Shattered Doll

Chapter 1: Fateful Interference

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Here's the mirror. Behind, there is a screen. On both ways, you can get in.

-Gravity Of Love, Enigma

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As a world made entirely of chalk, a world where drawings from a chalkboard become reality the moment they are erased, ChalkZone was home to a multitude of different locations, much more varied than what was found in the Real World. Several of these places, like Mount Runny Nose, defied logic and geography. And with all the artists in the world, this place steadily gained more and more unusual and bizarre attractions and places to visit. As such, any map of the place would forever be unfinished.

Restaurants were no exception to this rule. Since the rules of logic were much more flexible in ChalkZone, restaurants didn't just come in the mundane, regular type, as one would expect from the Real World. There were also plenty of strange and unusual ones, with foods that no one had heard of or thought was possible. And even some of the more regular ones could be quite the star, as there were no limitations on what food could taste like, and the skills of chef zoners that were rerased into ChalkZone.

That didn't mean all restaurants were big hits right off the bat. No, there could still be some problems that can occur, and result in the failure of a restaurant. There were various causes of this, such as the creator of the zoner having peculiar tastes that few other people were interested in. These restaurants typically close down, and the zoner ends up looking for a new purpose, a new calling. Luckily, ChalkZone was a huge, diverse world, so there was always something for each zoner to do.

But for those who were lucky enough to be accepted, and to gather up so many customers on a regular basis, life was hectic, but rewarding. They were able to make a ton of money per day depending on how good they were, and their food was often the talk of the town. There was also competition among the best chefs, resulting in new, even more fantastic food for other zoners to try.

But Sandra was not interested in any of that competition. She would rather not soil her pride by participating in a meaningless endeavor. She ignored whatever other restaurants were doing and always did her own thing. She had a different way of making food, and it was good enough to attract customers. She had no need to compete with another chef.

Sandra stood in behind her cash register, her red-colored eyes looking out at the people around her. She had probably twenty zoners in her restaurant, and she had a feeling she'd get more. Her restaurant wasn't that big either, so even just twenty zoners was quite a lot. She was still surprised she had this many customers, though. As a new zoner, she didn't expect to be this successful this fast. She tried not to let it get to her head.

Sandra had only been in ChalkZone for about a month. She was a small, bipedal dragon zoner with a sky blue body and dark blue markings, namely on her feather-like fingers, the tips of her ears, and between her legs and underside of her tail. Her feet, which were colored tan, just like the triangle mark on her forehead, terminated in four razor sharp claws, colored ivory. Her tail had four spikes, slightly darker than her claws, each ending with a wickedly sharp tip. She wore a flexible, metallic armor piece on her chest, connected with tough strings that looped around her shoulders and across her sides, hooking up in the back. The metal piece was shaped like a triangle, pointing upwards just like the mark on her forehead. Resting on her back was a long, thick piece of cloth. Almost like a cape, except not.

She didn't open this restaurant right away. She had to get things ready first. Unlike the other chef zoners, she wasn't drawn with a shop or any ingredients or anything. She was created with the ability to come up with fantastic recipes, yet she had no ingredients of her own. So she had to spend some time, wandering around ChalkZone, doing odd end jobs in order to save up to make this place.

Of course, she could have accepted help from that boy. What was his name? Oh yes, Rudy Tabootie. The Great Creator. He was always willing to help others. She had seen him around ChalkZone, helping out other zoners. Perhaps she should have asked him for help...

Nah, she would have rather him not to. She had a particular way of making her food, and she didn't want to be judged by anyone. Others can say she's stuck up all they want to. But she was not about to risk her ideas getting stolen, and then zoners were taken away from her. It was hard enough to make this place without a creator's help. She didn't want to worry about anything else.

Sandra's thoughts were interrupted when she realized she had another customer. She noticed it was a tall, purple stick figure zoner. It looked to be Lazlo, another chef zoner. She did not feel threatened by his appearance, and not because he was out to get her or anything. He was a chef in desserts only. He only ever made pies, pudding, whatever else. Good for snacks and parties, but it's not like zoners are going to line up and eat at his place a whole lot.

"Hello, welcome to Sandra's Alcove!" Sandra greeted him. She slightly cringed at the name. It wasn't the one she wanted, but zoners already knew this place by this name, and it was too late to change it. "How may I help you?"

"Yeah I'd like.." Lazlo looked up, rubbing his simple beard thoughtfully. He looked at the digital menu hanging overhead, which displayed LED outlines of various meals Sandra prepared. "The special, please."

