While attempting to recover his Dark Portal Master powers, Kaos uses a spell that somehow switches him with a different Kaos from another reality. Now Kaos must figure out how to return to his world, and Glumshanks has to find out what happened to his Kaos.
- A little bit of abuse. And implied torture. It's a little fucked up.
(In Mainline World...)
“Today is the day, Glumshanks!” Kaos announced.
He opened a large, old book on his desk and flipped through its pages, smiling the whole time. Glumshanks cautiously walked up behind his master and peered over his shoulder (which was not hard to do).
“You've been saying that all day, Lord Kaos...” Glumshanks said.
“Yes, I know. Because it's true. Can't an evil mastermind gloat a bit before executing his master plan?” he replied, still flipping through the book.
“Of course you can, sir. I was just wondering when this, uh, master plan is going to happen?”
“Right now!”
Kaos pointed at the page he had finally flipped to. The one he was looking for the whole time. Glumshanks couldn't quite understand what it was (he wasn't very good with the magic stuff his master did) but it looked like a very powerful spell. That fact made him concerned.
“A-Are you sure this is a good idea, Lord Kaos?” the troll asked, “I mean, your powers still haven't fully returned. This could be too much for you.”
“Nonsense, Glumshanks! This is the perfect test of my magical aptitude, which I already know is flawless, but now I have a way of proving it!” Kaos replied, his excitement coursing through his every word.
The Dark Portal Master hovered his hands over the book and began reciting the spell inside. He felt his power flow through his veins and to his fingertips as he spoke. Magical energy flickered between his hands and the pages, growing stronger and brighter with every word. Glumshanks took a step back.
“Yes, yes! It's working! ...Not that I ever had a doubt, of course,” Kaos turned to look at his butler, “Now, Glumshanks, I don't want any interruptions during this very important recital, so go make yourself useful in any room other than here.”
“Uh, okay... What should I do?” Glumshanks asked.
“I don't know and I don't care!” Kaos snapped, “Just go make some tea or something!”
“A-Alright...”
Glumshanks sheepishly left the room, and as soon as he was gone Kaos turned back to his book. He took a deep breath, smiled a very evil smile, and continued reciting the spell...
(In Academy World...)
Kaos paced in his guest castle, muttering something about those stupid Skylamers. Glumshanks watched as the little man huffed around the room. A part of him was glad Kaos was spending his time doing whatever this was, but another part of him knew it was only a matter of time until his master came up with another ridiculous plan and forced him to be a part of it. Suddenly, Kaos stopped pacing and whipped around to face his butler.
“GLUMSHANKS!” he snapped.
“Yes, sir? What is it?” Glumshanks asked, knowing what was to come.
Kaos didn't like the tone his servant had. His face showed that distaste, “Stop sulking, Glummy, and help me come up with a plan to destroy the Skylanders.”
“But Kaos, I thought you were the brains of this operation. I'm just the slave-- I mean servant.”
“Well, yeah, you're not wrong exactly, but...uh...” he couldn't come up with a good rebuttal to his servant. Glumshanks stared at him, waiting for a response. The blank stare he was giving only frustrated him more.
“Are you perhaps not as smart as you say..?” Glumshanks teased.
“Shut up! I'm very smart!” Kaos crossed his arms, “It's just... I feel like I've tried everything to beat those Skylanders and destroy Skylands and none of it has worked.”
His frustrated face was so pathetic Glumshanks couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him, even if he was still the same little brat he always was.
“Cheer up, Master. I'm sure you'll come up with something soon,” Glumshanks said.
“Yes, I will...” at that moment, a devious idea popped into Kaos' mind. Not about how to destroy the Skylanders, oh no. It was much worse than that.
“And I think you can help me come up with it!” he smiled. Not a kind smile though. It was an evil one. One Glumshanks knew the meaning of all too well.
“Oh, uh, I don't know if that's a good idea, sir,” Glumshanks laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension he felt.
“Well, I think it's a great idea! You know listening to you scream helps me think,” Kaos said.
“Y-Yes, that's what I'm afraid of...” his troll muttered as he began backing away from his master.
With every step Glumshanks took backwards, Kaos stepped forwards, matching his pace.
“What's wrong, Glummy?” Kaos asked, clearly taking pleasure in his servant's fear, “We can do some of your favorite tortures. Like dunking your head in a dry ice bath!”
“Haha. Yep, that's a, uh, classic, sir,” Glumshanks replied, voice shaking.
Just then, the troll servant noticed something other than his master's devilish smile and terrifying suggestions. He noticed that Kaos' fingertips had begun sparking with some kind of power. He watched as the sparks grew from covering just his fingertips to his whole hands.
“HEY! Are you paying attention to anything I'm saying right now?” Kaos asked, noticing that Glumshanks was no longer looking him in the eyes.
“N-Not to what you're saying but, you do know your hands are sparking, right? Oh, and now your arms are too,” Glumshanks said, pointing at the strange purple sparks.
No, he had not noticed them. But now that Glumshanks had pointed it out, he looked at his hands and found that they were indeed sparking. The sparks had now spread further up his arms. But instead of reacting with confusion or fear, he was absolutely ecstatic.
“This is incredible, Glummy! I'm so powerful I can't even contain all the awesome power I have!” Kaos said.
“I don't know if that's it...” Glumshanks responded.
The sparks had now encompassed almost all of Kaos' body. The only thing not sparking was his head. Glumshanks had a feeling this wasn't good, but couldn't explain why. Something about the concept of someone being engulfed in inexplicable magic lightning sounded bad. But his master didn't agree.
“I wonder what happens when it reaches my head? Maybe I'll gain some new power I can use to defeat the Skylanders!” Kaos speculated.
“Or you'll just get a splitting headache. Like what happens when you use your lightning on my head,” Glumshanks muttered.
“I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and save our session for later.”
“Thank goodness...”
Now the sparks had almost engulfed Kaos' entire body, and he was practically jumping with joy at the prospect.
