her tone. 'You wearing new perfume today? Smells good.'

Flashwing raised a brow. 'What are you talking about? I'm not wearing any perfume today.'

'Oh.' Pop Fizz fiddled with his thumbs. 'Well, you smell pretty good today.' He smiled.

Flashwing gave him an unamused look. 'Sure, thanks.' She grabbed her plate, still filled with half-eaten waffles, and walked away from Pop Fizz. With a hasty flick of her tail, she pushed in her chair and sashayed off to clear her plate.

Pop Fizz scratched his head in confusion. Was it something he said? If it was, he didn't know for sure what it was.

Once he notified Master Eon, Bash walked outside to meet Camo, who had also convinced Zap and Torch to come along. Together, they flew in a hot-air-balloon, towards their destination. On the way there, they all struck up a small, friendly conversation.

'So, it's true. You and Flashwing are a couple now.' Said Torch. She sat crossed legged on the basket floor and placed her flamethrower carefully between her legs.

'Yup.' Bash nodded. He, like the other dragons in the basket, lay sprawled on the floor.

'Huh,' Said Torch. 'Never thought it would end up like this.'

'What?' Asked Bash.

'I mean I thought she would be the one who ends up admitting her feelings to you. I thought you were the one who was constantly pining for her affections.' She raised an eyebrow. To Bash, it looked like she had several unanswered questions within her.

'Yeah, well, she said something about reading my note, and that's how we're together now.' Answered Bash. 'Strange how it all works out, huh?'

'Well, it's about time you two got together.' Said Camo. 'After all that time we've spent prepping you to talk to Flashwing, and it finally paid off.'

'I never thought it would end up like this…' Said Torch, as she tapped on her flamethrower. 'But heck, I'm happy for the two of you. If you're both happy, then that's great.'

They worked at the chompy pods for hours, but for a menial task, those hours spent together weren't half-bad. They made the most of their time by engaging in a time-honored Skylander tradition: Friendly (if reckless) competition.

'Watch your head, Bash!' Yelled Zap, as he shot a stream of white lightning at the pod behind Bash. The lightning hit the pod with a satisfying szzzap, and after mere seconds it crumbled into dust.

'Hoo, that was great Zap.' Bash smiles competitively at Zap. 'But now it's my turn.' He cocked his head towards Camo and called out towards his. 'Hey, Camo!'

Camo turned towards him, surrounded by a patch of explosive watermelons. 'Yeah?'

'Toss me a melon!' His eyes twinkled with anticipation. He rose his spiky tail and waved it like a baseball bat.

Camo smirked when he realized what he wanted to do. 'Okay, one melon coming right up!'

He flipped a watermelon into the air and tossed it at Bash. When Bash caught it, he threw it into the air, jumped, caught it, and rolled with it tucked underneath himself. He tumbled through chompy pod after chompy pod, tearing at the thick green flesh, until he jumped and threw the melon. Using his tail, he launched it straight at the nearest chompy pod, where a chompy had just popped out. The melon hit the chompy square in the face, which triggered an explosion which destroyed both the chompy and the top half of the pod. 'Boom!' Went the melon, as sticky watermelon flesh splattered around the surrounding pods, gunking up the entrance for new chompies. Behind Bash was also a long trail of damaged chompy pods, all scratched and torn by his rough hide.

Claps were heard from behind them, and Torch walked up to the three. 'Not bad boys. Not bad.' She grinned. Then she pulled her flamethrower out and her congratulatory smile turned into a mischievous smirk. 'Now try this on for size! Clear out!'

They did and ran behind Torch. With the area now clear of Skylanders, Torch got her flamethrower ready, and yelled out 'Fire it up!' Before she unleashed a large barrage of red-hot flames onto the remaining chompy pods. The flames roasted them all to the core, and all three dragons watched in awe at the fire-power of the weapon.

Once she was done, the field once full of bulging, slimy chompy pods was now full of their ashes. As if on cue, a gust of wind blew and scattered those ashes into the wind. Torch turned towards the others, a smirk of satisfaction on her face.

'Well, I guess we're done for the day.' Smiled Camo.

'Good thing too.' Said Torch, looking at the sky, which was full of dark grey clouds. 'It's getting chilly, and I don't want to be caught in any rain or snow or…' she shuddered. 'Sleet.'

The four of them left the burned chompy pods behind and returned to the path. But even with the threat of rain, it didn't stop Zap from feeding his curiosity. 'So, Torch, how did you do that?'

'Eh, I didn't really do much to it. I let Sprocket fiddle around with it, and she found a way to use gasoline to enhance the attacks.'

'Huh,' Zap nodded his head and smiled back. 'I wonder if I could do something like that.' He smirked.

Torch shrugged. 'I'm not gonna stop you, just don't get yourself killed.'

When they reached Flynn's balloon, they didn't stop the banter. They carried on with their laughter and banter until they arrived back at the Academy. There, Bash waved goodbye to them and headed back to his room again. He stretched; that was a tiring mission, even if it had been short. He planned to take a short nap before going to Buzz. His exhaustion was a sign he needed to train more.

But when he got to his bed, he found yet another pink slip of paper on his bed. This time, it was folded into a large heart shape, and it was scented heavily with rose.

Bash picked up the note and opened it up. Through the wrinkled paper, he made out another message written in small pink cursive. 'Dearest Bashie,' It began. Bash read on.

'Dearest Bashie, we need to talk. Meet me in the dining hall at dinner. It's a date. XOXO, Flashwing.'

Bash turned to glance at his alarm clock. One more hour until dinner. He placed the note on his bedside table, next to the note he received last night. The nap was going to have to wait, he had a date to prepare for.

Bash walked into the dining hall all washed up and ready. He had arrived early, and as such the room was fairly empty. He had been glad to avoid the dinner rush, and even happier when he saw Flashwing up ahead.

She sat alone at a small table, her head resting daintily on one claw. The other claw drummed the table in a way both inpatient and graceful. The look on her face reflected the same mood. Bash walked over to her and called out to get her attention. 'Hey, Flashwing!'

Flashwing looked up, and her expression immediately brightened when she saw Bash. She waved him over and pulled out a chair for him to sit on. 'Hi, Bash!'

Bash slipped into the chair next to Flashwing and was greeted with a peck on the cheek. 'I've missed you so much, Bashie! Why didn't you come over this morning?'

Bash rubbed his head embarrassed. 'Well, I actually kinda forgot about the note. Sorry…' he said bashfully.

Flashwing's lips thinned and she nodded in understanding. 'Mmm… I see.' She then turned towards the queue for food, which was beginning to grow rather long. 'So, you want me to get some food for you?'

'Oh, yeah that'll be great.' Bash nodded. Flashwing smiled at Bash, then sauntered over to the queue.

She returned with, much to Bash's surprise, one giant bowl of raw meat, along with two small plates and one giant spoon. She placed it gently right in between them, then slipped into her seat excited. 'So what happened today Bash? Tell me more about it!'

Bash eyed the giant bowl of meat, confused. 'Is this bowl for you or me?'

'It's for both of us actually. I thought we could share a meal this evening.' She smiled at him.

Bash raised his left brow. 'Erm, okay. I didn't think you meant it literally though.'

'Well, I did. Isn't it romantic?' Flashwing's voice bubbled with elation, and Bash couldn't help but agree with her.

'Well, dig in!' She said. Flashwing passed Bash a small plate and began to pile meat onto his plate. Once she filled his plate, she then placed the remaining strips on meat on hers and began eating.

Bash looked at the pile of meat on his plate and turned towards Flashwing with a polite smile. 'Heh, uh, thanks Flashwing. But I could have taken it myself.'

'Nah, it's alright Bash. I'm alright with doing this type of stuff for you. You don't have worry about anything once I'm with you.' She then steepled her hands and rested her head on the arc made. 'So tell me what happened today.'

Bash did so. As he told his story, Flashwing absorbed every word he said like a sponge. Her large grey eyes attentive and her head nodding like a bobble-head. 'Oh, I see Bash. You sounded like you had so much fun today.' She sighed sadly. 'I wish I could have gone with you though. My mission just felt so stressful today. Hardly anything went right, it was just really difficult.'

Bash felt a tug at his heartstrings. 'Oh, I didn't mean to do that Flashwing. I'm sorry.' He stared at his plate of meat and took a short moment to think. Was there something he could do to make up for it? He hated to see his girlfriend so upset.

Bash chewed up his meat and swallowed. He wanted to apologize again, but he didn't want to come off as too desperate. He looked over at Flashwing, who sat in silence chewing her food, and his heart sank. He knew Flashwing forgave relatively easily, but she never forgets easily, and he didn't want to mess things up. But before he apologized, a thought struck him. He lit up instantly; he knew how to cheer her up. 'Say, Flashwing, how about we go on a mission tomorrow?' He smiled sweetly at her.

Flashwing looked up from her meal, her expression unsure, but curious. 'Really? You really mean it Bashie?'

'Of course, I mean it. Cross my heart!' He crossed his heart to show what he meant.

Flashwing noted his effort, and she smiled back at him. 'Well, if you really mean it, meet me here tomorrow morning and let's go on a mission. Is that alright?'

'That sounds great.' Nodded Bash. He then turned his attention towards his meal, before he looked up at Flashwing, his mouth stuffed full of raw meat. 'So, what did you do today?' He asked.

'Oh, it was super boring Bashie. I was sent to stop a couple of Witch Pitchers from wrecking Boom Town with Ember and Fiesta, but without you, the whole thing was such a drag.' She leaned on his shoulder alluringly. 'I'm glad all that is over. Now I can spend time with you.'

The next morning, Bash got out of bed early to prepare. He washed up quickly and then headed over to the dining hall again. Once he arrived, he found Flashwing sat at the exact same place she sat the previous night. She had already gotten two bowls of breakfast for the two of them and waved at Bash cheerfully from the table.

'Bashie dear! Come over!' She called, and Bash did. He walked over quickly, then slipped into his chair again, and pulled a bowl of breakfast towards him.

'Morning Flashwing!' He cheered and dipped his head to eat his breakfast. Flashwing smiled brightly.

'Good morning to you too, Bash!' She cheered. She too took her bowl of meat, but unlike Bash did not start eating. 'So,' she began, smiling sweetly. 'Here we are. You ready for this mission now?' She asked.

Bash nodded and swallowed his bacon. 'Oh, yeah. Definitely. Do you have a mission that needs to be done?'

Flashwing nodded. 'Yeah. We need to deliver a potion to this small town on the edge of the woods. According to the report, the people there had been turned to sloths, and we need to change them back.'

Bash sighed. 'I wonder what these weirdos get out of doing these things to random civilians.'

Flashwing shrugged and swallowed her meat. 'Dunno. Maybe it's just for fun or something.'

'That's a messed up way to have fun if you ask me.' Commented Bash. He chewed up another piece of meat and swallowed as quickly. 'So, you ready?'

Flashwing smiled, then ate up the little bits of meat still left in her bowl. 'I'm ready.'

'So, you two doing good back there?' Asked their balloonist.

'Yeah, we're doing great ma'am. Thanks for asking.' Replied Flashwing. She fiddled around with a small leather bag which hung around her neck.

The mabu woman nodded, but then she realized the little bag. 'Hey, so what's that you have there?' She asked.

'Oh, it's nothing at all. It's just a potion needed for the mission. Nothing to it.' Replied Flashwing.

'Really?' Went the woman. Her brown eyes filled with cautious suspicion. 'Let me see.'

'Why?' Asked Flashwing. She clutched her bag tightly.

'I'm just curious. Now give me the bag.' She waved a hand out at them.

Bash walked out between the two of them. 'We don't want you to check our bag lady. Can you please go back to piloting this thing?' His stern tone meant business.

For the briefest of moments, a confused look appeared on the woman's face, before immediately being replaced with an observant gaze. Bash found her staring right at him and prepared himself for anything she might do. He had heard stories of people being thrown of hot-air-balloons by psychos, and he didn't want to go down like that.

To his surprise though, nothing happened. The woman batted her brown eyes and went back to piloting the balloon. 'Sorry about that.' She said in a monotone. 'I can be a little obsessive.'

Bash nodded and looked back at Flashwing. She had a wing up, almost as if she were ready to shoot a gem shard at the woman. But when she saw Bash looking at her, she folded it in and sat herself down, an unassuming look on her face.

They arrived at the tiny island later in the morning, when the sun had already risen. Although it was still technically winter, there were already signs the seasons were changing. That day was one of the first warm days of the year, something Bash greatly appreciated. The heat was always welcomed near him.

He stretched himself and walked out onto the island. But before he could take his first step forward, Flashwing rushed forward and spread her wings out protectively.

'Uh, Flashwing?' Went Bash, confused. 'What are you doing?'

Flashwing passed Bash the small leather bag. 'Protecting you, of course.' She then strutted ahead, alert and attentive.

Bash walked behind her, the leather bag now hanging on his neck. 'You don't have to Flashwing. It's just a quick mission. And I can defend myself.'

Flashwing continued her crawl forwards. 'I know Bash. But I don't want you to worry about anything. There could be weirdos here that want to turn us into sloths too.'

Bash walked behind her. 'But I can defend myself, Flashwing. Relax.'

