Mymic was slowly getting the hang of how things worked under his “Dark Master”. They would be sent out as agents to take over islands in the Skylands, and then return to the Underworld to receive certain orders. As long as he was there, he hadn’t seen every member of the Undead Dragon King’s forces. He mostly followed Frygus around – it was him who brought him to this world after all.

One day, Frygus took him to the Dark Master’s chambers. Mymic assumed this was going to be a simple meeting – Malefor would call them to his chambers, and then they would be off to take over some other island. He wanted to move onto a larger island, but Mymic was waiting, pretend the part of a loyal servant and they’ll drop their guard around you.

As soon as the massive doors closed behind him and Frygus, Mymic felt the familiar presence of the Undead Dragon King looming over him. But strangely enough, it also seemed to be closer, for some reason. Mymic looked into the darkness, his eyes immediately getting the hang of it. In front of him was some kind of human, wearing some kind of long robe with a hood that covered most of his face.

“So you’re that other one who survived the Dark Master’s own gaze.” The human said, walking up to Mymic.

Mymic cocked his head slightly. The amount of time he spent transformed into different creatures had given him certain habits. (It was the same with Frygus, as well.) The human smiled and appeared to look over Mymic.

“What, are you checking me out?”

“You’ll blend in quite nicely with that other world. I hope you don’t have many attachments.”

“What other world?”

“TO MY FRONT, NOW.” The Dark Master’s voice bellowed, before the other human had a chance to elaborate further.

The hooded human immediately turned around and seemed to glide along the floor to his master’s side. Mymic walked after him, but he stopped in front of the dragon instead. Frygus stood to his left, while some other person Mymic couldn’t recognize stood on his right. He looked around, spotting several other human looking figures. Before Mymic could ask why everyone seemed to be looking human, Malefor spoke up.

“For starters… Good job. You have proven yourselves loyal to me so far.” Malefor said to the line of humans in front of him. “Now it is time for your next test, my human agents.”

Everyone was silent, waiting for their master to invite them to speak.

“For those of you who are just joining us… it is time for you to use the portals. This time, you will not be going to the Skylands. You will be going to that other world. Vector, you will lead them.”

The hooded human glided in front of them. Mymic turned his attention to the hooded human, noticing an eerie glow coming from under the hood.

“I will be unable to follow… but I can still speak to you."

Mymic raised his eyebrow at this – as Malefor spoke, the human also spoke. And it was in his voice, making the large dragon speak with a rather odd stereo effect.

“You will all be given a special medallion. The humans won’t suspect a thing if you are wearing this.” The hooded human held out what looked to be some kind of a purple disc attached to two strings, whilst both he and Malefor spoke. “As long as you wear this, any humans you kill will not die – instead, they will have their inner darkness brought to the front. As some of you have experienced yourselves.”

Mymic felt a few eyes looking at him. He thought back to that day when he was taken through the portal, and met the icy dragon Frygus, who had turned him into a shadowy version of Thumpback (along with a slew of profanity). He didn’t remember Frygus wearing anything like that, but he didn’t see the entire dragon.

“I will give you orders when you reach the other world.” Both Malefor’s voices ordered, “You are dismissed.”

Frygus immediately grabbed onto Mymic’s arm and pulled him away. Mymic smiled and nodded at Frygus. Frygus led Mymic out of the Master’s chambers and off to a room in the citadel. Mymic had become quite familiar, this was where some of the Undead Dragon King’s forces prepared for a mission, to invade the Skylands.

Just like the last time, the two were alone. Frygus immediately closed the door to the hall. He turned towards Mymic.

“Well Mymic, it’s that time again.” He said, “Let’s get some fitting clothing on – where we are going, it’s going to be the shortest day of the year.”

Frygus immediately walked towards a wardrobe, opening it up.

“Oh, do you mean that winter solstice day?” Mymic asked.

“Yep.” Frygus said, tossing a heavy coat at the other human.