“Soon, Glummy! Soon this strange situation will grant me new power! Or a new form! OR EVEN--” his words were cut off when the sparks had finally finished spreading.
For a moment all was silent. And then the moment after that- BOOM! A giant explosion of purple light shook the entire guest castle. It left similarly colored smoke in its wake that made it difficult for Glumshanks to see what had happened to Kaos. It also made it a bit hard to breathe. Glumshanks batted away the smoke and coughed. When it had cleared, the troll saw him lying on the floor. A few stray sparks flew off his body before they eventually subsided. He knelt down to take a look at Kaos. He was definitely unconscious, but he didn't seem to be hurt so that was good, at least. Glumshanks sighed.
“I guess I should make sure he's comfortable when he wakes up. Maybe there'd be less of a chance of him yelling at me that way...” he thought.
(In Mainline World...)
Glumshanks had just finished brewing the tea Kaos requested, and was now pouring it into a cup for him. It was chamomile tea, and it smelled quite lovely he thought. He set the newly filled cup on a little plate and began to take it to him. The room was just a short walk away from the kitchen, so the tea would still be hot by the time he got there. He hoped Kaos would be okay with that. He also hoped he was done with that spell, because if Glumshanks ended up interrupting he'd probably get yelled at. Maybe he'd take a more leisurely-paced walk to the room...
Suddenly, Glumshanks heard a blast and a shockwave knocked him off his feet. The tea cup and plate shattered on the ground before he could stop them from falling. He watched the tea spill from the broken cup and form a puddle on the floor. He sighed. That was the second cup that got magically shattered this week. Wait, what was he doing thinking about cups? That sound came from the room Kaos was in!
Glumshanks ran to the room and burst through the doors. There he saw his master lying on the floor with sparks flickering off his body. The troll quickly knelt down next to Kaos and assessed the situation. He was out cold, but not visibly hurt, and the weird sparking had stopped. Glumshanks put his hand on Kaos' forehead, an act that would surely wake him up (he hated it when he did that). Just as he expected, Kaos began to open his eyes.
“G-Glummy..? Is that you?” he asked groggily.
Glummy. That one word shook Glumshanks to his core. Kaos would never unironically call him that. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
“Uh, y-yes...” Glumshanks answered.
Kaos rose to his feet, “Glummy, what happened? What did that...thing do?”
“I don't know, sir. You never told me what that spell was for.”
“What? What spell? Ohhhh, you mean the weird static stuff from earlier. Well, obviously it's done something amazing because my castle looks completely different now.”
Glumshanks was even more shocked. Kaos didn't remember the spell he was casting. He didn't even remember what his own castle looked like. And worst of all, he was still calling him by that embarrassing nickname! Glumshanks was now absolutely certain something was wrong, but he didn't exactly know how to bring it up.
“Uh, Lord Kaos, your castle has always looked like this...” the troll correctly pointed out.
“No, it hasn't. Did that blast give you amnesia or something?” Kaos replied defensively.
That was exactly what Glumshanks wanted to ask him. But he didn't say anything. He just stood there, not knowing what to do.
“Anyway, Glummy, let's go see the rest of my awesome new castle!” Kaos said as he grabbed his servant by the wrist and began walking out of the room.
(In Academy World...)
When Kaos' consciousness returned to him the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on the floor with a pillow under his head and a blanket on the rest of his body. The second thing he noticed was that he was not in his castle anymore. The third thing he noticed was that there was a tall troll standing on the other side of the room, dusting. He looked suspiciously like Glumshanks...
The troll noticed that Kaos was awake and looked at him, “Oh, thank goodness you're awake. I'm overjoyed.”
He said that in a completely flat tone. That alone told Kaos that while this person looked like Glumshanks, he certainly was not the Glumshanks he knew. If this were his Glumshanks he'd probably be saying things like “Are you okay, Lord Kaos?” or “I was so worried about you, sir,” all of which would be said in the most annoyingly concerned tone the troll could muster.
With the information gathered so far, he could conclude that the spell he used didn't just open a Portal to another reality- it had accidentally dragged him into that reality. It may have even replaced this world's Kaos with him. He made a mental note not to ever underestimate his incredible Dark Portal Master powers again. He got up and began to walk to a bookshelf nearby. He needed to figure out how to get back to his world, and maybe they'd have a spellbook or two that could help with that.
“Uh, Kaos, what are you doing?” Glumshanks asked.
“Quiet, alternate reality Glumshanks, I'm busy,” Kaos snapped.
Glumshanks was very weirded out by what his master just said. What exactly did he mean by that? And why was he looking for real books to read instead of his comics?
Kaos sifted through the stuff on the bookshelf. There were evil self help books, guides to world domination, theater history books, and books about dealing with anxiety and depression. None of this is what he wanted.
“Kaos, most of the stuff on that shelf is mine, remember? If you're looking for your comics, you put them under your desk over there,” Glumshanks pointed to the one desk in the room.
“No, I'm not looking for comics, dumber-than-usual Glumshanks. I'm looking for spellbooks. Surely, we have some?” Kaos said expectantly.
“Spellbooks..?!” Now he'd heard it all. Kaos always complained about how hard those old things were to read. They had too many big, obscure words for his taste, “Full offense, sir, but did the impact from that blast give you a concussion or something?”
“Do I look like I have a concussion?!” Kaos snapped. He was kind of right, he didn't look injured in any way, “Now stop back-talking and get me those spellbooks, totally idiotic Glumshanks!”
Glumshanks sighed, “Alright...”
(In Mainline World...)
Kaos walked out of the room, followed by a very nervous troll. The little guy happily strode through the hallway, looking at all the pictures on the wall he didn't put there, and the couple of doors to rooms he didn't know. Every time they passed a door Kaos would ask what was in there, to which Glumshanks would reply with its exact contents and purpose. Kaos always seemed amazed that they had a room like that before he moved on to the next. He never once questioned why the troll knew all of this and he didn't. But Glumshanks was questioning everything. The more things his master didn't remember, the more concerned he became. Eventually, they had found Kaos' bedroom, and this time Kaos actually wanted to go inside. When they entered the room he looked around in awe and sheer joy.