At his command, Flashwing listened and obeyed him. But her wings and body remained slinky and alert, like a spy on enemy territory. Bash sighed. At least she was taking this seriously. But Flashwing didn't seem to be like herself today. Come to think about it, she hadn't been like herself recently at all.

'Flashwing, are you feeling alright?' He asked. Flashwing turned around to face him, a confused look spread on her features.

'Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?' She carried on slinking ahead, ready for anyone who would dare to ambush them. Bash walked calmly behind her, the potion hung around his neck.

Flashwing shot several shards of crystals at the drow witch rapidly. Once the witch was brought down, she performed a shimmering spin and collided with two other witches. She brought down the witches like flies, violently shooting them down and spinning around.

Bash rolled forward, the potion tucked under him. When he stopped, he swatted a witch away with his tail and dodged a projectile. He turned towards Flashwing, who had viciously reduced the witches into fallen bodies laying on the ground. 'Flashwing!' He said. 'I think we can leave them alone now.'

Flashwing cocked her head away from a cowering drow witch, allowing him and the rest of his cohorts to escape. 'Why?' She asked. 'They attacked you when we arrived! I can't let my boyfriend be attacked by anyone!'

Bash walked ahead, carefully stepping over the knocked-out witches. 'That's nice of you and all, but first off, I can defend myself. Second, you really are going a little overboard. I don't think I've ever seen you fight like this.'

He had always admired Flashwing's style of fighting. The way she was able to be incredibly graceful, while also being extremely deadly. When he saw her fight today, she was vicious and deadly, but her fighting had lost a lot of its grace. It was... raw. Like she was fighting desperately for her life. Even though what they had fought could be considered a skirmish at best.

He walked over to Flashwing, who turned towards him calmly. 'I know you can look after yourself Bashie. And you did great back there. But I want to protect you too. You mean the world to me. Ever since you gave me those cookies and the note, I've felt like I couldn't live without you. I would hate to have anything bad happen to you.' She reasoned. 'Now come on,' She said, as she turned towards the small village. 'Let's turns these guys back to normal.'

She dipped her hand into the leather bag and pulled out a small purple flask. 'Let's do this.' She said, and the two of them proceeded to turn all the villagers back from sloths to their original forms.

The ride home had been considerably stranger. For starters, the lady in the balloon had a bowl of candy she wanted Bash to try.

'Come on, it's my special taffy recipe. Don't you like taffy young man?' She asked, her brown eyes peering over her shoulder at Bash.

'Not really, no.' Bash shook his head at the woman. He had the pink bowl of candy shoved into his claws the moment he entered the balloon. Once she did, the driver constantly insisted he take at least one bite of it.

'Come on, a nibble wouldn't hurt. I know you Skylanders are well-known for your heroics and all, but surely a little candy every once in a while is fine?'

'Yeah, it's just that I don't like taffy that much.' Said Bash.

'Can I have some?' Asked Flashwing, claw already hovering over the bowl.

The woman thinned her lips. 'Alright fine. Go ahead.' She turned her attention towards steering the balloon for the rest of the trip, without even looking at him or Flashwing.

'So, Bash, how was the mission to you?' Asked Flashwing, in a tone a little too cheerful.

Bash turned around to face her and took a deep breath. 'It was fine.'

'Great!' Smiled Flashwing, before she noticed Bash's body language, and she felt a tinge of guilt. 'Erm, you aren't too mad at me taking out all those witches, are you?'

Bash thought carefully about his answer. He wasn't upset, he was just… disappointed, to say the least. He wanted to be able to fight alongside Flashwing like they did when they were still just friends. 'No, I'm not too upset.' He said, after some deliberation. Pacifying her only came naturally. Especially since he felt emotionally drained. It was getting tiring to be around Flashwing all the time.

Flashwing smiled. 'Alright, great. Do you think we can go on another mission tomorrow then?' Her grey eyes grew so large Bash could have sworn he saw the little bit of blue in them glow.

He sighed. 'I guess we can. We'll have to see though.'

Flashwing grinned. 'Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Bashie!' She pecked him on the cheek, then skipped off towards her room.

Bash walked towards his room too. Once he walked in, he jumped into his bed and sat on his behind. His tail moved slowly from side to side and his claw rubbed his chin.

He sighed. In the beginning, he had wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but it was because he had fallen in love with Flashwing. Self-assured, beautiful, graceful Flashwing. Now, when she loved him back, he wasn't sure what happened to her. It was like she did a complete one-eighty overnight. But it didn't only change the way she felt about him, it also changed a piece of herself. And now he wasn't sure whether or not he liked the changed Flashwing as much. She was fine for a few days, but to him, it would be torture to spend every single day with a lovesick shell of a dragon. The way she would always baby him was getting grating, and he hoped that it wouldn't be permanent.

He sighed and lay back. Staring at the ceiling, he asked himself what he was going to do now.

Terrafin found himself rudely awakened by someone shaking him. He opened one eye and flicked on his lamp. To his bemusement, there stood Bash, eyes desperate and claws nervously pinching the sheets. 'Bash?'

'Hey, Terrafin.' Said Bash. 'Do you have any missions today?'

Terrafin shot him a blank look. 'It's three in the morning Bash. Why do you need to know that now?'

'Well, you see, I told Flashwing that I would go on a mission with her if I didn't have any.'

'So? Thought you'd like to spend more time with your girlfriend.' He mumbled, pulling the covers up.

'Well, I do, but, well…' He hummed while he thought carefully about his reply. 'I dunno. She seems a little possessive lately. I don't want to see how she'd react if I broke a promise.'

Terrafin pushed himself up slowly and patted the space beside him. Bash came up and sat there. 'Couldn't this wait until morning, though?' Asked Terrafin. Despite his tired tone, Bash could sense the attempt to pay attention and care about his problems. He made a mental note; he owed Terrafin one now.

'Knowing what Flashwing would do now, she'd probably wake up as early as she could and get a mission first thing in the morning. Now I have to beat her at her own game.' Sighed Bash.

'Well, you don't have to beat her. You could just talk to her and tell her how you actually feel about the situation.'

'I'm not sure if I want to, though.' Replied Bash. 'She just seems so… in need of me. I know she doesn't act like the Flashwing I fell in love with, but she's still Flashwing. I don't want to break her heart.'

Terrafin nodded. 'Well, I may not know much about girls, but I know they don't like it when you promise something and don't fulfill it.' He shooed Bash off his bed and crawled back under the covers. 'I have a patrol today. Through the Desert of Columns. You can come along.' He then turned around and fell back asleep.

Bash smiled. 'Thanks, buddy.' He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. 'I'll buy you a working lock to pay you back.'

As Bash had expected, he found Flashwing camping outside his room in the morning. And also like he expected, she had a mission with her. 'So, can you come today, Bashie?'

Bash shook his head. 'No, sorry. Yesterday Terrafin asked me to come on a mission with him. I can't come back on this one with you.'

'Oh…' Went Flashwing, her lower lip and wings drooping. 'Okay, but I thought we promised to go on a mission together today.'

'Yeah, but only if I don't have anything else. I have something on now.' Said Bash. 'Sorry.'

Flashwing nodded slowly. 'I see. Okay, I'll see you soon then.'

Bash nodded back. 'Great. Thanks for understanding Flashwing. I'll see you later.' He walked off towards the Academy entrance, leaving Flashwing alone in the halls.

In the evening, when Bash and Terrafin had returned from their patrol, the wind was cool and mild. Their balloonist had been worried about not making it on time before any crazy weather happened. Luckily, they did make it back, but though they managed to avoid a possible physical storm, another one was about to hit them.

Flashwing stood at the Academy entrance, looking morose and impatient. When she saw Bash walk up ahead, she peeled up, and ran towards him, like a puppy would to his master. 'Bashie!' She called out. 'I've waited all afternoon for you to return!'

Bash felt a strange mix of annoyance and exhaustion when he heard the word "Bashie". He had hoped that after a long, tiring day of patrolling Skylands, he could head back to his room and rest. But now that Flashwing was here, he either had to bear with her or find a way to escape her without hurting her feelings.

'Hey, Flashwing.' Said Bash. 'Have you really been waiting all afternoon?'

Flashwing nodded. 'Yup. As soon as I got back from my mission today. It took you forever to come back.' She sighed. 'The mission today was super tough too.'

Bash raised an eyebrow. Last time she said a mission had been tough, he ended up on the receiving end of a fifteen-minute rant. 'Really? What happened this time.' He tried his best not to sound annoyed, but it was difficult when he felt both physically and emotionally tired.

Flashwing sighed and walked him into the Academy. 'Where do I begin…'

Whirlwind poured some apple juice into Barbella's glass. With a nod to show thanks, Barbella picked up the drink and gulped it all down in one go. 'Thanks, Whirlwind.' Said Barbella, wiping her mouth.

'No problem. Always happy to help a friend.' Said Whirlwind. She poured more apple juice into both Barbella's glass and her own and took a sip. 'So, what else happened.'

Barbella downed her drink in one go again. 'She was a little distant throughout the entire thing. You know, wasn't one-hundred percent focused on the mission. Was dazed and daydreamed a lot.' She set her glass down and rested her head on her palm. 'Fortunately, no one got hurt, and Sprocket and I did manage to repair the dam. But hot dang, was it difficult with Flashwing being distracted.'

Whirlwind nodded. 'Do you think it has something to do with her starting a relationship with Bash?'

'Probably.' Shrugged Barbella. 'Although to be honest, this relationship seemed to come out of nowhere. Flashwing would always talk to me and Head Rush about how she's not interested in Bash.'

'She wasn't?' Asked Whirlwind, a quizzical look on her face.

Barbella shook her head. 'She always said that Bash was nice and all, but she saw him as a friend. She liked the attention, but she always felt guilty leading him on like that.'

'Mm…' Nodded Whirlwind. 'I thought that she was on the fence about that. Like, she could date Bash if he were more open about it.'

'She wasn't.' Said Barbella. She grabbed the jug of juice and poured some more into her now empty glass. 'She really didn't want to date Bash, she was just worried about upsetting him. She wanted to remain just friends and was worried about their friendship being affected.'

'Oh.' Said Whirlwind. She took another sip from her glass.

'I wonder if either me or Head Rush should have told Bash about it. If they had cleared up their problem earlier, I think they would have saved a lot of emotional stress.'

She took another sip of her drink and set it on the table. 'I'm not the only one who feels this way too. I talk with Terrafin about it all the time. He says that he feels like Bash just transforms into a different person around Flashwing. And not in a good way.'

'What else did he say?' Asked Whirlwind.

'Nothing, he immediately changed the topic.' She snickered softly. 'You know how he is.'

'Mmm…' Whirlwind picked up her glass and poured the final drops down her throat. 'I can tell that he's concerned though. But I don't blame him. After hearing the insider stories, I'm worried too.'

Pop Fizz walked along the halls, whistling while he did so. It had been a low-key day for him, without much drama or difficulty. He went on patrol earlier, then headed back and fooled around with his alchemy set. He headed back to his room, now armed with a new stash of freshly-brewed potions.

But as he walked through the hallways, a strange but familiar smell hit him again. It was the smell of alcohol, strawberries, roses, and chocolate. He looked closer and saw two silhouettes ahead. One was clearly Bash's, and the other he recognized as Flashwing. Muffled small talk came from the two of them, and Pop Fizz could barely make it out.

'So, that's how today went.' Said Flashwing. Pop Fizz felt the smell grow more concentrated with every step forward. It started to grow more familiar as he did, like he had smelled it somewhere before, but he wasn't sure where.

'Wow,' Said Bash half-heartedly. 'I had no idea so much could happen in one mission.' He sounded like he did know, but was too tired to think of any other comments.

'Yeah, it's really awful without you. You really do bring light into my life.' Said Flashwing.

Pop Fizz searched his memories. That smell, it smelled familiar. He knew that he smelled it near Flashwing before, and he thought it was some sort of perfume then. But now that he smelled it again, stronger and more saturated, he began to recognize it as a whole more than its parts.

'Let's see,' He thought. 'Which was it again? Was it in that class in Newspark City? Or was it that shaman in the Radiant Isles?' He racked his brain, trying to figure out where in Skylands he had smelled that smell before.

Whirlwind sat beside Pop Fizz the next morning. Across them sat Flashwing and Bash, with Flashwing hovering over Bash like a little girl would her dolls. Whirlwind sighed. 'You know Pop, it's beginning to get kinda bad for the two of them, don't you think?'

'Shhh…' Said Pop Fizz. 'I'm trying to think about where I've smelled that smell before.'

Whirlwind shot him a puzzled look. 'What smell?'

'Oh, right.' Said Pop Fizz. 'I forgot you don't have an alchemist's nose. Since a couple days ago, I keep smelling this strange smell around Flashwing. It was kinda faint, but I could still smell it.' He tapped his claws against the tabletop. 'She said it wasn't perfume or anything, so I thought it was some sort of soap. But the more I smell it, the more it smells like a potion.'

Whirlwind raised a brow. 'What sort of potion?'

Pop Fizz shrugged. 'There are only a few potions I know of that give off scents. One is a perfume potion, but all of the others are emotional poisons.'

'Emotional poisons?'