"The meat roll with rice?" Sandra asked, and the zoner nodded in confirmation. "Okay then, let me crunch that in..." Sandra pressed her blue-tipped finger against the register's buttons. She added in the information she needed, and then said, "Your total is going to be $5.00 even."

"Wow, what a steal!" Lazlo cried as he pulled out his wallet and gathered up a five dollar bill. "Normally places aren't this cheap. At Hotdog World, I have to pay an extra $2.50 for a drink."

Sandra chuckled at this. "Yeah well..." She reached up towards the dollar with her left foot. She used her highly flexible digits to grab the dollar delicately and placed it in her cash register machine. "I do things a little differently around here." She pushed the register closed, the machine clanging slightly from the force. She turned around and headed towards the heavy door leading into the back. She gave the zoner a sideways glance, smiling. "Wait right there. I'll be back soon with the special." Making a motion with her hand, she added, "Have a seat anywhere!"

As Lazlo walked away towards one of the few window booths available, Sandra went through the doors, which led her down a long hallway. She didn't travel down that far. To her right was another door, and as she approached, she could feel warmth coming from it. She opened it up and walked inside.

She found herself in her kitchen. She looked all around, smiling. It was largely automated, which made things so much easier for her. She never hired anyone to help; she ran this place completely on her own. This kitchen, which was an improved version of the one found in Future Dome, was one of the reasons she could do this all by herself. She didn't spend long standing around, and soon she approached the oven located on her right.

Upon getting to it, she put on the specially made gloves and opened up the oven's doors. She took in a deep breath through her nose, the food's wonderful smell bombarding her senses. She was happy to see that the food was ready now. It often took a while to cook, and she usually had to cook it longer than most other food. But the reward was good enough for her to keep wanting to do it. She reached in and grabbed the silver pan and pulled it out. She set it on top and stared at the food she had prepared.

There was a single roll on the silvery tray, which was curved in the center almost like someone tried to stir it while it was baking. It looked absolutely delicious, but Sandra dare not eat it. It wasn't hers. Putting it on a plate, she walked over to the stove again, this time paying attention to the top. She looked at a pot that was laying there and opened up the glass lid. The rice looked like it was ready. Taking a large spoon, she scooped up what little remained of the rice onto the plate.

As she began to take the food back out, holding a bottle of soda in her tail from her fridge, she realized something. She was out of ingredients to make her meat roll special today. This didn't concern her too much, as her specials often change. But it will be disappointing for the next customer. She would hate to bring bad news to him or her, but there was nothing she could do. She would have to get more meat soon. At least she had plenty of vegetarian options in the mean time to satisfy her customers.

Soon she exited the kitchen and returned to the front of her store. She moved around the long, curved desk containing her cash register, and went towards the series of large windows on the left. She could see Lazlo sitting there, his arms resting on the table and his fingers twiddling with each other as he enjoyed the view. The mirrors were one-way; zoners could see out, but not in. Sandra liked that extra bit of privacy she gave to her customers. Something different.

"Hello." Sandra called out, holding the plate in her hands. Lazlo looked over and waved at her in greeting. "Here's your food." She set it down on the table. She put her hands together and lowered her head in a partial bow, a show of respect. "Please enjoy."

"Thanks!" Lazlo didn't waste any time. He immediately dug into the food. Using the knife and fork, he cut off a piece of the meat and put it into his mouth. His eyes twinkled as he swallowed. "This is incredible!" As he sawed off another piece, he said, "What is it? What do you use?"

Sandra smiled as Lazlo enjoyed his meal. Upon hearing his question, she folded her arms against her chest and chuckled. "Sorry, but that is top secret. I will just stay I have my own way of preparing food."

"Well whatever you do, keep it up!" Lazlo licked a couple of his fingertips. "This food is amazing!"

"Oh don't worry." Sandra's smile broadened. "I plan to."

With that, Sandra turned and walked back towards her register. She needed to be present for any new customers coming in. She didn't want to keep them waiting. It took her only a few seconds, moving swiftly between empty chairs and around a couple of her customers, to reach her station. She settled behind it, and waited patiently for any new zoners coming in.

As she waited, she took another look around her restaurant, which had a round shape almost like a dome, complete with metal support arching from the ground and ending in a circle at the top. Even the tables and chairs had a round theme, and her hallway from before had slightly rounded edges. While she preferred sharp edges, she felt more rounded ones were much more inviting. With how many customers she was getting, this seemed to be the case.