“Wow! I can't believe this is actually my room! It's a real bedroom! Not just some hole-in-the-wall we repurposed into my bedroom!” Kaos said, positively brimming with excitement.
Kaos immediately jumped onto his(?) fluffy king-sized bed. It was way too big for him, but he liked it that way. At least that's what he told Glumshanks when they stole-- I mean, bought it. But obviously he didn't remember that anymore. He was treating it like a it was brand new object that entered his life just today. Glumshanks was almost 100% certain that Kaos had some kind of memory loss now.
“Um, Lord Kaos?” Glumshanks began, trying to get his master's attention.
Kaos laid on the bed, kicking his feet in the air, “Yeah, what is it, Glummy?”
“Are you sure you're feeling alright?”
“Of course I am! I've never been better! We have this massive castle now, all to ourselves! And there's no mother telling us what to do! This is the best day of my life!”
“That's just what I'm worried about... We've lived here for months. And your mother has been trapped in her mirror prison for a few years at least. I'm afraid you've got some kind of amnesia, Lord Kaos.”
“Hmmmmmm...” Kaos seemed to be genuinely thinking about what his servant said. Glumshanks thought for a moment that he'd finally gotten through to Kaos, before the little guy stopped “hm”ing and responded with a resounding, “No, I think you're the one who's misremembering things, Glummy.”
Glumshanks had no idea what to do at this point. He watched, still bewildered, as Kaos hopped off the bed, grabbed him by the wrist, and began dragging him out of the room and towards the storage room they passed earlier.
“Wh-Why are we going to the storage room?” Glumshanks asked.
“To find something to use to destroy the Skylanders so I can destroy all of Skylands, of course,” Kaos replied.
“But, Lord Kaos, your powers haven't returned yet. It's far too risky to attack the Skylanders now.”
“Oh, come on. Now I'm sure YOU'RE the one who's forgetting things.”
Kaos let go of Glumshanks' wrist and turned around to face him. He stretched out his hand and conjured a sphere of dark magic. Glumshanks looked at it with utter shock. When did this happen? And why didn't Kaos tell him about it? Or maybe this is what that spell was for. His powers were back, and he seemed completely in control of them now. Maybe the spell just came with the unfortunate side-effect of memory loss? Maybe he didn't want to tell Glumshanks what the spell was for because he didn't want the troll to stop him. That theory made Glumshanks feel mixed emotions. Of course, he was happy for Kaos, he had his powers back now. But at the same time, if it meant his master forgetting most of their life together... he just didn't know how to react to that. But also, even though that theory felt like the only logical explanation for this whole thing, Glumshanks couldn't help but feel like there was something else wrong. Like the person he was talking to hadn't just forgotten him- he didn't actually know him at all. Like he was talking to a different person entirely...
“Glummy, what are you looking so pathetic and sad for?” Kaos asked.
Glumshanks had been too deep in his thoughts to notice that Kaos had recalled the magic and was trying to resume the walk to the storage room.
“S-Sorry, Lord Kaos,” Glumshanks said as he surrendered his wrist to be grabbed again.
That whole mind tangent was stupid, Glumshanks thought. Of course this was Kaos. He was just being ridiculous. How could this not be Kaos? But with the way he was acting, how COULD this be Kaos? Contradicting questions like that swirled in Glumshanks' mind as he continued following...Kaos?
(In Academy World...)
Glumshanks had done exactly as he was instructed and brought Kaos a whole stack of evil spellbooks. Truly riveting reads. Right now, Kaos was reading through one of them at the desk, and Glumshanks had just finished preparing a snack for him.
“Okay,” the troll thought, “Kaos has been acting weird since that explosion earlier. Based on the things he's said about me in particular, I have a feeling the Kaos I'm talking to isn't actually my Kaos. So, I'm going to give him these muffins and this scalding hot tea and if he throws it in my face then I'll know it's my Kaos. If he doesn't, then I can worry.”
Glumshanks approached Kaos with the little tray of snacks. The Dark Portal Master didn't pay any attention to him when he entered the room or when he walked up to him. Glumshanks cleared his throat to get his attention.
“Kaos, I thought you might want some refreshments while you're, uh...reading,” Glumshanks said. He still couldn't believe Kaos was reading real books. Thick, complicated ones at that.
Kaos glanced at the tray and then promptly went back to reading his book. For a moment there, Glumshanks thought he would just ignore him. But soon enough, Kaos reached for a muffin.
“This is it,” Glumshanks thought, “This is the moment of truth.”
The troll closed his eyes and prepared for the impact of having the tray shoved in his face, or the feeling of having muffins pelted at him, or his skin burning when Kaos inevitably throws the tea at him. But the pain never came. And neither did Kaos' mocking laughter. Glumshanks opened his eyes to see Kaos eating the muffin he grabbed like a normal person. He had no idea how to react to that. He just stared at Kaos, not moving an inch. Eventually, Kaos noticed the staring and looked at him in return.
“What are you looking at, fool?” Kaos snapped, but not a snap with malice. It was one of mild annoyance.
“Forgive me, sir. I just thought you were going to throw this food I made at me like you always do,” Glumshanks replied.
“Oh, I, uh... I don't do that,” Kaos said, leaving out an “anymore” at the end. He had stopped throwing things at Glumshanks since The Incident. The Incident had made him realize a lot of things. Like how hard his servant worked to make him meals. And that the food he wasted by throwing it at him was coming out of their monthly evil budget.
“You're not my Kaos, are you?” Glumshanks asked.
“You finally figured it out! I was starting to think you never would,” Kaos replied.
“Well, you didn't really make it a secret, sir. Actually, do I still have to call you 'sir' if you're not my Kaos?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then... So, why did you come here, alternate universe Kaos? Also where did my Kaos go? Not that I care or anything, it's just that he's probably crying in a corner somewhere without me.”