'Yeah, drinks that affect the emotions. There's a depression potion, an anger potion, a paranoia potion, stuff like that.' He chugged down a flask of soda. 'They usually give off a smell over time if someone drank them without drinking a reversal potion.'

'Oh, I see.' Said Whirlwind, nodding her head. 'What type of smells?'

'Usually what the potion is made of. A depression potion would give off the smell of cheap wine and frozen foods. Anger potion would smell like chili and whiskey. So on.' Said Pop Fizz.

'Oh,' Went Whirlwind. 'So, what do you smell when you're around Flashwing?' She picked up her glass of orange juice and sipped it.

'Mainly strawberries, chocolate, champagne, all that.' Said Pop Fizz. 'I think it might be a love potion, but I'm not sure how she would even get hold of an emotion poison. Let alone drink one.'

Whirlwind stopped drinking her orange juice the moment he said that, having almost choked on it. Love potion? It can't possibly be the answer. Yet it seemed so likely. 'Erm, so, what happens when someone drinks a potion?'

Pop Fizz cleared his throat, making Whirlwind oddly uncomfortable. 'Well, in the beginning, someone would be able to function pretty well under it. But after a while, the full influence of the potion would affect someone, and if someone is left without drinking a reversal potion, they'll be reduced to a shell of what they used to be. Left to feel the only emotion they drank. Love potions can have the effects sped up if they are left without their object of affection.'

Whirlwind looked towards Bash and Flashwing, a sinking feeling crawling up her body. 'Can someone eat an emotion poison?'

'Oh, sure you can if you cook it into some sort of food.' Said Pop Fizz. 'I dunno why someone would want to though. It's a pretty sick thing to do to someone.'

Whirlwind coughed. 'So Pop Fizz, can you test for potions like that?'

'Sure, you just need a sample of the potion. If it's cooked into something, a bit of the food would be fine.'

Whirlwind jumped out of her chair, leaving her breakfast half-finished. 'Where are you going?' Asked Pop Fizz.

'I'm gonna help you get to the bottom of this. And hopefully, fix a mess that we all got ourselves into.'

'Hey, Bash? Can I borrow Flashwing for a while?' Asked Whirlwind.

Bash and Flashwing turned around and saw Whirlwind stood there, beaming away. 'Uh, sure thing.' Said Bash, before Flashwing could respond. 'I need to use the bathroom Flashwing. Be right back.' Bash walked off, leaving Flashwing alone with Whirlwind in the halls.

'So, Whirlwind, what do you need me for?' Asked Flashwing, in an icy tone Whirlwind had not heard come out of her in a long time.

'Well, I need to get back the box Bash gave you. You know, the one with the cookies?' Asked Whirlwind. She batted her eyes and smiled sweetly. Intentionally charming others had never been her strong suit, but it was worth a try. Even if the dragon she was charming was a master of the very craft. She crossed her fingers.

Flashwing raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'Erm… Well, I…' Her mind buzzed with multiple incomprehensible excuses. Which one could she use? She needed to think of something fast too; Flashwing's confused stare pierced her like a spear, and it was almost as uncomfortable.

'You see… this girl scout that sold me the cookies says that I can get a refill for free, but you have to present the box to get them. I know you love sugar cookies, so can you give me your box for a while?' Asked Whirlwind. She gave Flashwing her most charismatic grin, hoping inside that the excuse worked.

Flashwing nodded and smiled. 'Sure thing. Just follow me.' She turned around and gestured Whirlwind to follow her.

Whirlwind smiled, and although she appeared calm on the outside, she felt like a small weight had been lifted off her heart. The feeling of guilt she once felt was now replaced with a feeling of determination.

Flashwing had convinced Bash to spend another day with her doing a mission. Thankfully, because it was a patrol, she didn't have to step in and try to protect him from everything. It didn't stop her from trying. ('Flashwing, it's just a chompy.')

He walked back to his room, emotionally drained. Love was a mess. If it were anyone else, he would have called them out on their nonsense by now, and he knew it. But because it was Flashwing, he couldn't help but bear the pain. But even he had his limits, and before Flashwing could suggest spending another day with each other, he left.

Suddenly, an arm popped out of a storage cupboard and grabbed him. He tried to jerk away, but the owner of the arm was strong. It was an even battle between the two of them, one that the arm's owner won quickly with one quick jerk.

Bash was dragged into the cupboard and landed on the floor face first. When he looked up, he met the faces of Pop Fizz, Whirlwind, and Terrafin. All had worried looks on their faces. Terrafin's brows were furrowed and his overall demeanor indicated stressed. Whirlwind had a more anxious look, full of concern and worry. Even Pop Fizz had a rare serious look on his face, as opposed to his usual goofy look. 'Guys? What's wrong? Why did you bring me here?'

'Bash,' Said Whirlwind. 'We need to talk about you and Flashwing.'

Chapter Text

Whirlwind sat down beside Bash nervously and gestured at Pop Fizz. 'Go on Pop, show it to him.' She said, her tail nervously flicking from side to side.

Pop Fizz nodded and reached into his yellow file to pull out a few pieces of paper. Although yellowed and wrinkled, it had been the best quality paper he had. 'You know those cookies you gave Flashwing a while back?'

Bash nodded. 'Remember how Whirlwind said that a girl scout sold her the cookies?' Asked Pop Fizz.

Again, Bash nodded. Pop Fizz grappled around the paper nervously and unrolled it out to show Bash. On the paper, Pop Fizz's scrawled handwriting was printed in smudged black ink. Littered between the handwriting were several chemical formulas, done so messily it looked like last-minute homework.

'What does this all mean?' Asked Bash.

'Okay, those cookies you gave Flashwing?' He pointed to the piece of paper. 'They were filled with all these chemicals.'

Bash's squinted at the piece of paper, trying to make out the writing on them. It wasn't easy, on top of the ink being smudged beyond belief, Pop Fizz's handwriting was as eligible as chicken scratches. 'What's a "cnocarotch"?'

'What?' Asked Pop Fizz, as he snatched the paper out of Bash's hands. He looked through the paper until he found the word Bash had been talking about. 'Oh, it's chocolate.'

'Thanks.' Bash read on. Every time he saw another word he couldn't recognize (which was often), he turned to Pop Fizz to ask. Soon, after much struggle, he managed to decipher the recipe listed.

'What do all these things have to do with each other?' He asked. He looked up to see Pop Fizz twiddling his thumbs nervously, an uneasy look in his yellow eyes. It all gave Bash an anxious feeling. When Pop Fizz looked like that, it was never a good sign. 'What's going on?'

'Okay, about those cookies…' Said Pop Fizz. 'You see…' He twiddled his thumbs. 'youkindafedFlashwingalovepotionbyaccident.'

'I did what now?'

'You fed your girlfriend a love potion.' Replied Terrafin. He kept on firmly staring at the ground and his arms were folded tightly. As if he were brainstorming as hard as he could.

Bash felt his heartbeat almost stop. 'A-a love potion?'

'Yeah.' Said Terrafin. He looked ready to punch someone.

Bash gasped. Flashwing's behavior for the past few days made a lot more sense now, but the thought of anyone feeding her a love potion made him feel awful. The knowledge that he helped to drug her made him feel absolutely terrible. 'Can-can we still give Flashwing a reversal potion? It's not too late, right?' Asked Bash, his voice increasing stressed with every word.

'No no, it's still fine. In fact, I'm brewing the potion now.' Said Pop Fizz.

'Doesn't change the fact that there's someone out there trying to mess with us.' Said Terrafin. He had not moved at all from the time Bash had entered the storage closet. That stillness made Bash feel uneasy. The way he popped his knuckles. The way his brows furrowed. From all his years of knowing Terrafin, he recognized it as a sign of bubbling rage. It was not just his usual brand of anger, which could be comparable to a flash fire. A sudden, intense anger, but he would get over it quickly. But whenever he had that look in his face, he had an anger more akin to a volcano. With rage boiling and bubbling in him, until he erupted. When he finally did erupt, the damage would be a million times more damaging than any flash fire fury of his.

Whirlwind walked over to Terrafin and patted him gently on his back. 'I know, but you can't hunt down every girl scout in Skylands just to find the right one. If we want to find out who did it, we can't do everything the brute force way.'

'Sure we can't.' Said Terrafin rudely.

Whirlwind narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. The nerve! 'We can't do that Terrafin! You can't just-'

'Stop it guys!' Interrupted Pop Fizz. 'We haven't even told Bash the plan yet. Can we do that first, then argue?'

Both of them sighed and crossed their arms. 'Fine…'

'So what's the plan?' Asked Bash.

'Well,' Went Pop Fizz. 'While we wait for the potion to brew, you're gonna have to distract Flashwing. You know, make sure she doesn't leave your sight or do anything. I heard she caused a lot of trouble yesterday during her mission.'

Bash nodded. 'Yeah, she told me all about it. I had a feeling she was making things out to be more dramatic than they actually were, though.'

'Well, that's a good sign, isn't it?' Asked Whirlwind. 'She hasn't completely lost herself yet. She still has bits of her true self in her.'

Pop Fizz nodded. 'It's gonna take all night and all day to prepare the potion though, so I suggest that you guys all get a good night's sleep, then spend all of tomorrow looking out for Flashwing.' Said Pop Fizz. 'Well, see you all in the morning.'

He shooed Whirlwind, Bash, and Terrafin out of the storage cupboard, and slammed the door shut. 'So, you guys want to plan a strategy?' Asked Bash.

Whirlwind nodded her head. 'Of course! I don't think I can properly sleep tonight anyways. You in too Terrafin?'

Terrafin unfolded his arms and popped his knuckles. 'Course I'm in! No one just messes with the Skylanders like that! We'll fix Flashwing up, then we'll make whoever it is pay!'

Bash nodded at Terrafin. 'Great! So, let's think of a plan for Flashwing. Any ideas?'

'We could put her in a room for the entire day.' Suggested Terrafin. 'It'll keep her safe, and nothing bad could go wrong from there.'

'Yeah, but assuming the saboteur is spying on us, wouldn't it be suspicious if she was just locked up in a room all day?' Asked Bash, pacing around nervously. 'Also, I know Flashwing wouldn't be happy locked up in a room with nothing to do.'

The three sat in silence for a while, brainstorming for ideas. But after some time, Whirlwind jumped in excitement. 'Ooh! I know, why don't we keep her distracted with a date? It's a good cover-up, and we'll be keeping our eyes on her too!'

Bash nodded. 'Hmm, That could work. Alright then, cover-up date. Yeah, that could work.'

'So, we're doing it?' Asked Whirlwind.

'Yeah. You still in Terrafin?' Asked Bash.

Terrafin shrugged. 'Wouldn't kill me.'

'Great. Now, let's do this. We're gonna give Flashwing the closest date she's ever gone on.'

Flashwing stood alone at the Academy entrance, a note in her hand. Bash did say to come here and meet him at six in the morning, didn't he? She re-read the note again.

The note had been written in blue construction paper and with a pencil in a messy scrawl. The paper was slightly rough around the edges and cut into a vaguely heart-shaped mess. Despite the presentation, the moment Flashwing saw Bash had signed it, she couldn't help but treasure the note.

The note read, 'Dearest Flashwing, meet me at the Academy entrance by six. XOXO, Bash.' Pure poetry to the lovesick woman.

'Hey, Flashwing!' Called out a voice from behind her. She smelled a strong, familiar cologne, and turned around with a wide grin on her face.

'Hey, Bash!' She cheered, waving at a well-groomed Bash. She could practically see the shine in his scales and the polish in his teeth. How charming!

Bash walked over to the Flashwing, a sweet smile creeping up on his lips. 'So, you ready for this date?' He asked.

'Ready as always.' She hung her wing around him and walked him out of the Academy. 'So, what are our plans today?'

'Oh, you're in for a treat today! But you'll only see what you'll be getting when we get there. So all you need to do is follow me.' Said Bash with a wink. Flashwing giggled as he took her hand, and led her to the first destination.

'Oh, Bash, you're so charming today. Tell me, what did you do to give that shine in your scales?'

'Well… um…' Bash looked down at himself in surprise. His scales weren't that shiny. Come to think about it, he didn't put tremendous effort into his appearance that day. He had a quick shower, but that was it. He didn't even spray on any cologne.

Had he really gotten tired of trying to impress Flashwing now that she was his girlfriend?

He had thought he would have been a more devout boyfriend.

'Was the blindfold necessary?' Asked Flashwing, a cheerful smile on her face. Bash had tied a bright red handkerchief around her eyes and led her around, his claw in hers. She didn't mind, but Bash suspected that it was because of the love potion.

'Just hold on. We're gonna get there soon.' Answered Bash. He had to thank Terrafin and Whirlwind for their help. They had been helping him prep this since four in the morning.

They walked towards the hot-air-balloon stop carefully, where Bash saw a blue and white striped balloon docked there. A young mabu woman with a small leather cap and a bright smile stood inside it and waved at Bash and Flashwing to come in when she saw them.

'Where to?' She asked.

'That island over there.' Said Bash, handing a small pouch of jewels to the mabu. She nodded and turned to steer her balloon.