She soon caught movement in her eyes. She shifted her eyes upward, her pupils noticing her glass double doors opening up. A small zoner walked in. He appeared to be a superhero of some kind. White skin, with a light blue leotard and darker blue gloves, cape, mask, and shoes. He had large, pure white eyes and a large smile on his face. He walked into the restaurant, looking left and right, clearly admiring the place.

Sandra recognized him as Snap. She had spoken to him in the past before. He had helped her out with the place, bringing some zoners to help build certain parts of the restaurant. He had been one of the first zoners she could consider a friend. He hadn't had a chance to eat here yet, which was a shame. But she didn't mind that he took a while to get here. She wasn't about to tear him away from his creator, Rudy. She was well aware that he loved to exploriate with Rudy and...what was that girl's name...Penny.

"Hey Sandra!" Snap greeted as he approached the register. "I see things are working out great for your restaurant."

"Indeed they are." Sandra replied. She looked down at the zoner. He was a little smaller than she was. She moved her hand towards him, her fingers stretched out, exposing her palm. "And it's in part thanks to you! I don't think I could have had this place up and running if you hadn't brought over those zoners to help. You didn't even have to. You..."

"Oh don't worry about it!" Snap waved his hand dismissively. "It was my pleasure! So uh..." He licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. "Do you have any good grub around here?"

"Well, I..."

Before Sandra could answer, Snap had grabbed one of the small, paper menus she had available for those who wanted to sit down and order a bit later. Something caught his eye. There was no mistaking that smile.

"Oh wow, this sounds good!" Snap turned the menu around and pointed his round hand at a part of the menu. "I woud like some of this, if it's at all possible, please!"

Sandra turned her gaze to the paper menu. She took note of where Snap was pointing to. Realizing what it was, she lowered her ears and shook her head. Seeing Snap look disappointed did upset her. But unfortunately, if her friend wanted menu items and she was out of them, he was going to have to wait and try another time. That was just how she ran things here. Inconvenient for the customers, but easier on her stress levels.

"Sorry, Snap." Sandra said, looking at him sadly. "But that Lazlo guy bought the last special."

"He did?" Snap looked over. He watched as Lazlo finished up his plate and got up from the table to leave. Snap's shoulders slumped and his hands nearly touched the ground. "Oh nuts! I was looking forward to it, too." Sandra looked at him sympathetically. Snap turned his head up and stared back at Sandra. "I wanted to make up for not coming here sooner. I.."

"Oh no no no, don't worry!" Sandra waved her hand in front of her. "I'm not upset about that at all!" She then folded her hands behind her back, her tail swishing from side to side. "However, if you want to come tomorrow, I'll have the special up again. I should have enough ingredients by tomorrow to make a few more. I'll save one for you!" She said, smiling and giving him a wink.

This cheered the little zoner up a bit. "Okay, thanks." Snap still sounded so disappointed, but he understood there was nothing that could be done. Besides, it was just a meal. Not the end of the world or anything. "Well I'm still hungry. Hmm..."

Wanting to help her friend a little, partially out of payment for his kindness and help when she was starting out, Sandra twisted her neck so she could look up at her LED menu. She scratched her chin thoughtfully as she looked through the items, trying to find something Snap might like.

Upon seeing something, she looked back at him and said, "What about the spinach pie with three cheese? No one's ordered that yet, so you'd be my first customer for that item."

"Spinach pie?" Snap tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly.

"If you don't want it, I can always find something else." Sandra offered, raising up a hand in gesture.

"Okay, I'll give it a try!" Snap said with a smile. "But could you give me a bag to go with it? Rudy, Penny, and Mint are expecting me soon." Sandra recognized the name of Mint. If she remembered right, he was a formerly evil creator who worked for Skrawl. He had changed his ways and become an ally for Rudy and Penny. Snap usually talked fondly of him. He was also... "I can't eat here long, so can you do that for me?"

"Sure, no problem, Snap!" Sandra said, grinning at the blue zoner. She wasn't bothered by him interrupting her thoughts. "Just sit tight now. I'll be right back." With that, Sandra disappeared into her kitchen, preparing the pie for her friend.

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Rudy narrowed his eyes in determination. He held up his magic chalk, fully prepared to draw whatever he needed. He hadn't expected to get into some action this fast, but then, his enemies didn't exactly give a time frame of when they would attack, because why would they?

Along with Mint, Penny, and Snap, he rushed forward through ChalkZone City. The four of them had to be careful not to run into anyone. Many zoners were running away from something, screaming, waving their hands in the air. He usually didn't see the zoners this frightened before, and the sight of it filled him with anger. He was going to get to the bottom of this and stop whatever was going on.