“First of all, I never intended to come to your drab reality. I was just trying to see if I could conjure a Portal to another world and maybe bring an object out of it too. Obviously, I shouldn't have underestimated my incomprehensible genius and incredible power, because somehow I managed to switch places with your world's Kaos. And to answer your second question, no. I do not know where your Kaos went. But if I had to guess, I'd say he's now exactly where I was when I cast that spell. And he's probably fine. Maybe. If he's lucky.”
Glumshanks had no idea how to respond to that information. He could only muster a, “Uh. Wow. Okay.”
“I know. I'm so amazing you're speechless.” Kaos said, smiling proudly.
“No, that's not it, sir...” Glumshanks muttered very quietly.
“I heard that, idiot!”
Glumshanks laughed awkwardly, “Anyway, sir, what should we do about this whole...thing that's going on?”
“Well, I thought these spellbooks might have something that could send me back to my reality, but it seems these are nothing but dusty, old, hunks of junk!” Kaos yelled that last part as he slammed the book he was reading shut.
“That kind of magic sounds like it'd be...forbidden.”
“And?”
Glumshanks sighed. Maybe this Kaos was more like his Kaos than he thought. When one of them wanted to do something stupid and dangerous, there was nothing he could say to stop them. He just decided to go along with it.
“If you want that kind of magic, you'd probably have to talk to Eon about it,” Glumshanks suggested, “Or your mother but, uh, that's--”
“Out of the question. Even in this reality, whatever it may be,” Kaos completed the troll's sentence.
“Yep...”
Kaos hopped off the chair he was on, “So, what are you waiting for, fool? Take me to wherever this reality's Eon is!”
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir...” Glumshanks submitted, walking to the door. The troll mentally prepared to take this Kaos to the Academy, where he was certain they would not be welcomed with open arms...
(In Mainline World...)
Kaos and Glumshanks were now in a small aircraft they had stolen-- I mean, obtained after Kaos lost his powers. They needed some way to get around now that Kaos couldn't use his Portals, and this happened to suffice. Though the currently non-operational Dark Portal Master usually complained when they had to use this thing. He liked using Portals because they didn't make him airsick like this stupid machine did (and most ships did, for that matter). But the Kaos standing before Glumshanks now hadn't uttered one complaint of that genre. The only thing he was complaining about was--
“Can't this thing go any faster?!” Kaos snapped.
“I-I don't know if that's a good idea, Lord Kaos...” Glumshanks said.
“Of course it's a good idea! I came up with it!” Kaos shoved the troll away from the controls and started pressing buttons, trying to make it go faster. Glumshanks immediately pulled him away from them and took back control.
“Okay, okay! I'll do it, sir,” Glumshanks submitted. He feared what would happen to both of them if Kaos were the one driving.
“Good,” Kaos smiled.
Glumshanks flipped a couple switches and in moments, the ship's speed doubled. The two of them felt the wind whip around them as they soared towards their destination.
“Ahhh, that's better!” Kaos sighed happily and he hung his head out the side of the ship, “Soon, we'll make it to the Academy and destroy those Skylanders once and for all!”
“Yes, about that...” Glumshanks began.
Kaos stepped away from the edge of the ship and looked at Glumshanks with an expression that said, “What now?”
“It's just... What are we going to do to destroy the Skylanders?” Glumshanks asked.
“We're going to use these magical thingamajigs we found in the storage room, remember?” Kaos replied.
He pointed to the pile of strange artifacts he had collected from the storage room with pride. It was an eclectic little collection for sure, but Glumshanks wasn't even sure if any of them were weapons.
“Uh, are you sure you know what these things do? It seemed like you just picked them out at random...” he said.
“Shut up! Or are we going to have to end up having that session?” Kaos retorted.
“Wh-What? What session?”
“The session, Glummy! You know, a time for all the fun tortures we do together! I was going to dunk your head in a dry ice bath, remember?”
“WHAT?!”
Glumshanks had never been more shocked in his entire life. Sure, Kaos had done a lot of weird things today, but this was the weirdest and most concerning of all. He did like to make Glumshanks do most of the physical work involved in their plans, but he'd never suggest torturing him just for asking a question. And the way he talked about it was as if this was a regular occurrence. Again, Glumshanks wondered if this was actually Kaos, or if it was someone else. But who else could it be..?
“Never mind. That shocked look on your face is good enough for me!” Kaos smiled as he turned around to look at the horizon. He gasped, “Look, Glummy! We're almost there!”
Just as Kaos said that, Glumshanks looked out of the ship and saw the outline of Skylanders Academy forming in the distance. He was right. At the speed they were going, they'd be there very soon. And Glumshanks feared what would happen when they landed...
(In Academy World...)
Kaos burst through the doors of Skylanders Academy, his alternate reality troll close behind him. The sound got the attention of everyone in the room, as they all immediately turned to look at them.
“Attention, Skylosers!” Kaos announced in a booming voice, “I, Kaos, am not here to destroy you as I'm sure this reality's version of me has done many times before. I have come here to speak with your Eon! It's very important magical business. Not anything you saps would understand, so just go get me the old man.”
None of the Skylanders believed he wasn't there to start a fight, and they promptly leapt in front of him in battle-ready poses.
“Kaos! What are you doing here?!” Spyro snapped.
“I just told you what I'm doing here, must I repeat it again?” Kaos said.
“No, we heard you the first time,” Jet-Vac replied.
“I didn't!” Pop Fizz chimed in.
“Why should we let you talk to Eon, huh? What if you're lying and you actually HAVE come to destroy us?” Stealth Elf asked.
“And what do you mean by 'this reality's version of you?'” Eruptor added.
Kaos sighed heavily before explaining the whole situation to the Skylanders. They listened, but were still very skeptical of this tall tale by the end of it.
“I don't know... What if you're lying so you can get to Eon?” Jet-Vac speculated.
“I agree! I still don't quite know what's going on, but I do know you should never trust Kaos!” Pop Fizz said.