The balloon ride to the island went smoothly. The balloonist didn't question Bash tying the blindfold onto Flashwing at all. Instead, she asked him for something else.

'So, last night, my daughter made some cookies. And I would like to share some with you.' She smiled, presenting a small plate scattered with small chocolate chip cookies to them. 'They're really good.'

Bash looked over at the plate. They did look good. Really good. They were making his mouth water a little. He began to reach for one, but before he could grab one, the thought of the breakfast he helped make earlier crosses his mind.

He made a lot of pancakes for the two of them. And he didn't want them to go to waste. 'No thanks, I'm not particularly hungry now.'

The mabu woman's lips thinned. 'Are you sure you wouldn't even want a nibble? They're really excellent.' She smiled with teeth flashed out.

Bash raised his brow, feeling a drizzle of déjà vu. 'Erm, no thanks.'

'Are you absolutely sure?' Asked the mabu woman.

'Positive. Thanks though.'

When they finally arrived at their destination, a small island, Bash tried to tip the balloonist, but she declined. 'No need. Just seeing you two together and happy is all the payment I need.'

'Really?' Said Bash 'Well, thanks, but I insist.'He handed the small bag of gems over to her. But again, she pushed his claw away.

'Don't worry about the tip. Anyways, I have to go now.' She said, pushing up her long sleeves to look at her watch. She hoisted her balloon's rope up, and took off again, leaving Bash behind with his gems and Flashwing.

'So, Bash, are we almost there?' Asked Flashwing. She tried to remove her blindfold, but Bash pressed it down again gently.

'Almost, be patient.' He said while leading her by her claw.

They walked further on ahead, Bash carefully guiding Flashwing through the frosty grass field. Winter was approaching its end, and though the final bits of ice, snow, and frost were still around, Bash predicted that they should be all gone within a few weeks.

'I smell something nice, are we near?' Asked Flashwing.

'Very near.' Said Bash, as he pulled her up a small hill. He peered over to look at the sky and smiled. It was perfect, the sun was about to rise, and the navy blue of the night sky was slowly transitioning into a hot pinkish-orange. Perfect for a picnic breakfast.

'Alright Flashwing, we're almost there…' He teased, pulling her up the hill. 'You can remove it in three… two… one!'

Flashwing instantly ripped it off, and the first sight that greeted her was a smooth picnic mat, with a red and white checkered pattern. On it were two blue plates stacked with thick pancakes and a small, hand-woven picnic basket containing strawberry jam, maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, and other miscellaneous toppings Bash dug out from the kitchen. It was a simple set-up, but under the influence of the love potion, it looked like the grandest buffet she had ever seen.

'It looks amazing Bash! I love it!' She hugged him tightly and leaned in for a kiss on his cheek. 'Thank you so much! You're amazing!'

Bash blushed profusely and rubbed the back of his head. 'Well, let's dig in then.' He smiled, walking onto the mat. He grabbed the pot of honey and poured it over his pancakes. 'You know,' He smiled suavely at Flashwing. 'My stack kinda reminds me of you now.'

Flashwing sat down opposite him and reached for the strawberry jam in the basket. 'What do you mean?' She asked as she spread thick red jam onto her pancake.

Bash smiled sweetly. Whirlwind had briefed him on romantic cliches before he went over to meet Flashwing and she mentioned to include cheesy little lines like that. 'I think I'm the only one who really likes them though. Every time I watch a chick-flick with the girls, everyone else always either laughs or bangs her head against the wall.'

Bash was positive that under normal circumstances, Flashwing would have found a cheesy one-liner groan-worthy. But Pop Fizz did say to distract her, so he went with whatever would keep her attention. He was sure if she was under the influence of something like a love potion, it would keep her interested. 'Because it's sweet. Just like you.' He tenderly booped her on her snout, causing her to giggle and blush.

'Aww, Bash. You're so sweet!' She packed him on the cheek, leaving a small dot of strawberry jam on there.

Bash smiled. Although the kiss felt nice, it didn't flutter his heart the way it used to. Well, he liked it, but he didn't know what to feel about it. Was it because he had something more important to worry about, or was it because he really was falling out of love with Flashwing. He couldn't fall out of love so fast, could he? After all that time he spent crushing on her. Maybe it was because he wanted the real Flashwing, and not her under the influence of love potion. But will this episode affect their feeling towards each other or not? And was he worried whether it would, or did he trust Flashwing more than that?

He sighed and bit his pancake. Love was a weird emotion.

Whirlwind flew above them, carefully hiding behind a cloud. She wanted to help Terrafin pop popcorn and choose a movie, but he wanted her to wait out there as the lookout. She thought it was a little unfair. Scratch that, it was really unfair. He didn't know the first thing about being romantic, and she had a decent-sized chick flick collection that she never got to watch with anyone. But because she could fly, she had to do lookout while he got the outdoor movie stuff prepared. She glumly placed a claw on her chin and watched over Bash and Flashwing.

Fortunately, their playful flirting was enough to bring her out of her mood for a moment. They were cute as a couple, even if she knew they couldn't work as one without the love potion. She wondered how Flashwing would take the news that she was drugged. She hoped that she could explain it well enough. In her eyes, it was a genuine honest mistake.

She sighed. It would be for the best if she crossed that bridge when she got to it. In the meantime, she peeped over them and watched them draw 'X's and 'O's in their pancakes. She could only barely make out what they were saying, but from their body language, with Flashwing giggling like a schoolgirl and Bash's suave smile, it looked like Bash was doing fine down there. 'Good thing I gave him the crash course on romantic cliches earlier.' She thought.

She allowed her mind to wander away from the couple and found herself gazing at the sky. It was a bright baby blue, the color shown off with partly cloudy weather. She sighed, it looked so inviting. She was surprised that there weren't more out here flying and enjoying the skies. The only other person she saw in the sky other than herself was someone in a blue and white hot-air-balloon.

She watched the balloon bob around in the air for minutes, but it didn't move so much as an inch. She figured that whoever was in that balloon must have really loved the view because as she took a closer look at the balloon, she saw that whoever it was in the balloon was trying hard to keep it in one place.

'Must be a photographer or something.' She thought. She turned her attention towards Bash and Flashwing again, who were finishing the last bits of their pancakes. She sighed and took off to tell Terrafin. Hopefully, he was done setting up the movies.

He was barely done with the set-up. Although he had popped plenty of popcorn for two to get through a movie with, he had just started getting the screen ready and hadn't even started setting up the projector and seats. 'It's harder than it looks.' He tried to explain.

'Well, maybe if you had let me helped you, this would have been done faster!' She shot back, tying one end of the string against a stack of chairs.

Terrafin grunted, pulling the white bedsheet over the string. 'You were better for defense. You could actually fight in the sky and keep the two of them safe against whoever it is that's trying to sabotage us!'

Whirlwind rolled her eyes. 'Not everyone wants to fight at the drop of a hat. If you wanted to get back at whoever so bad, why didn't you try defending them yourself?'

Terrafin gritted his teeth. 'It's not like I know anything about what's happening.'

Whirlwind grew silent before she realized what he meant when he said that. 'Hey, I'm just as shocked that this happened as you are! I'm not involved in anything!'

'That's not what I meant.' He grunted. 'I know you won't do something like that.'

Whirlwind carried on setting up, still frustrated. She could sense that something was bothering him, but she knew if she tried to probe him about his problems, it would lead to another argument. That was the route so many conversations went down with her.

Curse aloofness! Why doesn't anyone just open up about their emotions? It's so easy to do it, yet everyone carries on keeping solemn and stoic. Master Eon says that she should let others tell her how they feel when they want to, but the problem was that barely anybody ever did. He said that a lot of Skylanders were simply "guarded", but she didn't know of what. Half of those who refused to say anything about their emotions and problems could probably bench press her. He also said that she should be patient, and she did try but dang it! Can't others just talk it out? Do they just have problems with it or something?

She stopped herself after that thought and glanced over at Terrafin, who was carrying over two heavy bean-bag chairs he stole from someone's room. Sighing, she made herself calm down, and think, like Master Eon told her too many times in the past. Such physical prowess, but she realized, such strength doesn't carry over into other aspects. Maybe he was scared, but not because he isn't physically strong enough. He was scared because this was a problem he can't just punch away.

He does have a problem with talking. She bit her lip, guilty at her anger. Once again, she raged before she thought. It's only been her largest flaw for years, yet she's still fighting it. 'Well,' She thought. 'I guess it's time to put my money where my mouth is, and talk to him about it.'

'Hey, Terrafin…' She called out to him. Terrafin looked up, the two bean-bag chairs draped over his shoulders.

'I know it's tough dealing with all this. I really do.' She said, her voice quiet.

Terrafin grunted. 'Yeah, well, might as well get this plan completed. That'll fix one of our problems, at least.' He tossed the two bean-bag chairs down onto the damp grass, causing small drops of water to splash onto Whirlwind.

Whirlwind felt her rage bubbling inside her. She was tempted to be offended, but she took a deep breath and released. It wasn't worth blowing her cool. 'I know you're concerned about Bash and Flashwing, and I know you feel worried about the both of them, and the Skylanders.'

Terrafin rolled his eyes and walked over to a nearby box. 'You gonna help with these or what?'

'Don't try to avoid this conversation!' She yelled. Then she realized her tone and softened it up. 'Look, I know you're worried. Is it because you don't know how to help? This confuses you?'

'It doesn't matter, alright?' He grunted, pulling out the film projector. 'Let's just focus on doing this mission and get it over with.'

'Good grief Terrafin, what is your problem?!' Whirlwind snapped. 'I just wanna know how you feel about this problem so I can help you. You don't have to be so… so abrasive!'

'Just mind your own business, would you?!' Snapped back Terrafin. 'Let's just get this place ready, and make it so that at least Flashwing can come out of this unharmed.'

Whirlwind stormed off. 'Fine, be that way.' She huffed, as she pulled out a few pillows to throw around the bean-bag chairs. As she dragged them out, she looked up and saw Bash and Flashwing headed towards them. 'Hey, Terrafin, get the popcorn ready!'

The two of them camped in the bushes, still upset at each other. Whirlwind took a quick glance at Terrafin - who was busy taking his anger out on some trees - then towards Bash and Flashwing in front of her.

Terrafin had "graciously" decided to let her choose a movie for them to watch. In truth, she knew that he only did it because he didn't know what to put on. She watched the couple watch the movie she selected carefully. It was one of her favorite romantic dramas of all time, about a young woman having relationship issues with her husband. She loved it because even though she knew how it would end, the individual scenes were always so good and rewatchable that she constantly found herself coming back to it.

She looked up to face the screen and saw one of her favorite scenes playing on it. With a sigh, she allowed herself to enjoy the scene again, and she relaxed and watched.

On screen, a young elf actress sat in a crowded café with a sphinx, sipping tea. 'I don't know,' The elf said. 'He just seems so… hard to talk to sometimes, you know?'

'Oh, believe me, honey, I understand. But you gotta be honest with him about it if you want to get anywhere. I mean, how do you usually talk to him?'

'Well, I-'

'No, no. Don't tell me. Show me.' The sphinx pulled herself up to make herself appear taller. 'Pretend I'm Forest. Now, what do you say to me when I come home from work?'

The elf sighed. 'Hey honey, how was work?'

'Good evening dearest.' Said the Sphinx, in an obviously lowered voice. 'Work was fine.'

'Oh, really?' Asked the elf. 'Nothing bad happened or anything?'

'Nothing at all, dear.'

'Are you sure? Come, tell me more about your day.'

The sphinx placed a paw up to stop her from continuing any further. 'Stop. What you're doing there is probing.'

The elf squinted she eyes in confusion and cocked her head to one side. 'I doing what?'

'Probing, Liana. It's when someone doesn't want to talk but you keep pushing for them to give you answers. Like what you did just now.' Explained the sphinx. 'I read it up in a book somewhere.'

The elf bit her lip and nodded. 'Oh, well…' She sighed. 'I guess I have been doing that for a while now. Ever… ever since we got married, in fact.' There was a pause of silence, strategically placed to make the audience feel for the characters. 'So, now, what do I do?'

The sphinx smiled, the way good best friend characters do. 'Well, I guess that's all up to you now.'

Whirlwind had watched this movie enough times to know how it ends. Liana would go back to Forest and find a way to talk to him better. She sighed. If only it were as easy to talk to others in real life as it was in movies. Where everything was scripted and the solutions were easy. Where no matter how much you mess up, you would be forgiven in a heartbeat if you say and do the right things.

She glanced over at Terrafin, and wanted to try again to talk to him, but decided against it. Maybe Master Eon was right; he usually was. She should let him cool down first, then try to talk to him about it.

She leaned onto the bush and faced the front to watch the rest of the movie. But as she watched it, and Terrafin carried on punching trees, everyone failed to notice the figure running in the distance. Far enough to not be obvious, but near enough to be seen if one were to pay attention.

Bash watched the movie with Flashwing cuddling next to him. For a chick flick, it wasn't too bad. Sure, it was a little cheesy at times, but it wasn't unbearable to sit through. And though the themes were a little boring, they were executed in a way that kept his attention.

He nuzzled Flashwing gently, then turned his attention towards the movie. On screen, in a dimly lit kitchen, sat the two elves eating a dinner of garden salad together. An awkward silence filled the air, similar to an earlier scene in the movie.