“Can’t you just go all ice-dragon so you cold doesn’t bother you?” Mymic asked, after he had pulled the heavy coat off of his face.

“That’s for when the night officially begins, and the Master enters the world.” Frygus said, “It shall be glorious. There are billions of creatures out there, just ripe for the taking.”

As Frygus slipped into another heavy coat, Mymic thought for a moment. Throughout the entire time that the two had been together, serving the Dark Master, he hadn’t really had a chance to ask the other human about why he served the Undead Dragon King. Mymic had his suspicions about why, though.

“So Frygus… why do you walk around as a human so much?”

“Oh, this?” Frygus asked, grabbing a winter hat, “I was given this form for espionage, with my true form being sealed into this.” He held up his right arm.

“…He sealed your true form into your coat?”

“No no no you idiot.” Frygus pulled the sleeve back just enough for Mymic to see part of the gauntlets. “The ‘magic’ stone.”

“Hm… You know Malefor did say you were a purple dragon.” Mymic said, taking a pair of winter gloves from the wardrobe.

“Brilliant deduction,” Frygus chided, “Did you figure that out yourself?”

“Well what if someone is just joining us and I start referencing-“

Frygus just gave Mymic an odd look.

“…Never mind that.”

“I simply got used to this, so you can say. Besides, think of it this way. There aren’t many of us left – there’s you, me, the Dark Master, the Voice, and those other two. What do you think others will think if they see an ice dragon? Not much. Now, you ready or not?”

“Err… sure.” Mymic said.

~ ~ ~

Mymic had gotten used to going through portals of power. Just as before, with his previous missions, Frygus lead him to a portal of power. One of the shadowy minions was inside the portal room, waiting for them.

The shadowy figure slowly oozed over to the two humans, holding out those faint purple discs. It must have been something like petrified darkness, so he had heard. The shadow didn’t say anything, simply gesturing for the two to wear them.

Frygus slipped it on without a word. Mymic however looked at the small disc for a moment. The shadowy figure watched Mymic with its red eyes. Finally, Mymic slipped it on his neck, hoping that it wasn’t some kind of trap.

His heart pounded for a moment. Fortunately for him, Frygus wasn’t cold enough to simply laugh at his cohort. He actually caught the human, leading him over to a wall. Mymic felt a bit light-headed, even moreso than the first time he had gone to the Skylands and felt the altitude.

Frygus gently guided Mymic to the ground, as the room seemed blurry. Strange purple clouds seemed to swirl within Mymic’s vision – Malefor. Mymic gritted his teeth and tried to fight back against anything, putting up his mental walls. He wasn’t going to let himself become as brainwashed as Frygus might have been, or some of those others.

After a few moments, Mymic finally felt clarity returning. And with it, power. He felt it buzzing through his body, like the time he had mimicked the SWAP force Skylander Free Ranger. It seemed to warm him right up. Frygus held his gloved hand out to Mymic.

“Well, you alright?” Frygus asked.

“Uh… yeah.” Mymic said, “Care to tell me what that was?”

He took Frygus’s hand and let the other human pull him up.

“That’s a fragment of the Master’s power, of course. Figure it may have overwhelmed you.”

“Hm… so what am I going to be doing with this?” Mymic asked.

“When the Master gives the order, you will transform into whatever form you wish… and attack.” A wide, almost thirsty grin spread across the other human’s ace. “As the world becomes enveloped in the Eternal Night, a fight may be on our hands. Those who do not instantly submit may struggle back… and instead of converting the ones you defeat into the Undead, they will instead do what I did to you. Bring out their own inner darkness.”

He remembered what Frygus did. Of course, he was an experiment. Mymic already had a suspicion of what this world was. He held back his apprehension as Frygus walked towards the portal of power with him.

“One… two… three.”

Mymic instinctively held his breath and hopped into the portal alongside Frygus.