“Oh, come on! Just let me talk to that Portal-Geezer!” Kaos snapped.
“Dude, you're still insulting him even though you said you want his help. Do you seriously expect us to fall for this?” Spyro asked.
“Quiet, all of you,” a voice shouted from a distance. It was Eon. The Skylanders' master walked down the stairs and to Kaos, “I've heard everything. He is telling the truth.”
The Skylanders gasped. They couldn't believe it. Kaos? Telling the truth??
“This Kaos is indeed a different Kaos than the one we know,” Eon continued.
“But how? They look exactly the same!” Eruptor said.
“No. Look closer.”
Nobody in that room wanted to look closer at Kaos.
“Also, my magical intuition is telling me that this is a different Kaos,” Eon said.
Now that was something the Skylanders could believe.
“Okay, then. So, this is a different guy. What do we do now?” Stealth Elf asked.
“Have the old man show me a spell I can use to send myself back to my reality, obviously,” Kaos said, “...fools.” He just couldn't resist adding that.
“Actually, how about we punch him back into his reality?” Spyro asked, clenching his fists.
“No, Spyro. We will do this in a more civilized way,” Eon said.
“And that way would be..?” Jet-Vac asked.
“We will have a conversation about how to deal with this,” Eon replied confidently.
Everyone else in the room very audibly groaned.
(In Mainline World...)
Kaos and Glumshanks had touched down at Skylanders Academy. The first one out of the ship was, of course, Kaos. He was followed by the troll, who was hauling the pile of artifacts Kaos had brought. It was a particularly gloomy day outside, so no Skylanders were currently walking around outside. When the villainous duo had reached a decent position in the middle of the Academy grounds, he ordered Glumshanks to put the stuff down.
Kaos cleared his throat before shouting at the top of his lungs, “ATTENTION, SKYJERKS! IT'S ME, KAOS! AND I'VE COME TO DESTROY YOU ALL WITH MY NEWFOUND ULTIMATE POWER-- and fun ancient things I found in the storage room!”
His screaming certainly got the attention of the Skylanders, because they came bursting out of the doors of every building on the island. Glumshanks was absolutely horrified at everything that was happening at the moment.
“Not so fast, Kaos!” Jet-Vac said.
“You're either really confident or really stupid to think you can show up here after everything that's happened,” Spyro added, ready to scorch the little man at a moments notice.
Kaos turned to Glumshanks with a big smile.
“See, Glummy? We've got them exactly where we want them,” he said.
“I don't know about that...” Glumshanks muttered.
The Skylanders began closing in on them, all their various powers at the ready to absolutely obliterate them. Kaos, still confident somehow, began digging through the pile of relics he brought, looking for anything that looked like a weapon. Eventually, he pulled out a small handheld device that looked vaguely like a taser. But, like, a magical taser.
“Ooh, what does this one do?” Kaos asked himself as he fiddled with the device.
“Uh, Lord Kaos,” Glumshanks said as he watched the Skylanders draw ever closer to them, “Maybe we should do something before the Skylanders decide to blow us halfway across Skylands.”
“I know, I'm getting to that part!” Kaos snapped, “Now, let's see what this thing can do...”
Suddenly, and without warning, he spun around and fired the magical taser at Glumshanks. The weapon acted almost exactly like a taser, sending a powerful shock through the troll's body. He screamed the most blood-curdling scream he had ever screamed in his life. The electricity flowed through his body-- actually, no. 'Flowed' is too pleasant a word. The electricity cut through every cell in him and burned through every vein. He collapsed on the ground, unable to move or speak.
Kaos giggled nefariously, “I think I like this one.”
Soon, he forgot all about Glumshanks and began firing the weapon at the Skylanders, who scattered in a panic after seeing what it did to him. The troll could do nothing but watch the chaos play out, he still couldn't move.
“This...This isn't my Lord Kaos...” Glumshanks thought through the boiling pain, “He would never hurt me like this. And hurt me like this on purpose, too. I don't know what happened to him, but the person trying to destroy the Skylanders right now isn't the Lord Kaos I know. He just can't be. I need to figure out what happened to my Lord Kaos. But first, I need to stop this Kaos from doing this to the Skylanders.”
Glumshanks thought that, but he had no idea how he'd stop the rampaging maniac. He still couldn't move, and he had no idea when he'd be able to. But he knew he had to do something, he just needed to figure out how...
(In Academy World...)
Kaos, Glumshanks, Eon, and the Skylanders had all sat down at the table for this conversation. That's never a good sign. Eon had a very serious look on his face. That was also not a good sign. The air around this conversation had gone from one of annoyance to one of genuine concern.
“Kaos, there is a way for you to return to your reality...” Eon said.
“Yes, I know that already. Just tell me how to do it!” Kaos snapped.
“You don't understand, Kaos. I do know a spell that will send you back, but it is a very complicated process.”
“Yes, I know! TELL ME HOW TO DO IT!” Kaos slammed his fist on the table, shaking everything on it.
“I will if you'll let me explain.”
Kaos angrily slumped back into his chair, grumbling something incoherent.
“For the spell to work and send you back to the correct reality, you'll have to be completely mentally in sync with the Kaos you're switching places with,” Eon explained.
“What?!” Kaos shot back up, “That sounds very contrived. And completely impossible. How am I supposed to know what this inferior Kaos is thinking about?”
“Well, maybe you too are more alike than you realize,” Spyro suggested, “What would you be thinking about if you were suddenly transported to a different reality?”
“I'd be wondering how I got here, where I am, oh, I don't know... HOW TO GET BACK,” Kaos yelled. Though he treated it as another opportunity to voice his displeasure with the situation, internally, Kaos was genuinely considering Spyro's question. Of course, those first three things would be the inital things he'd think of, but after that... honestly, he was wondering how Glumshanks was holding up with this alternate reality Kaos.
“Hm. I don't know if my Kaos would be thinking about things like that...” Glumshanks muttered.
“Really?” Stealth Elf asked.