Snap had just gotten out of Sandra's Alcove when he had spotted the zoners in a part of the city beginning to run away n a panic. It wasn't too far away from the restaurant, so he had spotted it as soon as he stepped out. The little zoner had found him and the others not long after, informing him of the threat. Unfortunately, he did not know the identity of the attacker.

Rudy felt a bit nervous with rushing into something without knowing what was going on. But he would figure out soon enough. It wouldn't take them long to find the culprit. They just had to keep running in the opposite direction of these zoners. The four of them took note of the directions they had come from, and used that to determine the direction they themselves should go. The more panicked the zoners looked, the closer they were getting to the source.

Rudy looked over at Mint. He was disappointed that Mint could not bring Ripclaw with him. The poor dinosaur had gotten herself injured and her leg was broken. She needed to stay at a vet while she recooperates. The other dinosaurs had found a new home in a zoo, and it wasn't like the owners were going to willingly let them borrow the dinos. They were pretty strict with that. But that probably won't be a problem; Mint could always draw a dinosaur if he felt they could use one.

He still couldn't believe it had been two years since Mint joined up with them. Oh how time flies. It felt like it was just yesterday the kid first appeared and they had to tangle with him. The kid, now a first year teenager, had been a great asset afterwards, and everyone adapted well to his presence. He had become a close friend of theirs and he had kept true to his word and never tried to harm anyone again. Although at times, he would feel some anger as he remembered when Mint broke his friend's back, or guilt when he saw Mint's prosthetic leg, he had much better control over these emotions. He had no regrets with letting Mint stay.

He moved his thoughts away from that, focusing at the task at hand. Up ahead, he could see some smoke pillowing out into the ground. He couldn't see just what was causing it, but he knew it wouldn't be long. He could see some kind of shadow stretching along the ground. Then he felt vibrations in the ground. This caused him and his friends to stop, their feet detecting the vibrations spreading through the ground. Something was coming. Something big.

Rudy stopped in the middle of the road. On his left and right, he could see various zoners screamin, clamoring to get away, some shovering each other to gain more distance. Penny and Mint followed his example, taking position on either side of him as they prepared to face their adversary. Snap stood not far from Mint, his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. The four friends stood there, waiting for the enemy to show up.

Soon, he did. With a loud crash, rocks breaking, and smoke clearing into the area, they could see something mechanical coming into view.

Four legs, sharp edges with a pointed tip, moved towards them. They could hear the gears squeaking, wires stretching. There was no doubt in Rudy's head this was a robotic zoner of some kind. His first thought was Craniac 4, but that zoner did nto look like this, and Rudy didn't recall him having any kind of mechanical creature like this. It took Rudy a while to realize that this creature was a mount, not acting on its own. He could see a large, somewhat rounded figure jetting out unnaturally from the back, and a few things were floating around him.

Rudy's eyes narrowed, his teeth clenching. Recognizing already who this intruder was, he raised his chalk higher, the tip sparkling. The twelve year old would not allow his enemy to get away with what he did. This time, things were going to end a little differently.

"Well well well...look what the cat dragged in.." A cold, familiar voice called out. The voice put the four friends on edge, their minds swimming with thoughts of what happened three years ago. "I suppose I should be grateful that you came. It would have been a great insult if you didn't show up your own creation's correnation..."

Rudy gnashed his teeth together. "I didn't draw you, Skrawl! A bunch of other kids did!" He shook his head, realizing that isn't what he should be talking about. "And what are you up to this time?!"

"How nice of you to ask, Master Tabootie." Skrawl grinned nastily as he stopped his machine. "Perhaps I should let you say hello to Margaret."

The kids looked at him, puzzled. They looked all around, not seeing anything. What was this crazed zoner talking about?

At this, Skrawl growled in frustration, slapping himself in the face. "Are you serious?! Are you four really that dense?" He looked like he wanted to scream when the kids simply shrugged their shoulders. He gritted his teeth, but soon regained his composure. He pointed at the machine he was riding. "This is Margaret. I got her from the Future Dome. Isn't she..perfect?"

The machine, or Margaret as Skrawl insisted on calling it..or her, looked like a mechanical spider-like thing, kind of. It had a singular body with a single seat, which Skrawl himself was sitting in. It was a bit further back, and at the front, there were large pincers, looking sharp enough to tear through anything. There were only four legs, but they were clearly spider-like. The tips looked like they would be strong enough to help the evil zoner climb up almost any surface. There were a multitude of lights decorating the silver-colored machine, and in the back, there was a lightbulb shaped protrusion. They guessed that it shot something out of its rear end to help aid in fighting, most likely a sticky substance, such as webbing. The eyes, large, segmented, and shining with gold, stared at them, piercing through their minds.