Then, Liana spoke. 'So, how was work today?'

'Work? Work was alright.' Said Forest through a full mouth.

There was another awkward pause. 'Are you sure there isn't anything else you wanna share?' Chided Liana.

'Nah, nah, not this time.' He laughed along. 'Not this time.'

The couple continued with their meal quietly, before Liana spoke up again. 'You know, I'm glad that we've decided to become more open with each other.'

'Yeah, it does feel a lot better now, now that I can get things off my chest.' Agreed Forest.

They smiled and nodded at each other before the conversation carried on again. 'Y'know, I feel like I should tell you…' Began Forest. 'I didn't want to talk about this stuff at first because I thought that you didn't deserve my rambles. You didn't need my dirty laundry or anything, and all I needed to do was to keep you happy and the relationship would work out.'

Liana nodded. 'Yeah, I understand.' She took another bite out of her salad.

'But you know what's funny?' Said Forest. 'What's funny is that since we started talking about this stuff, I think we got closer than when we were only focused on the pretty aspects of our relationship.'

'Mmm… yeah, I guess so.' Agreed Liana. 'I guess so.'

A song played over the seven, allowing it to transition to the credits. 'That was a sweet movie, don't you think Bashie?' Whispered Flashwing, as she grappled around the almost-empty popcorn bowl.

'Mmm…' Nodded Bash.

'Do you want to get more popcorn?' Asked Flashwing, gazing over at the glass bowl full of the buttery yellow treat all the way over on a fold-up table. 'We could watch another movie together.'

'Well…' Bash slowly looked over towards Terrafin and Whirlwind behind him. There, he saw Whirlwind tapping her wrist, then sticking her claw out and pointing towards the nearby islands. Terrafin had stopped punching trees and rubbed his sore knuckles.

'Actually, we kind of have to go now.' He said. 'I have other things planned for the two of us.'

'Oh, alright then.' Said Flashwing. She turned the bowl upside-down and tossed the popcorn kernels out. 'Let's go.'

They both walked away from the set when Flashwing intertwined her tail around Bash's. 'Thanks for all this Bash, you're the best.'

Bash smiled back at her, his cheeks feeling warm. He then winked at Whirlwind and Terrafin in the bushes. Flashwing was in for a treat.

As they walked away from the movie set, Bash swore that he heard someone scream out in agony. Following it was the sound of shattering glass. Although it surprised him, he brushed it off. 'Must be the wind.' He thought. Then he carried on walking, Flashwing's wing wrapped around him tightly.

'So, what do you want? We've got cheese, ham, tomatoes...'

'Some tomatoes would be nice.' Smiled Flashwing. She looked up from tracing circles on the red checkered picnic mat covering the splintery wooden floor of the tree-house they were in. 'I like those, you know.' Bash nodded and placed three slices neatly in the middle of her pita bread.

'Anything else you want?' Bash asked.

'Some ham, please. And is that cheese in there? Can I have some of that too? Thanks, Bashie.' Bash handed her the completed sandwich, the ingredients almost dropping out of the tearing bread. He then reached into the straw basket to make his own. He picked up a silver butter knife, then dipped it into the opened tub of margarine and spread it onto his piece of pita.

'So, how is it?' Asked Bash, watching Flashwing gracefully eat the sandwich carefully. Though it was practically falling apart, she somehow managed to eat it with some grace. Once she ate up all the almost-falling ingredients, she flashed Bash a large, gleaming smile.

'It's delicious!' She leaned over and kissed Bash lightly on the cheek. 'You're an amazing chef Bash!'

Bash smiled at Flashwing with yellowing teeth. 'Aww, it really isn't anything special Flashwing. It's just a sandwich.'

Flashwing batted her large grey eyes and giggled flirtily. 'Oh, don't be so modest Bash. It's absolutely yummy.' To prove her point, she all but devoured the rest of her sandwich, all while making little mmms to denote her enjoyment. 'Mmm… uh, such a good lunch! Thank you Bashie!'

'It's really no big deal Flashwing.' Said Bash, bringing his sandwich up to his mouth. But before he took a bite, he gave her a sweet smile. 'But thanks.'

Flashwing rested her head on her claw and sighed. Bash loved how she looked there. They both rested under the large open window of the tree-house, and the midday sun streamed in through it like golden silk. It covered Flashwing and made her purple crystals shimmer and sparkle. It caused his heart flutter a little, but not as much as when he was madly in love with her. 'How did you find this old tree-house anyways, Bashie?'

Bash smiled and shrugged. 'I just asked around. Apparently, this was where a lot of Life Skylanders used to like to hang out. They came here less and less over the years, but Camo said that this was still a pretty good place to chill in from time to time.'

Flashwing nodded, stretching herself to soak up the sun, as reptiles do. 'Mm, this place is actually pretty cool. I think we should totally come here more often.'

'Yeah, I guess we could.' Agreed Bash. He looked out the window; Whirlwind should be done by now. And sure enough, she was. 'Hey, would you look at that!' Bash said, pointing out the window.

'What?' Flashwing twisted to look out the window. She instantly saw it, and she gasped with joy. 'Oh, wow!'

A long ribbon of rainbow danced across the sky, forming long beautiful patterns for their viewing enjoyment. Zig-zags, loops, squiggles, all were formed with the dazzling streak of a rainbow. Bash constantly went back and forth between watching the show Whirlwind was putting on, and Flashwing's reaction. Her grey eyes followed Whirlwind and her rainbow keenly. As if Whirlwind was a professional dancer in the sky, and Flashwing the audience. 'I guess it is kind of an apt comparison.' Thought Bash.

'It's impressive how fast she's gotten.' He thought. Although considering the dragons she flies with on a regular basis (and the time-beloved pastime of friendly competition among Skylanders), he knew how she got so speedy.

He sighed. Usually, he would feel terribly envious when he saw someone fly like that. He would sulk over it, longing with all his heart to have his wings. Not this time, however. All feelings of envy were gone, being replaced with a steely determination instead. He couldn't afford to be envious, and he knew it. There was too much at stake to feel that way; Flashwing was too important to let his own personal wants take over.

So he sat there and quietly observed the two of them. When he looked over at Whirlwind, he hoped that she doesn't push herself too far with her flying. And when he watched over Flashwing, he silently admired the changes in her expression as she watched Whirlwind in the sky.

Terrafin used a thick, dried vine to tie a fat log to a long tree branch. With his makeshift punching bag ready for use, he curled his fists up and bombarded it with a flurry of punches. They came hard and fast. Uppercut, cross, hook, jab. Chips of bark flew left and right, some barely grazing his eyes. Nearby squirrels and rabbits ran out of fear for the mysterious boxing shark intruding on them. Soon, the log was barely covered in anything, most of the bark having been punched off. But he didn't care. He felt his anger rise up into his chest, and he let it all out with every punch. He imagined a face - the face of the one who drugged Flashwing - and with one last swing, snapped the vine and launched the log into a nearby bush.

Panting heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow. That made him feel a lot better. It cleared his head up significantly, but it did tire him out. He sat cross-legged on the grass and allowed the cool late-winter breeze to wash over him.

He leaned up to allow the wind to fully cool him. While doing so, he caught a glimpse of Whirlwind in the air. She practically danced up there, swooping and swirling gracefully. It was like watching a ribbon dancer up there; she was hypnotically mesmerizing.

Terrafin scoffed at her, the "conversation" earlier still fresh in his mind. She just loved to poke her nose into others business, didn't she? He didn't want to talk, that should have been obvious. Didn't he have the right to not talk? And shouldn't she have taken a hint? He grumbled and took to nursing his knuckles.

He ran one hand over the other, looking over at the scrapes and splinters. Immediately, the phrase "thinking with his fists" popped into his head. It was a familiar one. It was the phrase most brought up whenever he overhears students talking about him.

'Not that it bothers me.' He thought. The students had something to say about everyone. Most Skylanders didn't let it bother them at all.

But if what they said was true, it might be why he felt so… anxious. Was this being anxious? He had experienced this before. When someone tricked him during a mission, and he didn't know how it would go. He hated this feeling, it felt like he had lost a game before it was over. It made him feel… as much as heated to admit it, helpless.

He looked over his knuckles again. There may be plenty of splinters and scratches, and they may all sting a little, but they didn't truly feel painful. Not like they did when he first started boxing.

When he first started boxing, his knuckles would routinely bleed. Copious amounts of sports tape was used. Sure, he took it all on the chin, but it did hurt a lot. Over time, his skin had grown resistant to the pain, and now he was the great boxer that he was.

Boxing was the best thing he could do.

He stopped his thoughts there. No point in navel gazing now. Whirlwind would need some water soon, and he felt pretty thirsty too. Terrafin pulled himself off the ground and walked out of the small patch of forest.

Whirlwind landed clumsily, panting heavily. That was exhausting, but in a weird way, she enjoyed it. She didn't even know she could fly that fast. It must have been all that time spent racing Blades, Drobot, and Spyro.

But boy, was she tired now. Her wings felt sore and tired. Her horn gave her a numbing headache. And she was parched. She knew she brought a few bottles of water with her. Now, where were they?

'You looking for this?' Went a voice behind her. Whirlwind turned around and saw Terrafin stood there with two bottles of water.

Whirlwind smiled and walked up to him slowly. 'Thanks, Terrafin.'

Terrafin nodded, handing her a bottle. 'So, how did they like it?'

After a long swig of water, Whirlwind sighed satisfied and answered him. 'Don't know. Haven't checked on them yet.'

'How soon can you do it?' He asked.

'Just hold on.' She said. After she took a quick sip of water, she wiped some of it off her upper lip and shook and stretched her wings. 'Alright, I'm ready.'

With a quick flutter, she took off towards the treehouse. Slowly, she flew up to the large window until she found the couple. Flashwing had her head rested on Bash's back, as if he were a pillow. But despite his rough, spiky hide, she appeared to be extremely comfortable.

'Hey, Bash?' She whispered just loud enough to catch his attention. Bash turned his head to the window and greeted Whirlwind with a smile.

'How's the situation with Flashwing?' Asked Whirlwind.

'Doing alright. She's down for a little nap now. Afterwards, I brought some strawberry cream soda to drink. We can talk to each other about our adventures over it. How's Pop Fizz going?'

'We don't know honestly. But stick with that plan, it's good. We'll tell you when Pop Fizz is done.' Said Whirlwind. Bash nodded, and Whirlwind descended.

'So? How're things going?' Asked Terrafin, marching towards Whirlwind.

'He's got a plan to keep her entertained. Can you check with Pop Fizz to see how's the antidote preparation going? I kept your phone with the other stuff.' Said Whirlwind.

Terrafin nodded. 'I think I saw it earlier.' He said, and walked off towards the basket.

Whirlwind nodded her head and smiled a small smile. 'Thanks.' He was much calmer than earlier. Maybe it was the right time to apologize. 'Oh, and Terrafin?'

He turned around. 'Hm?'

'Sorry for probing earlier. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable just now.'

For the briefest of seconds, Whirlwind saw something in his eyes. A small glint of someone who had accepted her apology. Then, it was replaced with the manly look she was all too familiar with. 'Yeah, alright. You don't have to apologize. I'm a meathead and all that.' He then walked hastily towards his phone.

Whirlwind smiled. He still wasn't one-hundred percent comfortable with sharing his emotions, but that was progress. She knew that good communication took two, and if he improved a little, maybe she improved a little too.

If that really were the case, she hoped that she wouldn't regress.

'We're going to our last destination now, Flashwing. Are you excited?' Asked Bash.

'Totally Bash! I can't wait to see what you have planned at the end of such a fun day!' Squeed Flashwing. She bounced around slightly, causing their hot-air-balloon to shake a little.

'Whoa, calm down there ma'am.' Said their balloonist, holding onto his large, floppy hat. 'I would prefer to get you two to your date in one piece.'

'Right, sorry.' Flashwing blushed. She then wrapped Bash's arm affectionately and looked up at the starry night sky. 'Isn't that beautiful Bash?'

'Oh definitely,' Smiled Bash. He often heard that the night sky was filled with diamonds. Quite the metaphor for stars, but he understood where they were coming from. They sparkled like diamonds against the midnight blue sky, standing out like they were the beauty queens of nature.

He turned over to Flashwing and huddled her arm back. She was born from the stars. Maybe that was why the diamond metaphor was fresh in his mind. In his opinion, she was as beautiful as the stars she came from. But what truly made her stand out above them was the soul he got know too. Although vain and self-centered at times, she had a refined, stable grace and a pure heart that not many could replicate. She was generous with her time and possessions, and she never looked down on anyone simply because they were different. In some ways, she was a typical beauty queen, but in others, she wasn't. You couldn't pin her down exactly, and that enchanted him.

He looked over at Flashwing, and sighed. She had lost much of herself when she drank that love potion. 'I guess what they say is true.' He thought. 'You never know what you've got till it's gone.'

'Are we almost there?' Asked Flashwing. The blindfold had been tied over her eyes again, and Bash now led her along the rocky ground.