“Those all seem like logical thoughts to have in that situation,” Jet-Vac added.
“Oh, but you have to remember, my Kaos isn't logical,” Glumshanks began.
Kaos shot the troll a sharp glare. Though it wasn't him Glumshanks was insulting, he still felt insulted.
“My Kaos would probably be thinking about how to destroy the Skylanders. Like he always is,” Glumshanks concluded.
The Skylanders chimed in with various statements of agreement.
“Yes, well, I would love to destroy you Skylamers, but I don't really see the point if I'm not destroying my Skylamers and taking over my Skylands,” Kaos said.
“That's the problem. My Kaos probably doesn't even realize he's not fighting his Skylanders,” Glumshanks said.
“What?! How?! Is he stupid??” Kaos shouted.
“Well...”
“Actually, no. Don't answer that.”
“Wasn't going to, sir.”
“So...” Eruptor inserted into the conversation, “What I'm hearing is that there's no possible way this Kaos and our Kaos could possibly be thinking the same thing because our Kaos probably doesn't even know he's in another world.”
“Perhaps,” Eon sighed, “But there is still a possibility it could work. If our Kaos has in fact realized he's in another reality.”
“So, it's not going to work,” Glumshanks said.
“No, probably not. But it's the only option we have,” Eon looked at Kaos with a serious expression, “The choice is yours, Kaos.”
(In Mainline World...)
Kaos laughed maniacally as he shot bursts of lightning from the weird little device he held, “AHAHAHAHA! That's right! Run, Skylanders! Run back to Eon!”
The Skylanders were indeed running. But not back to Eon. They were trying to look for an opening to strike back, but Kaos was too fast, too unpredictable. He was a total loose canon, firing lightning at anything that moved, and even things that didn't. He'd hit quite a lot of trees.
Behind him, Glumshanks was still lying on the ground. The pain from the shock he'd received hadn't quite faded, but it was getting better. Better enough that he could move his limbs again, but it still wasn't easy. He felt sharp pins and needles pierce every part of him as he dragged himself towards Kaos. Eventually, after a great effort, he came close enough to him to grab the end of his robes.
Kaos whipped around as he felt the troll tug his clothes, “What?! What are you doing?! Can't you see I'm winning?!”
“K-Kaos... You have to stop,” Glumshanks pleaded.
“What part of 'I'm winning' did you not understand? I'M WINNING, GLUMMY!”
“No, you're not. You're fighting a battle that isn't yours.”
Kaos looked at the troll skeptically.
“Kaos, do you remember casting that spell earlier? The one out of that big, old spellbook?” Glumshanks asked.
“No,” Kaos answered.
“That's it! You don't remember casting that spell, or living in your castle, or anything else we've done because this isn't you reality! Somehow that spell made you and my Lord Kaos switch places! This isn't your Skylands to conquer!”
Kaos stopped firing the weapon and let his arms fall to his sides. All his attention was on Glumshanks, and he looked at the troll in disbelief.
“You mean, this isn't my world? That isn't my castle? And we don't live alone?” Kaos asked.
“Yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you!” Glumshanks shouted.
Kaos felt his heart sink, “So, these aren't the Skylanders I've been trying to destroy... And this isn't the Academy I hate so much... And you...” Kaos looked at the troll clinging to his robes. His face was so...emotional. A genuine mix of fear, pleading, and sadness. His Glumshanks couldn't look like this.
“You...aren't my Glummy, either,” Kaos whimpered.
“No, I'm not,” Glumshanks confirmed.
Tears welled up in Kaos' eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew it was true. It had to be true, because Kaos getting everything he wanted was too good to be true. He honestly should've known from the start. Nothing good ever happened to him. Of course it has to be some kind of trick. Now he knew how it had happened - it was whatever this world's Kaos did. But he knew there was nothing he could do to fix it. There was nothing he could do to get back to his reality. Back to his guest castle. And, of course, back to his Glumshanks. His Glumshanks... They'd barely spent any time apart and Kaos already missed him.
“I want to go home...” Kaos muttered.
Kaos' pleas made Glumshanks' chest tighten. He'd never seen his Kaos this vulnerable, this emotional. Even though this wasn't his Kaos, he couldn't help but want to do something to make him feel better. Anything. With great effort, Glumshanks pulled himself off the ground and wrapped Kaos in a hug. His Kaos would have absolutely shoved him away, but this Kaos just stood there, whimpering.
“It'll be okay, Kaos. We'll find a way to take you back, I promise,” Glumshanks said.
Kaos heard him, but didn't respond. He couldn't say anything through the sobs he desperately tried to hold back. He was not going to cry. He couldn't be seen looking weak like this, but he felt so weak. So powerless. And it was true. There was nothing he could do in this situation. All he could do was try not to cry. Try not to cry while being held by this reality's Glumshanks. The fact that this comforting embrace wasn't coming from his Glumshanks made it sting even more. He wished his Glumshanks would do something like this. He wished he could see his Glumshanks again...
(In Academy World...)
Everyone in the room was very nervous. Kaos hadn't spoken in about five minutes, and that could only mean one thing... He was thinking. If they didn't believe it before, then that would've been enough to convince the Skylanders that this wasn't the Kaos from their reality. Kaos had his arms crossed the whole time, his face down-turned in deep consideration.
Suddenly, he stopped crossing his arms and faced Eon, “I'm ready. Let's just get this over with.”
That statement shocked everyone in the room.
“Are you sure about this, Kaos? You may not even end up in your own reality. You may--” Eon was cut off by Kaos stomping his foot on the ground.
“YES, I AM SURE. I already told you that,” he snapped.
Eon took a moment to regain his composure, “Alright. Then let's begin. Stand back, everyone.”
The Skylanders and Glumshanks did as they were told. Eon began reciting some kind of chant, and as he did, a bright power began forming, sparking, in his outstretched hands. But that power was growing rather slowly. Everyone knew this would take a while, so they decided to say their goodbyes.