Margaret, upon a few slaps from Skrawl, took a few menacing steps towards the group. She let out a series of synthesized hisses and growls. Her jaws snapped together, the clanging sound filling the air. Her pupilless eyes stared straight at them as she raised her two front legs into the air. She slammed back down, as if displaying her incredible strength to them. As her pointed tips of feet hit the ground, there was a crack, and the feet went in partially. This was enough to make the group flinch slightly, but still, they stood their ground.

"Perhaps it's time for you four to say your prayers." Skrawl said with a gleeful smile. He raised up a device which Rudy guessed controlled the creautre directly. If he could just get it away from him somehow... "Craniac 4 says this thing is calibrated to..."

"Oh so Craniac 4 is on this? Where is he?" Mint spoke up, cutting off Skrawl. Even when the jellybean glared at him, Mint still smirked. "Did he turn chicken and run away? Oh wait, I know what happened." He folded his arms against his chest. "He was turned off by your brilliant plan, so he decided to leave before he ended up in another of your failures." Skrawl's mismatched eyes widened at this. "Oh, did I speak too soon?"

"Mint..." Penny said in a warning tone. "Please be careful of what you say..."

Rudy nodded in agreement. Although Mint was usually a good ally, he still had something of an attitude problem that needed more adjusting. He was the most likely of them to pick a fight, and he sometimes nearly ruined things for them. This could be another of those incidents. If he accidentally angered Skrawl, they could be plunged into a situation more dangerous than they already were in. An angered zoner was an unpredictable zoner.

"What?" Mint asked, raising his hands into the air. "I was just playing with him." He loked back at Skrawl. "But in all seriousness, are you sure Craniac 4 didn't get tired of working for you and just abandoned the plan?"

Skrawl growled softly. "He was never a part of this."

Mint blinked a few times. He then sighed almsot in sadness. "That's a shame. I was looking forward to seeing him again." He gave a quick chuckle. "Oh well, watching your plans fail again is going to be quite fun."

"Watch it, Mint. Or do you want another fake leg to match your left one?" Skrawl hissed at him.

At this, Mint's bravery faltered. His eyes widened in horror. He glanced down at his left foot, which was half prosthetic, and back at Skrawl. As Mint licked his lips nervously and took a few steps back, Skrawl smiled at this fearful response. In retaliation, the other three moved closer to Mint, showing a silent, clear sign that they weren't going to allow Skrawl another chance to do that.

Rudy's eyes flashed in anger. He couldn't believe Skrawl had the nerve to strike Mint mentally like that, by reminding him of what happened all that time ago. It was still fresh on his mind. Rudy could still see the sword swing down. He could still hear it slice through muscle and bone. He could still see Mint on the ground, nearly bleeding to death. It had been a terrifying experience for him. He never wanted to see Mint or anyone in such a state again. And he knew that Mint would not want to be put back in that situation either. The poor kid was mentally scarred from having seen the sword coming down, his severed leg, and for it to happen again...

Well Skrawl was going to be sadly disappointed. There was no way he or his friends would let that happen. It was tough enough for their friend to recover and adapt, but to have another severed leg... No, not this time.

Skrawl let out a cruel chuckle at their show of determination. He lifted the device higher into the air, pointing it straight at them. "I would love to sit here and listen to you all blabber on and on about how you'd stop me, but I have a time schedule to keep."

"What are you talking about, you oversized rotten fruit?" Snap demanded, pointing a hand in Skrawl's direction.

Skrawl growled at Snap. "Don't you dare talk to your future ruler that way!" He cleared his throat, calming himself down. "Now as I was saying, the sooner I get rid of you four, the sooner Margaret and I can take over ChalkZone!" He gave a mad grin as he prepared to push the button. "So prepare yourselves, you foolish creators..." He paused. "..and blue rodent.." Snap glared at this. "You are all about to..."

The zoner suddenly went silent. The four friends looked at him in confusion. Usually this was when Skrawl would start talking about how he would win, how his plan was so brilliant, it couldn't possibly fail. But now the large zoner went silent, and they hadn't said anything to him to make him do that. Skrawl's eyes were wide, as if he just realized something, Then his expression relaxed and he shook his head.

"You know, we did this song and dance before. So let's just skip the part where I talk about my brilliant plan and get to annihilating you..." With that, the jellybean zoner pressed the button. The machine's eyes glowed brightly and she began to move towards them, her feet moving faster than before.