~ ~ ~

Frygus and Mymic emerged out of an alleyway, in between two snowy looking buildings. After a few seconds, Mymic connected the final pieces together. This other world that they were going to destroy was none other than Earth. He recognized a newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, but not before Frygus had lead him over to a park bench of some kind. Frygus opened up the newspaper, concealing their faces.

“Good thinking.” Frygus said.

“So you have made it.” Mymic heard Malefor’s voice within his ears. No, inside his head. He looked around, wondering where the Undead Dragon King was, or if that "Vector" fellow was nearby him at all.

“Wait here until Night falls, which should happen in just a little bit. Your abilities intrigue me… I shall like to see what it’s like even more. But first… you shall help usher a new age for this world.”

With that, Malefor’s voice ceased. Mymic bit his tongue again. Could his ‘Master’ have known that he was faking him out this entire time? Mymic didn’t look over at Frygus – for all he knew, Frygus had orders to kill him if he dared to disobey. He couldn’t chuck that medallion away, Frygus was too close. And to top it off, Malefor was somehow able to contact him.

Mymic looked up at the sky. The sun was nearing the horizon, never to rise again. Some people were out watching the winter sunset, before heading in because it as cold. Some sweat beaded along Mymic’s brow, as the sun lowered more and more. Already, he started to feel a buzz within his body. Malefor’s magic was rising – maybe the Undead Dragon King was already emerging in the world.

It was always night somewhere – where could he have been appearing? Australia? The Americas? The Pacific? He looked to the west, over the top of the newspaper, as the sun continued to fall over the horizon. (He mentally thanked Frygus for picking a west-facing bench.)

Soon, the sun completely vanished. The streetlights turned on. Suddenly, he heard a whooshing noise, like a gust of wind. A force seemed to flow right past them, a force of pure darkness. Frygus set down the newspaper, letting Mymic see this park where they had sat in. The streetlights flickered on and off, before eventually turning off entirely.

Despite that, Mymic could still make out the landscape. It was starting to turn dark – becoming corrupted by the encroaching darkness. He saw several twisted figures of people, some of which seemed surprised. Some were looking around more confused, while others gasped as an inky darkness seemed to overtake their bodies. Mymic held his tongue, simply staring at the people who were becoming consumed. They were becoming shadows.

“Do not disappoint me, Mymic.” Malefor’s voice boomed in Mymic’s ears. Time seemed to slow as the Dark Master spoke to him. “I can sense you, just as I can Frygus, Yazon, the witches… all of my minions in this world. 'Kill' all who resist. Round up those who haven't instantly transformed into shadows by my wave. Bring them to me.”

Time seemed to resume as Malefor stopped speaking. Frygus immediately hopped to his feet, looking over the destruction ahead of him. A smile broke out over his face. He made a quick glance over the darkened streetlights, before turning to Mymic.

“They made sure their technology would fall. I think it should be ironic if I… turn it against them.” Frygus extended his left arm above him. “TECH.”

An orangeish glow surrounded Frygus. Mymic watched in a mixture of terror and curiosity. He watched Frygus’s body contort, first getting smaller when his clothes vanished. Then, bulking up with muscle. As he bulked up with muscle, Frygus’s fingers extended in length, revealing two powerful sets of claws. His feet cracked and extended, making him stand taller. As he leaned onto the balls of his feet, his feet widened. Several powerful claws erupted, forming a scythe-shape.

His former big toes cracked up, forming an even bigger scythe-claw than the others. His legs nearly doubled in size, covering with muscle and scales. He leaned forward even more when a massive tail erupted from his rear, swaying just a bit. Frygus’s ears vanished. He closed his eyes, before they opened up again, revealing the yellow slitted eyes of a predator. His hair seemed to stand up just a bit, before remaining stiff. Of course, those were feathers… or spikes.

Frygus’s nostrils flared, as his nose was absorbed into his growing muzzle. The muzzle was nothing short of massive, seeming to consume all of his face, except for his forehead. He opened up his mouth in a silent roar, massive teeth emerging from his palate. But his changes weren’t done.