“Uh, other reality Kaos, it was...nice meeting you? I think?” Spyro said.
“What's that supposed to mean, dragonfly?” Kaos snapped.
“He means you weren't as unpleasant as we all thought you would be,” Jet-Vac answered.
“Yes, I must admit you were far nicer to me than my Kaos. ...Not that I'm saying you are remotely nice, just nice-er,” Glumshanks said.
Kaos rolled his eyes, “You can get sentimental with your Kaos. Not me.”
Though he acted like that comment didn't affect him, it did make Kaos think. Had he really become nicer since The Incident? He kind of hoped so. Though he'd never say it out loud, he hoped his Glumshanks had noticed that he cared. He wondered if his Glumshanks had even noticed that the Kaos he was with now wasn't him. And he wondered what the Kaos from this reality could possibly be doing to his Glumshanks. He hoped his Glumshanks was okay. He hoped this spell would work. He hoped he would make it back so he could, and he could hardly admit this to himself, see his Glumshanks.
Suddenly, Kaos' vision was filled with light. There was no warning, just light. Light that burned his eyes. Light from the spell that would hopefully take him back to his reality. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst...
(In Mainline World...)
Glumshanks was still holding Kaos when he burst into light. The troll had no idea what was happening. He pulled away, but still kept his hands on his shoulders. He felt Kaos' form change in shape ever so slightly, and then, as suddenly as it had come, the light dissipated. The Kaos he was holding onto now looked different than before. And not just because he was sparking. He just looked different somehow. He looked like...
“L-Lord Kaos? Is that you?” Glumshanks asked nervously.
At the sound of his voice, Kaos opened his eyes and looked at the person before him. He saw it was Glumshanks. His Glumshanks.
“Yes, Glumshanks. Who else would it be?” Kaos said. Though the words were harsh, he said it surprisingly meekly.
Glumshanks wrapped his Kaos in a tight hug, squeezing him as close as he could without actually hurting him. Kaos was not pleased.
“Oh, Lord Kaos, I was starting to think you'd never come back! Please never do anything like this again! I mean, you definitely will, but at least try not to!” Glumshanks begged.
Kaos shoved the troll off him, “Okay, that's enough, disgustingly kind-hearted Glumshanks.”
“S-Sorry, Lord Kaos.”
Kaos looked at his surroundings. He was at Skylanders Academy, this time outside instead of inside. And there were a lot of confused looking Skylanders staring at him. And he was holding one of the devices he had hidden away in the storage room. He quickly pieced together what was happening.
“Glumshanks, did you let that other Kaos leave the castle?” he asked.
“Um, yes...” Glumshanks answered, knowing instantly that he did something wrong.
“YOU IDIOT!” Kaos yelled, “How could you not know that wasn't me?! We probably look nothing alike!”
“In my defense, Lord Kaos, you two do look pretty similar. And you never told me you were trying to open a Portal to another reality.”
“I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR DEFENSE!” Kaos pointed to the pile of relics the other Kaos had brought, “Now pick up that stuff! We're leaving.”
“Yes, Lord Kaos...”
Kaos watched Glumshanks bend down and start picking up the various magical trinkets. He was being very careful with them. He could tell this would take a while.
He turned to face the still bewildered Skylanders, “Hello, Skyblunderers. I'm sure you're all wondering what happened just now, well TOO BAD! It doesn't matter, so you can forget everything you just saw! I'm not going to destroy you this time, but mark my words, the next time you see me, it will be when I am fully prepared to blow you all to bits!” Kaos laughed evily.
“Lord Kaos, I'm done,” Glumshanks interjected while he was still laughing.
Kaos stopped, turned around, and saw all the magical things put into their ship. That happened a lot faster than he expected. Well done, Glumshanks.
He turned back to the Skylanders, “Well, it seems our little visit is over. See you later, SKYLOSERS!”
Kaos ran into the ship, with Glumshanks not far behind. His servant flipped some controls and the ship set off, leaving Skylanders Academy in the dust. Kaos steadied himself on the side of the ship.
“Ugh. Did you two really have to take the airship?” he complained.
“Yes? You do remember your Portals are down, right? Because your powers haven't recovered?” Glumshanks answered.
Kaos grumbled something about 'stupid airships' before they continued the rest of their journey in nearly complete silence...
(In Academy World...)
After the light had faded, Kaos stood there in the middle of the room, his head facing the floor. Everyone else looked at him skeptically, waiting for a sign that this was their Kaos. But the Kaos hadn't done anything yet. He didn't even notice what had happened or where he was. He just stood there, and, wait... was he crying? The group listened closer and could hear small whimpers and sniffles coming from this Kaos. Nobody had any idea how to react to this. Most of them couldn't believe their eyes, actually. Only one of them stepped up to do anything, and of course, it was Glumshanks.
He walked up to Kaos and put his hand on his shoulder, “Kaos?”
Kaos opened his eyes and looked up to see his Glumshanks, smiling wearily.
“GLUMMY!” Kaos yelled as he leapt onto Glumshanks, wrapping him in a painfully tight hug.
Still, nobody in the room knew how to react to this. They just stared, for the most part, their mouths agape in shock. Glumshanks noticed that everyone was looking at them and thought that maybe Kaos should know.
“Um, sir? You do know everyone can see this, right?” he asked.
Kaos took his eyes off his Glummy and looked around the room. The troll was right. He immediately jumped off his servant.
“For your information, Skylanders, I thought I would never see my home again,” Kaos said.
He didn't have to try to justify it to them. The Skylanders knew why he was acting this way, that wasn't the weird part. Seeing Kaos so openly affectionate was the weird part.
Kaos grabbed Glumshanks by the wrist, “Come on, Glummy. We're leaving.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
As the two walked out of the Academy, Glumshanks turned to the Skylanders and mouthed 'thank you' at them. They had been reasonably understanding and kind for the duration of this situation. Glumshanks honestly thought they'd get kicked out the moment they stepped on Academy grounds but no, they actually got the help they needed. He really wished he could properly thank them for that, but with Kaos around this would have to suffice.