The four friends stood their ground. Their minds raced as the machine headed towards them. Rudy watched it intently, taking note of its structure, trying to see any weak points. He looked over at his friends, noting they were doing the same. He looked back over. As the thing got closer, he took a few steps back, as did his friends. They watched, unable to tear their eyes way, their minds swirling for a course of action.

He was relieved when Penny ushered them all over so they could quick discuss something. Penny took notice of a weird structure on the creature's legs that looked almost like antennas. She deduced that the power source for the creature was located somewhere else. This power source likely was not catered to the beast itself; Skrawl was likely using a machine somewhere nearby to power the creature. If they find it and disable it, they would be able to stop Skrawl.

The plan was pretty simple, yet effective. Penny suggested that Mint and Rudy should distract Skrawl while she went to turn off the machine. Snap's job would be to keep the Beanie Boys busy. As long as they forced Skrawl one on one, he couldn't take them by surprise.

With how little time there was, they didn't bother debating with each other of any better ideas. As the machine came closer, it was time to put it into effect.

Snap was the first one to act. Rushing towards Skrawl, the zoner began to brazingly insult the jellybean. "You're going to be our new leader? I feel bad for everyone who has to follow someone whose plans always break down in his hands like they were made of glass! This world would sure become a worse place."

"You little..." Skrawl growled.

Snap grinned at the jellybean. "What? I'm just telling the truth!" He folded his arms against his chest as he looked up at the Beanie Boys, who looked a bit surprised at how he had insulted their master. "I take it these guys will be your enforcers? Oh puh shaw!" Snap waved his hand to the side in a dismissive manner. "These guys are hardly intimidating. If you seriously try to rule while associating with these guys, no one is going to take you seriously. Oh wait, you're already identified with them, so everyone is going to know you as Skrawl The Fool!"

Predictably, Skrawl pointed a finger at the zoner. "Get him, Beanie Boys!"

Rudy resisted the urge to smile. Typical Skrawl. All that needed to be done was the right words be spoken, and he would get so infuriated, he wouldn't realize he was falling into a trap. He watched as his friend ran down ChalkZone City's streets, the three Beanie Boys accompanying Skrawl going after him.

Now that Skrawl was alone, with the exception of the arachnid-like robot, it was time for him, Mint, and Penny to go forward with their plans. He looked over at Mint, his eyes narrowed in determination. The older boy gave a nod in return, and the two boys began to move forward. They pulled out their magic chalk, prepared to take on Skrawl until Penny could find the power source.

As Penny turn and started to make her getaway, Mint and Rudy rushed towards Skrawl. The jellybean gritted his teeth, glaring at the two creators approaching him. They ran on opposite sides, one on his left, and the other on his right. The two of them prepared to draw, but they didn't get too far as Skrawl had his machine raise her leg up and strike at them with a wide swipe. The two boys jumped back, narrowly missing the sharp tips slashing into them. They didn't back away too far, and, with glares on their faces, rushed forward again.

Skrawl glared at the two boys, and with a strong slap on his beast's head, he began to charge them. Rudy glared at this unnecessary act of cruelty, but he said nothing, knowing Skrawl would not pay attention to what he said regarding the issue. He quickly draw a long piece of rope and gave a nod to Mint. The boy took the hint quickly and he mimicked Rudy's movements, producing another long rope. The two friends then rushed towards the machine.

Skrawl grinned at them. The jellybean zoner must think they were crazy to approach. Well wasn't he in for a surprise. He quickly draw heavy weights on the tips of the rope he drew, as did Mint, and he quickly drew up a large gun. He stuffed the rope in, and shot it out, a puff of smoke emitting from the barrel. The rope shot through the air. Skrawl's eyes widened as the rope landed on top of his robot, in the front precisely. Margaret already faltered with just one rope on her back, her body swaying from side to side. It got worse when Mint fired the second rope, creating a large X that weighed down on the machine.

The two friends nodded to each other, smiling. Confident that they had disabled Skrawl's machine long enough to get him away from the controls, they turned their sights on the jellybean. But unfortunately, they didn't get very far.

Suddenly, one of Margaret's legs ripped straight up, the sharp edge of her joint slicing through the rope. The two boys paused and took a few steps back, eyes widening as they stared at the beast. At their surprise, Skrawl laughed maniacally, his hands raised in the air as if for dramatic effect. Rudy and Mint glanced nervously at each other. It would seem they would need a better plan at getting Skrawl out of that machine.

"Nice try, human vermin!" Skrawl said. "I would have thought you two would come up with a better plan than that. I'm almost disappointed..."