'Soon, Flashwing, soon.' Answered Bash, a wide grin spreading across his face. This was it, they were finally going to get Flashwing back! After all their planning for the day out, the things they did to get other Skylanders to fill their duties, even getting balloonists to ferry them around the whole day, it all led up to here. She would drink the potion, and they would get Flashwing back.

He walked up, until he finally saw them, decked out in tiny black bow-ties. The set-up looked great. Everything was in its place. 'Okay, Flashwing. You can remove the blindfold now.'

Immediately, she ripped it off and gasped in excitement. The set-up they had was simple, with a red checkered tablecloth on a round fold-out table, two fold-out chairs, and a small candle placed in the middle with a can filled with breadsticks. The cutlery consisted of party-themed paper plates and plastic forks and knives. Despite that, Flashwing thought it was gorgeous.

'Do you like it?' Asked Bash.

'Like it? I love it! It's so romantic, thank you!' She kissed him on the cheek.

'Well then,' Bash said, walking her towards the table. 'Let's finish this date with a bang.'

Whirlwind and Terrafin pulled out the chairs for them, while Pop Fizz read out the menu in his "fanciest" accent. 'So, tonight you two will be dining on the chef's specialty: PBJ sandwiches. But first, would you two like a drink?' He said, brandishing a jug of fruit punch.

'Oh, of course!' Said Flashwing. Pop Fizz proceeded to fill their glasses with punch.

'Ah, would you like some of our special punch spice ma'am? Your boyfriend said that it would be something you would love!' Said Pop Fizz, pulling out a small jar filled with transparent liquid from his satchel.

'Bash said that?' Said Flashwing. 'Well, if he recommends it, sure!'

Pop Fizz filled the cup with a bit of the potion, careful to not let the glass overfill. Then he walked off to prepare the "chef's specialty".

'Well, Flashwing, I guess this is it. Let's have a toast, shall we?' Said Bash, raising his glass. 'To love!'

Flashwing nodded and rose her glass. 'To love.'

But before they could drink, a sharp whistle was heard. For a split second, it was met with silence. Then, a long shadowy figure ran across their table, knocking over the cutlery, the candle, and their two glasses of punch onto the smooth stone ground.

'Wha-' Went Bash, as he hopped off his chair. Terrafin, Flashwing, and Whirlwind twisted around too and saw a shadowy beast. It looked to be a terrifying mix of a puma and a ram, with eyes as yellow as maize. It snarled menacingly at the Skylanders, as if he just found some prey.

'Good boy, Roadblock. Good boy!' Went a familiar voice. A small mabu woman walked towards the beast and stroked it. Bash squinted at the mabu woman, but didn't realize who she was until he looked closer. Everything clicked together, and he gasped.

She was the mabu who ferried them around for the past few days.

Chapter Text

'What?' Went Bash, shocked and surprised. 'How?'

'That's not important right now, is it? Now, unless you want my baby Roadblock to hurt you,' She stroked Roadblock gently with one hand, then stuck out the other. 'I would like that anti-love potion please.'

Bash held his tail up sharply, Terrafin balled his hands into fists, and Whirlwind fired up her horn. 'What makes you think we'd let you take this?' Asked Pop Fizz, clutching the jar of antidote closely.

'I didn't. But I thought it was worth a shot.' She sighed and shook her head. Daintily she climbed on top of her beast and gripped its horns tightly. 'Anyways, go on Roadblock. It's supper time!'

Immediately Roadblock pounced at them, hissing away. But before it could sink its sharp, yellow teeth into them, Terrafin punched it directly between its eyes.

'Get away, Pop Fizz! Take the potion with you!' He said before he turned his attention towards the shadowy beast again. It got up again, just as hungry and twice as agitated. Its rider was just as angry.

'Fine, if it's a fight you want,' she gripped Roadblock's horns tightly. 'Then it's a fight you'll have!'

'Bring it.' Terrafin cracked his knuckles and brandished his fists. Whirlwind fired up her horn, ready to charge at them. Flashwing raised her tail and adjusted her aim carefully. And Bash raised his tail, all set to attack.

For a moment, there was a pause, as everyone waited for someone to make the first move. The tension was thick. But it was shattered instantly when Flashwing summoned a large crystal lighthouse, and shot a beam of pure light at the two of them.

It hit them both. For a moment, Flashwing had them in her grasp, letting her blinding light completely engulf them. She channeled all her energy into the attack, to the point where even the rocky ground around them was ground to dust by pure light energy. Eventually, she could do it no longer, and stumbled to the ground. The crystal lighthouse itself crumbled into millions of shards afterward.

'Flashwing!' Yelled Bash. 'Pop Fizz! Why'd she collapse?'

'I-I think it has something to do with that particular move.' Said Pop Fizz. ' Does she use that one often?'

Bash shook his head. 'Don't think so.'

'That's it then.' He turned to face the cloud of dust falling in front of him. 'But those two should be defeated.'

But as the dust from the rocks cleared, the mabu and the shadow beast still sat there. They were severely weakened, and the mabu woman lost most of her fur. But both were still in one piece.

The mabu woman got up furiously blinking. 'It won't be easy to defeat my Roadblock. I made sure of it. I've spent the last couple years making sure that he was stronger than all my other prototypes.' She laughed, her mocking tone coating every square inch of her voice.

'Now,' she grunted as she pulled herself onto Roadblock. 'After them, my baby!' She yanked its horns tightly and thrust it forward. All Skylanders in its path immediately jumped out of the way, with Bash dragging Flashwing by the tail.

Whirlwind shot a healing rainbow at Flashwing, which woke her up. 'You okay?''Yeah, yeah, I think so.' Nodded Flashwing. Whirlwind reached for her claw and pulled her up. But when she did, Whirlwind immediately had to push Flashwing out of the way as Roadblock rammed at them again.

'You think you can fight?' Asked Whirlwind.

'I can probably shoot,' Said Flashwing. Whirlwind nodded, then motioned at Flashwing to get behind her.

Roadblock twisted around again to see the five Skylanders ready for a fight. Bash and Terrafin shifted their stances into something combat ready. Pop Fizz pulled out a variety of potions. And Whirlwind and Flashwing had their horns and tails aimed at Roadblock.

Roadblock snorted at them, prepared to charge again. The mabu curled her lips, scarily eager to charge at them. Her keen face, her lack of fur, all the grass stains and smudged makeup from the day's event, they all culminated when she climbed on Roadblock. It all made her look mad.

The mad mabu yanked at Roadblock's horns, commanding it to charge forward again. This time, however, the Skylanders were ready for it. As it rushed towards them, Pop Fizz tossed an ice potion at it. It shattered at its feet, and ice formed at its feet, freezing it in place. It tried to pull itself out, with the mabu aggressively tugging at its horns, but the ice had frozen it well in place. The Skylanders immediately rushed towards the beast, ready to finish it off.

The mabu, however, refused to give up, and hopped off Roadblock. As the Skylanders rushed towards Roadblock, she reached inside it and pulled out a leather pouch.

Bash noticed, and ran towards her. But she had pulled out a flask and tossed it at him. From the bottle, a pillar of flames rose, barely scorching Bash.

'Bashie!' Called Flashwing. How dare she hurt her precious Bashie! She aimed her tail at her head, and shot out a barrage of crystals.

The mabu woman dodged just in time, but Flashwing didn't give up. She carried on sniping, vicious and angry. Wherever the mabu ran to, she shot. There wasn't a place where the mabu could run and hide; Flashwing always caught up.

With the mabu occupied, the others focused on Roadblock. Terrafin and Whirlwind unleashed their attacks, aiming with precision and force. But Bash, upon his first swing, noticed a crack in the ice. 'Pop Fizz, do you have any more ice potions?'

Pop Fizz scoured his bag, but looked up empty-handed. 'Nope.' He shook his head.

Bash nodded, then resumed his attacks. But with every swing, he increased in force. Every hit was aimed at the same place, and within minutes he managed to open a wound. But the ice was cracking fast. At this point, everyone knew that. And though Pop Fizz has joined in by throwing acidic potions at the beast, it still wasn't enough to cause great damage.

The four worked faster and faster, but Roadblock was mere seconds from breaking free. Bash knew he had to do something quick. Anything. The ice looked as fragile as could be. All Skylanders involved racked their brains for a plan. But before they could, the ice shattered.

Instinct took over for a moment. Bash pounded the ground, sending a stone uppercut at Roadblock. It tossed Roadblock in the air, giving them a little more time to think of a plan. But not enough, for Roadblock came plummeting down fast after the nods. But Bash sent another uppercut at him, which launched it up again. Then another. And another. And another.

'Okay, guys, anyone got a plan?' Asked Bash. Roadblock came down again, and yet another uppercut threw it up.

'I don't think we can even plan on how to defeat this thing.' Said Whirlwind.

'Honestly, I think so too.' Agreed Terrafin. 'It's way too strong to be taken out with a strategic plan. We should keep going and try to wear it down with everything we've got.'

'What about you, Pop Fizz?' Bash turned to face him.

Pop Fizz didn't say anything in return. He merely opened his satchel and pulled out a small flask filled with a violet liquid. 'I have a small temporary plan. But you have to let him go.' He pulled the cork off the flask.

Bash nodded, sensing where this was going. As Roadblock went down again, he gave it one last uppercut, then turned to Pop Fizz. 'Now!'

Pop Fizz downed the flask's contents, and the change was instantaneous. His light fur color darkened into a navy blue. His yellow eyes turned purple and crazed. His teeth and fangs grew longer and sharper. And his size multiplied tenfold. So much so that when Roadblock came crashing down again, Pop Fizz could catch it by merely extending his hand out.

Pop Fizz went berserk on Roadblock. He tossed it about. Squeezed it. Twisted it. Banged it against the hard rocky ground. Even swung it around by the tail as if it were a toy. Everyone thought that this would finish the beast off for good. So much so that they sat and cheered for Pop to finish it off.

Soon Pop Fizz was almost done winding it up by the tail. He twisted it up good, and was almost ready to throw it. It had obtained a fresh set of scratches and bruises, but everyone involved was certain that it would be defeated if Pop Fizz kept up being a berserker.

But just as he was about to let go, the potion wore off. Pop Fizz gave out a large belch and instantly popped back into his tiny gremlin form. Roadblock was dropped in its head, but it soon recovered from the brief shock. When it did, it turned its attention towards Pop Fizz, snarling and drooling like a wolf.

'Niiiice kitty…' Pop Fizz attempted to calm Roadblock down. From the distance, the mabu woman laughs before giving a yelp of pain. That same yelp of pain cane from Roadblock too, as a series of rainbows came raining down on it.

'While you were in berserker mode, I called for backup!' Yelled Whirlwind. 'They should be here anytime soon, but we need to keep it distracted for now.'

Pop Fizz nodded, then reached into his satchel to take out another potion to toss.

The battle carried on. Flashwing ran after the mabu woman, sniping away. Terrafin delivered a series of furious punches, then with a mighty growl summoned a frenzy of mini-sharks to aid in the battle. They bit Roadblock like piranhas, latching onto its ears and tail.

Whirlwind had summoned some aid too in the form of storm clouds. They shot out white streaks of lightning at Roadblock. Combined with rainbows of doom, the air around Roadblock was filled with attacks.

Pop Fizz first threw another ice potion at the beast, freezing it in place. He then tossed any offensive potion he had in his arsenal. He kept his satchel well-stocked for moments like that. Anything he could find, whether the gave an electric shock or the sensation of a bee's sting was tossed onto Roadblock with precision. With its legs encased in ice, there was no way it could fight back.

And Bash swung his heavy, spiked tail at the beast. He and Terrafin had to look out for any wayward potions or lightning bolts that could accidentally hit the other. His tail pounded against Roadblock fiercely, hitting its back with fierce force. Every swing was aimed at the exact same spot. Every hit gave Roadblock a tiny bit of damage.

Every attack did not hurt Roadblock much. But they could wear it out bit by bit.

Just like before, the ice cracked soon enough. But this time, Pop Fizz had pulled out another ice potion in advance. 'This is my last flask, but reinforcements should arrive soon, right?' Whirlwind nodded.

Pop Fizz turned back to the battle and found himself looking at the ice. Bold cracks had started to form on it again. The trap was mere seconds from shattering. 'Stand back everyone!' He yelled, holding up the flask.

Everyone took a step back, leaving only a few storm clouds expelling lightning at Roadblock. Pop Fizz then threw the flask. A fresh layer of ice grew at Roadblock's legs. Once it did, all ran back and carried on spamming their attacks.

Merely a few feet away from the battle, Flashwing held her tail up at the mabu woman. Though the mabu had been run ragged by her chasing, Flashwing refused to let up. How dare she try to harm her Bashie! She shot a series of sharp crystals at her again, but once again, the mabu woman ran off before a hit could be made.

The mabu was surprisingly nimble for her species. Though parts of her clothes had been shredded by crystals, she had exhibited great agility against a notorious sharpshooter like Flashwing. 'That skill level could only be obtained by months of training!' Thought Flashwing, as she sent out another stream of purple crystals. 'If she didn't try to stop our date and hurt Bashie, she would have made a great Skylander.'