He and Kaos walked out of the Academy, and set off to their guest castle home...
(In Academy World...)
Late at night, after the whole debacle they had been through that day, Kaos was sitting in his bed when Glumshanks came into the room. He was carrying a small tray with a single, steaming beverage on it. He walked up to Kaos, fully prepared for what was to come.
“Kaos, here's your bedtime scalding hot beverage. Feel free to throw it in my face like always,” the troll said.
Kaos looked at the cup, then at Glumshanks. He smiled.
“No thanks,” he said.
“Wow. Now I've heard it all. Are you sure you're my Kaos?”
“Sure am. I think you've been through enough today. Who knows what terrible things that other Kaos did to you?” Kaos reached out his hands and squished Glumshanks' cheeks, “Did he hurt you at all, Glummy?”
“N-No,” Glumshanks said, slurring his words as his master continued grabbing his face, “Actually, he was very nice to me. Sure, he yelled at me a few times, but he also ate my cooking without throwing it in my face.”
Kaos let go of his troll's face. His smile finally faltered, “Do you like that Kaos more than me?”
“Well, um, in a way... I guess he's... Uh...” Glumshanks struggled not to say 'yes'. He feared what would happen to him if he did.
“Actually, no. Don't answer that. Of course you like me most.”
Glumshanks laughed nervously, “I-I sure do, sir.”
“I know. I'm the only Kaos you want. And you're the only Glumshanks I want.”
He said it with such certainty. Like it was just a known fact. The way he looked while he said it terrified Glumshanks. Those dark, glassy eyes paired with a slight smile...
“Yes, you're right, Kaos,” the troll said.
“Good!” Kaos smiled as he returned to his usual demeanor.
“Now that that's settled, you should go to bed, sir. It's getting really late.”
“Yeah...” Kaos fake yawned as he lied down, “But I'm so tired, Glummy. Will you tuck me in?”
Glumshanks sighed, “Yes, Kaos...”
The troll did as he was instructed and lifted a blanket onto his master. As soon as he had finished he was itching to get out of the hole-in-the-wall that was Kaos' bedroom, but he still had to ask, “Do you need anything else?”
“Yep,” Kaos replied.
Glumshanks resisted the overwhelming urge to audibly groan, “What is it?”
“Can you read me a story?”
Glumshanks sighed again. He knew this was just Kaos trying to get him to stay longer, and he had no choice but to go along with it. He picked a book off the nearest bookshelf that he knew his liege would like and sat down next to his bed. He saw Kaos smile as he opened the book. He had gotten exactly what he wanted; for his Glumshanks to stay with him for the rest of the night.
(In Mainline World...)
Later that night, after every chore in the castle had been done, Glumshanks opened the doors to Kaos' room (which was also technically his room). He saw Kaos sitting on his overly large bed, looking out the window.
“L-Lord Kaos?” Glumshanks said, asking nothing in particular, just trying to get his attention.
Kaos turned to look at him, “Oh, it's you.” He looked back out the window again, “You may come in.”
Glumshanks did just that. He navigated through the room and to the dresser. He opened the bottom drawer and crawled inside. Or at least, he tried to. The drawer was far too small to accommodate the troll's lanky body. He grunted as he tried to shove himself in like a sardine in a tin can if the tin can were too small for it.
“Stop, Glumshanks,” Kaos said, “You're being so pathetic it's disturbing my personal comfort.”
“A-Alright...” Glumshanks muttered as he slipped out of the drawer (which was not hard to do as he was barely in the drawer).
“Come on,” Kaos patted the side of the mattress next to him, “You've earned bed privileges for tonight.”
“R-Really, Lord Kaos?” Usually Kaos hated the idea of Glumshanks sleeping in the same bed as him. It had to be a very, very special day for him to let it happen.
“Yes, really,” Kaos confirmed, “You've suffered enough for one day. And I don't want to listen to those annoying noises anymore.”
Glumshanks stared at him, still in disbelief.
“Just get in before I change my mind,” Kaos snapped as he slipped under the thick covers and blanket of his bed.
Glumshanks did as he was ordered and got into bed. He laid down on the right side of the bed, with Kaos as far to his left as possible. Which was pretty far. The bed was way bigger than it needed to be, allowing for a lot of distance between them. That was probably the only reason Kaos ever allowed this, Glumshanks thought.
Kaos had his back turned to his servant, and pretended to be asleep by snoring loudly. Glumshanks knew he was faking it because he had to listen to Kaos' actual snoring every night. It was much softer than this. The troll knew there was probably a reason why he was pretending to be asleep. And he knew the reason was probably because he didn't want to talk to him. But Glumshanks did want to talk.
Ever since they had gotten home, Kaos had been acting strange. He was unusually quiet. It was like he was deep in thought about something. But usually when Kaos was thinking about something he'd say it out loud. He loved to hear the sound of himself talking, so why wasn't he talking about this?
“Lord Kaos?” Glumshanks queried.
No response, of course.
“Is there anything you'd like to talk about? You've been really quiet tonight,” Glumshanks said.
Nothing again. Glumshanks was pretty sure he knew what Kaos was thinking about, though.
“Lord Kaos, I'm sorry I couldn't immediately tell you and that other Kaos apart. It took me way too long to realize it wasn't you. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry,” Glumshanks began.
Kaos' fake snoring had stopped. He was listening.
“I promise it won't happen again. And if there's anything else you need to talk about, I'll be here. I'll always be by your side, sir,” Glumshanks finished.
There was a moment of silence before in a meek, barely audible voice, Kaos said, “Thank you.”
And that was all. That was all Kaos had to say for Glumshanks to know things would be okay. Things were so okay, in fact, that soon after the conversation had ended, Kaos had fallen asleep for real. Glumshanks smiled. Usually, listening to his master's snoring was very annoying, but tonight, it was comforting.
Glumshanks shifted in the sheets a bit and closed his eyes, “Goodnight, Lord Kaos...”