"Like we would give up..." Rudy said, narrowing his eyes at the jellybean. "You know that we will never let you win!"

"Yeah! We'll send you packing like we had before!" Mint agreed.

"Oh is that so?" Skrawl inquired, tilting his head to the side. His eyes shifted around. Then they glinted slightly. It looked as if Skrawl had seen something, and his movements became more deliberate. But Rudy was so determined to stop Skrawl, he didn't realize just what Skrawl might have seen. "Well then..maybe today well be...my lucky day!"

Without warning, Margaret opened up her jaws. There was a wide, oval opening that appeared, and something shot out of her mouth. Letting out a shocked scream, Mint and Rudy jumped to the sides as something glowy and stretched out shot out between them. Mint sneered at Skrawl, but before he could make a comment about how he had missed, they heard a scream behind them. His heart skipping a beat, Rudy realized they weren't the true targets.

The two boys looked over their shoulders, then with a gasp of horror, turned around completely to face what had happened. Penny, who had gained some distance away as she started to search for the device, was tangled up with a glowy, sticky mess that Margaret shot at her. The girl's arms were pinned at her sides and her legs trapped together. She squirmed as hard as she could, but she could not break free.

Rudy and Mint cried out Penny's name as the twelve year old female creator was dragged towards Skrawl. The jellybean laughed evilly as Penny was quickly placed underneath Margaret, a sharp leg tip placed close to her neck. Penny glared up at Skrawl, clearly frightened, but determined to still try to get away.

"Why hello, genius girl! Fancy to see you here." Skrawl said. "It seems you got yourself into a...sticky situation."

"Up yours, Skrawl." Penny retorted.

Skrawl's mouth dropped open in shock at this. Rudy and Mint shared a quick, humored chuckle at how stunned Skrawl was by what Penny said. It was not like her to say stuff like that often. But the humor disappeared quickly as Skrawl glared at her.

"It seems my former Chalk Queen needs a little lesson about respect." Skrawl pressed a few buttons on his controller, and the robotic creature proceded to lift up her foot, positioning it over Penny's head. This made Mint and Rudy gasp in horror. "If I were you, sweet little girl, I'd apologize..."

Despite her fear, Penny still showed defiance. "No."

"Then so be it..." Skrawl said, and he reached down to press the button.

Without warning, something slammed into Skrawl. This did not surprise Rudy. He had seen Mint sneak around while Skrawl was busy looking at Penny. The thirteen year old had gotten into position and as soon as he saw an opportunity, he rushed forward. The boy managed to climb up Margaret without detection, and in seconds, he wrestled Skrawl out of her. The two slammed into the ground, Mint on top of Skrawl.

Despite the fact that Skrawl wasn't directly controlling her anymore, Margaret remained in her position. Rudy couldn't tell if it was out of fear, obedience, or perhaps she was not able to act on her own without a controller. He rushed towards Penny, and knelt down beside her. He looked over once, watching as Mint tried to keep Skrawl away from his remote control, which had dropped off to the side, and he turned his eyes back to Penny. He immediately went to work helping her out.

It wasn't too difficult. Margaret didn't make a move to stop him as he grabbed her sharp tipped leg and pulled it up to make room. He then grabbed his female friend and began to drag her away from Margaret. As soon as he got her a certain distance away, he immediately drew a pair of scissors and began to cut his friend out of the substance.

It didn't take him long to cut all the way through. Penny immediately climbed up to her feet, brushing herself off. Her face was contorted in disgust as she cleaned off the last bits of the sticky material from her body.

"That was so gross..." She shuddered.

"Hey, Skrawl!"

At this, Penny and Rudy looked over. They could see Mint was still with Skrawl. At this point, the jellybean had gotten up to his feet. His eyes were focused on Mint, who was at his side, his hands gripping the zoner's arm tightly.

"Remember this?" Mint grinned mischieviously. Without hesitation, Mint opened his jaws wide and snapped them down on the zoner's arm.

Skrawl's eyes widened and he let out a scream. He tried to yank his arm away, but Mint did not let go. He held on tightly, his teeth pressing further against the zoner's skin. Then, his eyes narrowed in rage, Skrawl pulled his arm back as hard as he could, yanking Mint forward in the process. Even as Mint saw, with wide eyes, the claws coming down at him, he still didn't let go of Skrawl's arm. He continued biting him up until the point that the claws hit their mark.

"Mint!" Rudy and Penny cried out in unison.