The mabu tucked and rolled, and Flashwing followed. She managed to make a couple hits before the mabu rolled towards the table. There, the mabu pushed the tablecloth and utensils off and picked the table up. She gripped the leg and faced Flashwing with her new makeshift shield. Once safe from constant crystals, she slipped a hand into her pouch and pulled out a small, red flask.

With a cocky smirk, she threw the potion at Flashwing, eager to watch her burn at last. But though the mabu was nimble and quick, so was Flashwing. She dodged out of the way and landed a few feet away from the resulting blast of flames. She cocked her head over to face the mabu and raised her tail in fury. She felt too weak to perform any other attacks. But when all she felt was pure protective rage blazing in her heart, the thought of taking even a moment to rest didn't even cross her mind.

They carried on their little battle, the mabu throwing tiny flasks of fire at Flashwing. And Flashwing trying to shoot crystals around and above the table. But every one of their attacks was dodged or shielded away, and they were for the most part at a stalemate.

The same, however, could not be said for the team fighting Roadblock. Though they spammed it with as many of their attacks as possible, they barely made scratches on it. It was on its way to breaking out of its icy trap too. Every punch. Every rainbow shot. Every potion thrown. Every swing. It all felt like they were done in vain. With every second that passed, the feeling grew.

But they couldn't give up! The beast and mabu were a threat. Not just to them, but to the rest of Skylands should they escape. As Skylanders, it was their duty to defend the defenseless, and that included preventing threats like this.

So they pressed on, though they felt hopeless and tired. Holding out for reinforcements wasn't easy; it never was. But by Eon's beard, it wasn't something you give up on.

They carried on spamming their attacks, though the ice continued to chip and crack. They worried in their hearts, but they carried on determined. The ice cracked, and Roadblock inched closer and closer to freedom.

Just as it was about to pull out of the icy trap, a beam of ice shot between the Skylanders and at Roadblock's feet. The blast froze it in place again, and the Skylanders turned around with relieved smiles.

Reinforcements had arrived.

'Keeping it cool.' Said Freeze Blade, as he high-fived Camo. 'Is this the beast you were talking about Whirlwind?'

'It is. Thanks for coming on such short notice, guys.' She smiled.

'No problem.' Zap nodded, then skidded over to Roadblock. 'Now ride the lightning, you beast!' He yelled.

Streams of white lightning poured out of his mouth, shocking Roadblock. It's shadowy body rose in a manner similar to fur as electricity ran through it. It let out a scream; the first sound of agony it made that battle. But once the outpour of electricity had been released, it continued trying to break free from his trap. Its attempt was short-lived, however. Once Zap let out his barrage of lightning, the other Skylanders chipped in.

Terrafin, Bash, and Barbella ran up to Roadblock, being the melee fighters. With the addition of Barbella, the battle was marginally easier. She used her boulder barbells with finesse, managing to channel all her strength into pounding Roadblock hard. With every few pounds, she would summon a giant rock to toss at the beast. With grace and strength, every attack hit the beast effectively.

In the distance were, Whirlwind and Pop Fizz, along with newcomers Zap, Camo, Freeze Blade, and Torch. While Whirlwind summoned more storm clouds, Pop Fizz threw more potions and Zap let out a steadier stream of lightning than before. Camo grew his explosive melons, carefully tossing them through the gaps at Roadblock. Torch, however, try as she might, could not find an opening to shoot flames through.

But as a melon flew past her and through the chaos up front to land on Roadblock, an idea popped into her head. 'Camo!' She called out. Camo cocked his head to face her, still tossing a melon towards Roadblock.

She smiled and propped her flamethrower up. 'Wanna give those melons a little more firepower?' She asked, a wry tone in her voice.

Camo grinned, excited at where this was going. 'Definitely!' He nodded, and with a flick of his tail, a patch of exploding melons grew around him.

He tossed one in the air towards Roadblock, just as before. But just before it passed by the other Skylanders in front, Torch shot a small flame at it. Like she predicted, the melon was set ablaze, and it was tossed between the other Skylanders onto Roadblock. The moment the melon hit Roadblock, the melon exploded. Unlike the melon's usual explosion, where pulp and seeds would spray everywhere, a small combustion of flames occurred once the melon hit Roadblock. No one was hurt by it except for the beast.

Her plan worked beautifully. And with a nod from Camo, they carried on doing it. With both their sharp aims, they managed to keep sending a steady, consistent series of flaming melons towards the beast. Luckily for them, there was always a gap big enough for the flaming melon to pass through without harming another Skylander.

The same could not be said for Freeze Blade. Ever since the start of the battle, he had circled around everyone else, throwing his chakram through any gaps between the attacking Skylanders. The battle up front was messy and busy, with every gap between the Skylanders to Roadblock opening and closing just as fast. Though Freeze Blade had a decent aim, even he had limitations.

He skated around, searching top to bottom to try and find a way through. As he scanned the area, he noted that the icy trap encasing Roadblock's feet was cracked and chipped again. To the point where if Roadblock were to give itself a good pull, it could break free.

He swiftly skated forward and scanned the lower area. The mess of legs and attacks made it hard to find an opening through. But after much skating around and scanning, he found a tiny entrance. With a determined gaze, he took a deep breath and focused on the spot. Instantly, a beam of ice magic was shot out, and it sailed between the Skylanders' legs, and right at Roadblock's feet again. Thus, it continued to remain frozen in place.

The fight continued, with every Skylander fighting hard. It was a battle everyone had to grind through. Roadblock had been significantly weakened, but it still had enough fight in it to keep going. Every so often, Freeze Blade had to shoot another blast of ice magic at its feet. But as they wore down Roadblock slowly, they also wore themselves out.

They still pushed on, as experienced warriors do. But they grew increasingly ragged as they did. Terrafin, Whirlwind, and Bash especially. They had been fighting physically for a while, and the only thing that kept them pushing forward was sheer will. Bash summoned any strength left in him and pounded against Roadblock's side. He nimbly moved his head to avoid being hit by a flaming watermelon and watched as it smashed against the shadowy beast. Roadblock, upon being hit by the melon, screamed out in agony for the second time in battle.

It was mere minutes away from being defeated. They all knew it. All they needed now to finish it off for good was a little more push. Maybe if they had a little more additional help from someone, they could defeat it faster, but none of them could slip away and call other Skylanders to help out. No one else could fight for them now. Maybe Flashwing, but she was…

What was Flashwing doing? Bash knocked at Roadblock's side again, before he did a quick scan of the area around them. In the corner of his eye, he saw Flashwing, still locked in a battle with the mabu woman.

He gazed at her from the distance, watching the way she moved around. She had the cold, steely look of a sniper in her eyes. With her tail pulled out and constantly shooting crystals at the mabu and her table-shield, she would side-step all the potions thrown at her. No matter how big the column of flames that rose would be, she wouldn't even flinch. She just did it all with that determined stare. If looks could bring someone to their knees, Flashwing would have won the battle a long time ago.

But he took too long in his head, and although Roadblock was frozen in place, its neck could still stretch out.

'Augh!' Suddenly, Bash felt a sharp pain around his neck. When he tried to twist around to see what caused it, he saw Roadblock's beady yellow eyes staring right back at him. Its jaw was clamped tight around his neck.

Bash felt the pressure pushed into his neck, sharp yellow teeth piercing through his scales. Everyone had heard his cry of pain and rushed to his aid. No matter if the fought melee or long-ranged, they all dropped what they did and came up to him immediately. They all tried to pry the jaws open, but Roadblock had been stronger than any of them had expected. Although it had been worn down by attack after attack, it was still terribly strong.

The pain poked through Bash's neck like a skewer through meat. Soon, a trickle of some sort of liquid ran down from where Roadblock bit him. He tried to pull himself away from its jaw, but it clamped him tightly. His struggle to pull out of its jaw only made the pain worse, and he ended up staying as still as he could while everyone else pulled the jaw off him.

But in the midst of all the chaos, with the Skylanders yelling at each other to 'Do this!' and 'Help me here!', he heard a loud thump.

He could hardly turn to see what it was. He didn't need to, though. Immediately after the thump, a bright purple light hit him in the face. Hardly anything could be seen then. The only thing visible to him through the glaring neon light was the thinning outline of Roadblock.

He tried to gaze around, but all he could see were the outlines of Skylanders. Most shielded their eyes from the burning light, and those that didn't stood there in surprise. His vision blurred up, a side effect of staring at the light. In an attempt to clear it up, he sealed his eyes shut. For a moment, all he saw were colored spots against a dark background. The violet light leaked into his eyes despite his efforts. One of the few sensory reminders he had of the battle. The other was the agonizing scream that roared into his ear.

But once the scream was let out, the crushing pressure he felt on his neck disappeared. The teeth were yanked out of his neck quickly. It left a sharp, painful feeling in its place. But as Bash's body hit the floor, he put two and two together and realized who was doing the attacks.

Soon, the scream stopped. The violet light that leaked into his closed eyes faded away, and he opened his eyes slowly. A few spots from the blinding light blurred his vision. But he could still see the movements of everyone else. The Skylanders walking around checking on each other. The mabu woman attempting to run away, but someone running after her and pinning her arm behind her back. Flashwing running towards him, grey eyes wide with worry and relief. And a smudge of black where Roadblock once stood, surrounding what looked like a tiny shadowy wisp.

'Why did you do it?' Asked Terrafin, rubbing his knuckles. By Eon's beard, they were sore.

There was an awkward moment of silence as everyone expected her to speak, but no sound came from the mabu woman. She simply kneeled before them, a Skylander pinning her arms down on either side.

A minute passed, but she still stubbornly refused to speak. Terrafin groaned. Playing bad cop may be instinctual to him, but even he couldn't force someone to talk if they refused to.

He lightly nudged her head. 'If you give a good enough reason, we may give you a lighter punishment.'

'I don't care about what you throw at me.' Grunted the mabu; the first thing she's spoken since her defeat. 'I just want justice to be served.'

'What kind of justice are you talking about? All that stuff with the shadow beast was pretty loony behavior to me.' Said Pop Fizz, as he investigated the glass jar in his hand.

The beast had been reduced down to a little wisp since its defeat, but it was fascinating to watch. It had the effect of a lava lamp, where although it seemed weightless in the jar, it looked like it had some sort of mass. He wasn't entirely sure why; that brand of magic always seemed like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to him. But though he preferred his potions to… whatever it was the mabu did, he knew some other Skylanders who would enjoy analyzing something like the shadowy beast.

The mabu rolled her eyes. 'Says you. Besides, I wanted justice for what I faced. Something that I knew none of you could ever help me with.'

She cleared her throat, then glared at everyone with a victimizing look in her eyes.

'I applied to join Skylander Academy several years back. Back then, I had a wonderful skill set. I was certain that I would get in. Besides being proficient in potions, I had a gift in biological engineering. I was a shoe-in.' She explained, a sentimental tone in her voice.

'But then, when I got my letter, instead of the acceptance letter I deserved, all I got was a slip saying I wasn't qualified. Me! Not qualified. The thought is ridiculous, really.' She spat, her voice sour as an old lemon.

'But that wasn't what got me,' She continued. 'What got me was the reasons. "Besides having no format combat experience, she did not communicate well with others during the interview."'

Her lips were stretched into an angry frown. 'The first reason I can understand, but I know my Skylanders. Hardly anyone is a good communicator, yet you dare put it as a requirement to enter your Academy?' She groaned in disgust. 'How hypocritical.'

'So, I used whatever skills I had to try and enact revenge. At first, I used an old factory to house my creations, but it got broken into and my work got stolen. So I had to start again from the ground up. It wasn't easy, but since those shadow beings were only prototypes, I was able to make Roadblock better than all of them.'

'Then what was the deal with the love potion?' Asked Whirlwind, her horn glowing with the colors of the rainbow. The mabu's nerve was unbelievably strong. Not many people they come across suffer humiliating defeats, get interrogated by a team of Skylanders, and still attempted to sound cool and dignified.

The mabu snorted, as if she found the whole situation a hilarious joke. 'That,' She said. 'Was to expose your hypocrisy. You may not know this, but everyone else in Skylands knows about your little crush on Flashwing.' She spat at Bash. 'At least, everyone who pays attention to you Skylanders. Like I did.'

'You two are notorious for not being honest with each other about your feelings. It was honestly pretty annoying. But since the Skylander had wronged me, and I was more than proficient in the art of potion brewing, I figured that it would be a good time to use my skills for something actually worthwhile. And then bringing Roadblock over as backup. It was a foolproof plan to take down a corrupt organization.' The certainty in her voice was unsettling.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up.' Said Pop Fizz with palms held up. 'So your idea of justice for not getting into the Academy was to get revenge by not just brewing a taboo potion. Not just using personal info against us. Not just by sticking a giant shadow beast on us. But you thought that attacking a small part of us would do any harm to the Skylanders overall?'

'Well, you guys are exceptionally close to one another.' She reasoned. While that was true, Pop Fizz didn't think that was enough to cause the downfall of the Skylanders. Her plan had some glaring logical flaws in it.

'So, you admit you're guilty of trying to kill us?' Asked Terrafin.

The mabu smiled. 'Yes.'

'You'll be headed off to Cloudcracker then.' He motioned at her to get up, and she obeyed with a defeated smile. Then they, along with two other Skylander - Freeze Blade and Torch - walked off to the balloon stand.