Frygus threw his right arm out, as bits of metal appeared from nowhere, encasing his right arm, all but his gauntlet. He mirrored this motion with his left, as it too was covered in metal and circuitry. A powerful breastplate covered his chest, several pieces of metal moving across to the sides. A pair of metal pauldrons connected his breastplate, metallic pants appearing across his muscled legs and feet.

Frygus’s saurian tail was covered in metal, as a helmet pieced itself around his head, leaving the raptor’s headfeathers poking out of a small hole. (Mymic didn’t take the time to ponder how that worked.) Mymic would have been quite disturbed at the changes, had he not seen Frygus transform first, nor seen his still organic eyes looking out at him through the power armour.

The light vanished, leaving an anthropomorphic looking raptor clad in a set of rather vicious looking power armour standing in front of him. His gauntlets appeared to have merged with the armour, small casings covering up all the stones. The necklace didn’t change with him, fortunately. Instead it dangled a little humorously against the armour. Frygus held out his metal plated claws, as they seemed to glow a tad. Laser edges, possibly.

“Well, Mymic? Let’s ANNIHILATE THEM.” Frygus said, his voice still sounding normal, only deeper and louder.

“I thought you’d turn into a robot.” Mymic mumbled. He heard the blood rushing in his ear – Malefor was most definitely watching them.

Mymic brought the image of a Skylander in his mind. The phoenix-dragon hybrid, Sunburn. All of a sudden, the image seemed to shatter, as he felt his hands drying out, before cracking open. Mymic looked down at his hands, noticing two of his fingers merging together, a black claw erupting from the tip. His other fingers grew in size and width, yellow and ridged skin running all the way up to his elbows. His shoes vanished, as his toes elongated and merged in a similar fashion.

A long tail emerged from his rear. Not a thick tail, simply large tail feathers. His skin seemed to bulge across his neck just a bit, before it too developed ridges, separating one dark purple scute from the next. He closed his mouth, as his teeth gritted together. They solidified into one mass, before starting to bulge out in a conical shape from his mouth. His lips were parted, before they went numb, merging with his new beak. Mymic’s nose was absorbed by the growing black mass. His tongue stretched, forming a pointed avian and draconic tongue.

He screwed his eyes, before opening them back up again, revealing a much clearer looking world. Scales emerged from all around his head, completely removing his hair. Large blade-like spikes emerged from the top of his head, pointing back like some vicious looking Mohawk. Mymic fell to all fours with a very loud cracking noise, his body forcing him into a quadrupedal stance just like the phoenix-dragon hybrid he was mimicking. Dark purple scutes ran all the way down his frontside now.

Mymic’s changes finalized as a pair of feathery wings emerged from where his shoulderblades used to be. He flapped the wings, creating a small draft. A few small feathers fell to the ground, before burning up. The armoured raptor didn’t react at all, instead keeping his eyes on the draconic phoenix in front of him.

“Roast and toast!” Mymic spoke through his beak, gently waving his tail feathers in the wind.

“Good.” Frygus said, “Let’s go ANNIHILATE.”

Mymic sighed as the raptor charged off. Well, maybe he could save some of the people here. Just in case the Dark Master was listening in on him, he covered himself in shadowy flames and dashed out. He tried to keep all of his thoughts towards saving some people who were not already turned into shadows dedicated to finding ‘worthy’ people instead. This was going to be a bit too big of a job for just one person – even one who could turn into other creatures.

Still, he couldn’t help but think that there may have been others, others like him. Despite speaking to Frygus, something still bugged him about the guy. After all, for some uncaring enforcer to the Undead Dragon King, the dragon did stop to make sure he was alright after putting that medallion on.

He dashed over to a street, noticing the armour-clad raptor picking up a car and hurling it of the way like it was nothing. The cold never seemed to bother Frygus at all, and it certainly didn't bother a phoenix-dragon like Mymic.