Bash watched them walk off, the comforting feeling of overcoming a danger-filled situation. But suddenly, he remembered an important task they had yet to do. Flashwing still hadn't drunk her antidote yet.

'Pop Fizz, do you still have the anti-love potion?' He asked.

Pop Fizz nodded, then reached into his leather satchel and dug about. He finally pulled out a small glass jar with a clear liquid in it, and passed it to Bash. After a nod of thanks, Bash turned to Flashwing and pressed the jar into her open claw.

'Drink this. It'll be good for you.' Flashwing nodded earnestly. She twisted the jar open and downed the clear contents.

Bash watched her carefully as she did, observing all the little changes to her facial structure as the antidote did its magic. He saw how her face smoothened up into a beauty he was familiar with. He saw her body relax, as if she were finally letting her guard down. Upon closer inspection, he even saw the color change in her eyes. That blue circle he once thought was a natural part of her faded away. It left behind only the grey, but it didn't make it duller. On the contrary, it made her look more alive and soulful. Less like a creepy doll, and more like her usual self.

She collapsed soon after emptying the jar, falling heavily on the ground. Bash picked her up as gently as he could, and attempted to nestle her in his arms. 'Flashwing? Flashwing, are you alright?'

For a while, there was no response. Bash felt his heart pound faster with fear as every second passed. But soon, Flashwing stirred again, much to the relief of everyone. 'Bash?' She whispered.

Bash heaved a happy sigh of relief. 'Yeah?'

Flashwing thinned her mouth. 'Did all that really happen?' She croaked.

Bash couldn't answer that. Not with words. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her in for a hug. There the two sat, both too frightened, shocked, relieved, and tired to say anything more.

Chapter Text

Bash woke up the next day feeling tired. Every part of him hurt, from his head to his toes, to his heart. The events of the last night were still fresh in his brain, and though he had a few questions, he had no burning desire to find answers to them. All he wanted to do was to stay in bed and sleep it all off. He had been fighting with the Skylanders for years. Sometimes, he had to fight an enemy late into the night. He's done it multiple times in the past. Yet he never got used to the exhaustion the next day brought.

This time it was especially taxing. Normally, he wasn't emotionally drained along with his physical weariness. But this time, he felt tired everywhere.

As he slept, his subconscious mind thought over what the mabu woman said about them. He knew that many people kept track of what the Skylanders did. But he thought that the only people who really cared about them were young fans and weirdos who read the tabloids. He had been certain that most of the things people talked about were rumors and lies anyways. But the things the mabu woman said last night weren't that far off the mark, upon further introspection.

How did they even get that information in the first place?

It doesn't matter. The entire situation was just a huge mess. One that he does not feel like dealing with at all.

He crawled out from under his blanket and sat at the edge of his bed. With a sigh, he took a look at the world outside his window. What did it look like on this fine day?

Bash had left his curtains unopened, and outside, the early morning sky was a cooling blue color. A few long, grey clouds filled up the sky, blocking the rising sun from the view. It was probably going to rain soon. For some reason, Bash turned his attention to the ground when the thought of rain popped into his head. Maybe it was because he had associated the rain with puddles. Whatever the reason, he had managed to find some strength, and crawled out of his bed to walk towards his window. The Earth element rooms were on the ground floor, which left him in a decent position to study the ground. So there he stood, trying his best to make out the environment in the dark.

His window faced a great grassy field. That was all there was; grass. There was nothing else there to obstruct his view. No artificial lights or buildings or anything. The only things to really see down there were overgrown grass, a few patches of weeds, and several puddles scattered about.

Puddles. There was no more snow on the ground. It had all melted. Bash sighed. To many others, Winter would be over due to the lack of snow. But to his cold-blooded self, it would probably still be freezing outside.

Maybe that's what caused all his recent moodiness. All this cold weather.

He sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't really matter now." That must have been the second time he thought that that morning. He really ought to stop self-pitying and get out there soon.

Was he self-pitying though?

"Not really…" He thought. Sure, he felt tired. And he definitely felt sad. But he didn't feel sorry for himself. Rather, there was another feeling taking self-pity's place. It was… a lot warmer than self-pity, that was for sure. It felt comforting, similar to the way a warm cup of tea and a freshly-ironed blanket felt while a wild storm poured outside. "Relief." The word finally popped into his head. He was relieved.

He had felt relieved before, but there was also something else nagging at him from the inside. He instantly identified that feeling too. Concern; like the desire to check on anyone else who had also been caught in the storm. Then wanting to put a blanket around them. And then make them a cup of tea.

He pushed his door open, feeling a little bit happier. He knew what he should do now. Firstly, get his morning routine going. A shower, brush his teeth, all that jazz. After that, he should talk to Terrafin, Pop Fizz, Whirlwind, and most importantly, Flashwing. It was time to give some closure to this little episode. Time to actually be there and show actual love and support. Time to serve up a cup of tea.

He entered the dining hall to the sight of filled tables. He supposed that he did come in pretty late, but he was certain that he could find a seat. But first, he needed to get his breakfast.

Sure enough, he soon found, coincidentally enough, the table where, Whirlwind, Pop Fizz, Terrafin, and Flashwing sat. Whirlwind spotted Bash approaching them and waved at him with a small smile. Bash smiled back and walked towards them. He placed his plastic bowl of sausage on the table with a soft plunk and slid into his seat.

'Morning, guys,' Said Bash. As everyone else replied to his greeting, he took a bite of his meal.

'You came just in time, Bash. Terrafin was about to tell us all what happened to Lavender.' Said Whirlwind.

Bash looked up from his bowl of food, mouth stuffed full of sausage. 'Lavender? Who's that?' He asked, bits of sausage spitting out. 'Sorry 'bout that.'

'That's the mabu from last night,' Replied Terrafin, flicking a chunk of sausage off his arm. 'So, when we brought her to Cloudcracker, she just confessed all the things she did to Snap Shot with no regrets. She just smiled and said to lock her up. I think she might be crazy.'

'She really said that? Just went up and told Snap Shot to put her in jail?' Said Whirlwind, a brow raising.

'It was more like, "Lock me up. It's not like I have anything left to do now." or something like that.'

Bash nodded, then turned towards Flashwing. She had been pretty quiet that morning. He didn't blame her though. It can't be easy for her to process everything. Especially after being poisoned by a love potion. (Love-poisoned?)

He looked back down at his breakfast. Still a few sausages left. His eyes then darted over to all the plates of his friends. All of them, except for Flashwing, were almost finished with their meal.

That meant two things. Either they were all going to wait for them to finish, or they would leave early and leave the two of them alone together at the table.

As Pop Fizz guzzled down another bottle of soda, Terrafin chomped down on the last bits of his waffle and Whirlwind finished her fruit salad. 'Well, guys, Master Eon said that he wanted to meet the three of us in order to properly record the incident. He says to rest well, and remember not to neglect your duties next time.' Said Whirlwind, picking up her bowl. Guess it'll be the latter.

Bash nodded. 'We'll see you guys soon, then.' Whirlwind nodded and flew off with her bowl. Terrafin and Pop Fizz tagged along beside her.

Bash sank back into his seat and grabbed a sausage. He tore a chunk off with his teeth, and as he chewed, he gazed over at Flashwing.

Her large grey eyes were unfocused. Like she was staring off into space. She spun her spoon idly, her bowl of cereal remaining mostly untouched. The colorful bits floated around the milk, getting soggier by the minute, but she didn't seem to care. Eventually, Bash tapped her on the shoulder, his concern taking over him. 'Hey, Flashwing. You okay?'

Flashwing snapped out of her dazed state with a few blinks. She turned to Bash and sighed. 'Yes, I'm alright. There's just a lot to process now. Especially with, you know, what went down last night.'

'Mm…' Bash nodded. 'How… how do you feel right now?'

Flashwing dipped her spoon into her cereal and scooped some out. 'Tired, mainly. I feel a little drained too. Like I don't want to do much right now.' She popped the spoon in her mouth.

'I feel pretty tired too.' Said Bash, taking another bite of his sausage. 'And… and I feel kinda sad too, to be honest.'

Flashwing nodded and scooped out another mouthful of cereal. 'I understand where you're coming from.' She ate up another spoonful of cereal. The soggy crunching noises once again filled her mouth. For a moment, that was the only sound made between the two of them. The conversation had ended, and they had nothing else to say. The conversation probably could have ended right there.

But soon, the crunching stopped. Flashwing couldn't bring herself to do anything. Not lift her jaw to chew, or even to swallow. She just sat there, her emotions and thoughts buzzing in her mind again while half-eaten cereal filled her mouth. After a few seconds, Bash noticed the sudden lack of soft chewing sounds and turned to face Flashwing again. 'Flashwing, is there something on your mind?' He asked.

Flashwing swallowed her cereal, having been snapped back to reality. She then dunked her spoon into the bowl with a small splash. She didn't feel all that hungry anymore. With a sigh, she turned to meet Bash in the eye. 'Bash, do you really want to know why I've been ignoring all your advances?' She asked. Her grey eyes seemed to demand him to ask. Like she had a thought that had been brewing in her mind for awhile now, and she finally got to say it.

'Erm, sure thing. Go ahead.'

There was a moment of silence like Flashwing was collecting her thoughts. She stirred her cereal, creating a tiny whirlpool in it. Bash found himself looking at it, the swirling motion of the milk with tiny miscellaneous shapes mixed in hypnotizing him. Finally, Flashwing spoke, taking him out of his trance.

'Alright, it wasn't that I didn't like you. I think you're a great friend. You're a heroic Skylander and a resilient fighter. It's just that…' She paused, biting her bottom lip. 'I'm not attracted to you.'

For a moment, Bash felt his heart stop. It felt disconnected from everything for just the tiniest nanosecond. But that feeling soon stopped. He had been anticipating Flashwing's rejection all night. This was no surprise. 'Mm, I see.'

'You're not upset by that, are you?' She asked, almost out of obligation. She had a tense look to her, as if she desperately wanted this awkward situation to be over as soon as possible. Have everything go according to the plan in her head, then let all bygones be bygones. Bash didn't blame her for feeling that way.

'No, not really.' He said, twiddling his thumbs. 'But I do want to know one thing.'

'Yeah?'

'Why didn't you just tell me that?'

Flashwing dipped her spoon into the bowl and scooped a spoonful of cereal out. Classic tactic; eating to avoid talking. Bash followed after her, reaching for another sausage and taking a big bite out of it. They both chewed equally slowly.

Eventually, Flashwing swallowed and sighed. Better get this out of the way now. 'Well, it's stupid, but I didn't want you to be disappointed.'

And just like that, the words flowed out. 'I don't know. I guess it's because you're nice and sensitive. I didn't want to be that mean girl. You seemed like the type to get your heart broken easily, and I thought that you might just get over it after a while. But you didn't, and by then I started to really like you as a friend. And then I didn't want to ruin our friendship, especially since you were the first one to find me when I crashed over here. And, well…' She stopped, unsure of what to say next. Once she said it out loud, she thought it did sound kind of stupid. But she was glad to finally get that weight off her chest. And fortunately, Bash got the gist of it.

'Yeah, I see.' They both sat there in silence for a while, taking a few bites out of their cereal and sausages. But then a thought popped into Bash's head. Since Flashwing shared her feelings with him, it really would only be fair if he shared his feelings with her.

'Well,' He began. 'I thought that you weren't aware of my crush. That was why I kept giving you all those gifts and such. I thought that you would appreciate those gestures. But now that I know you're not interested…' He paused. 'I understand now.'

Once again, after he shared his feelings, there was an awkward period of silence as the two of them ate. This really was too easy to resolve. All they needed to do was just… talk like that. It was a little awkward, and it wasn't a walk in the park, but it wasn't too difficult once they got over themselves. To think, if they had done it earlier, they really could have avoided all the trouble with Lavender and her love potion...

Never mind that. That's in the past. They should move on.

The two were close to finishing their meals. By that time, the dining hall was fairly empty. Most Skylanders had already left for their missions. Bash didn't know what to spend the rest of the day doing. Maybe train? Yes, that's what he should do. He hasn't done that in a week.

Holy cow, he hasn't done it in a week.

That little episode really did waste a lot of time.

He sighed and ate up the last of his sausage. Well, no point crying over spilled milk. Now he has to focus on training. He turned over to face Flashwing, who was also about to finish her breakfast. 'Want me to clear that up for you?' He asked.

'Oh, sure. Thanks.' Said Flashwing. 'I have to go now. Hope to see you soon, Bash.' She smiled, pushing in her chair. 'Bye.'

'Bye.' Replied Bash softly. He grabbed her bowl, balanced it on his plate, then made his way to the sink.

As he walked over, he looked down at the bowl. Out of sheer coincidence, or maybe just plain luck, the only pieces left in the bowl were an "X" and an "O". Bash couldn't help but snicker at that. What were the odds?

But as he arrived at the sink, he dumped out the two pieces into a nearby garbage can. No point in holding onto that. He needed to get over it. He wanted to get over it. To just let it remain in the past. As he arrived at the sink, he took the sponge out, squirted a little soap on it, and began to scrub both plates clean, whistling while he worked.

Life was fine.