Mint rolled across the ground, a few long, though shallow, gashes running along his arm. He clutched his limb to himself and then stared up at Skrawl. Rudy was glad that it was his right arm, and not his left, that was damaged. But that may not last as Skrawl moved closer to the boy. He nodded towards Penny and the two began to make their way towards the enraged zoner.

Mint laid on the ground, crawling backwards on his hands. His teeth were clenched in pain, but he seemed to try to ignore that as he did his best to get away from the angered jellybean. But Skrawl was faster and soon he placed his foot on Mint's stomach, holding him down.

"You still haven't learned, have you, traitor?" Skrawl's voice was low, menacing. He narrowed his eyes, giving a chillingly familiar look that brought Rudy and Mint back to that moment, when Skrawl had chopped off his foot in a fit of rage. With an insane grin, he raised his hand up higher, the sharp tips pointing down at Mint. "Well perhaps it's time I gave you another...permanent reminder of why I'm in charge!"

Mint began to struggle frantically under Skrawl. The zoner grabbed his throat and held him down. Mint clawed at his arm, but that did nothing to make Skrawl loosen his grip. "No, please!"

Skrawl just grinned nastily, and tensed up his arm muscles, preparing to strike down.

"Leave him alone!" Rudy cried as he and Penny rushed over to help Mint.

sss

Snap panted heavily, his heart racing against his chest. He put his hand against it and flinched. He half wondered if his heart was going to jump out of his chest any second, spilling out onto the ground. He tried to cast aside the horrific imagery as he moved through the corridor.

He had no idea where he was. He had been running away from the Beanie Boys, going every which way to make sure they couldn't catch him. But he also kept himself in sight so that they would be compelled to keep following him. He had to buy his friends enough time to take care of that creepazoid, Skrawl.

He did eventually lose them when he went down a long corridor and then fell through the ground, the ground in that particular spot much weaker than it looked. He landed in some kind of dusty pile. He coughed as the stuff got into his windpipe. As he desperately cleared his throat, he could hear the familiar chanting of the Beanie Boys as they flew overhead. They apparently didn't see him fall down. Though a bit disappointed he could not lead them more astray, Snap was glad that he was able to get them this far. That should buy his friends enough time.

He wished he could get back to them, though. He couldn't climb back out of the hole he came from, and he had no flashlight. He was not able to see much of where he was. There was a strong stench here, dank, and it felt a little moist, or maybe it was just metal. He couldn't tell which it was, and at the moment, he didn't care. He just continued moving through the dark, unknown location, hoping to find a way out.

Slowly, his vision began to improve. He started to see simple shapes and shadows, giving some form of where he was. He realized he was in a network of underground tunnels. At this realization, Snap immediately shuddered in disgust. He was probably in the sewer, of all places. The thought sent chills up his spine. He was going to need to take a nice, long shower when he got out of here.

He picked what appeared to be the cleanest corridor and headed down it. He had been going down this tunnel for some time now. He moved swiftly, and yet at the same time cautiously, knowing he had no idea what was up ahead. With so little light, he could barely see where he was going. He nearly dripped a few times because of htis. He did manage to keep his balance, but that was of little comfot since he knew his next step could be a deep hole that he'd fall into, or he could end up crushing his face against a concrete wall or something.

And that is exactly what happened. He ended up walking straight into a hard surface. His face wasn't as injured as he thought it was going to be, but the impact of the surface against his face was not pleasant. He held onto his head, rubbing it gently as he used his other to figure out what he stumbled upon. Feeling around it, noting what felt like a marble structure, and then a doorknob, he realized that he had run into a door.

Curious about where this led to, Snap grabbed it and turned it. It was a little hard opening it. The hinges were pretty stiff, and he wondered if this door had even been used at all lately. When he managed to open it all the way, he struggled to get in, and in seconds, the door slammed behind him. He winced, startled. Yeah, the door was old alright. It didn't want to stay open.

Snap found himself in another corridor, but thankfully, this one was lit. He immediately moved forward, hoping to find his way out soon. As soon as he would get outside, he'd be able to tell about where he was in ChalkZone and he'd be able to find Rudy.

As he continued walking, he thought back to his friends. He hoped they were holding out well. He didn't know how far they had gotten with Skrawl before he lost the Beanie Boys. He could only hope that the Beanie Boys don't return in time to assist Skrawl. Otherwise, they might be in trouble. All the more reason to find a way out of here and go back and help them.

Up ahead, Snap could see another door. This one seemed to be made out of the same material. Marble, which was a bit unusual. He didn't really see marble doors around ChalkZone that much. He shrugged it off and walked towards it. Upon opening it, it brought him into a much larger room. Snap's eyes widened as he slowly walked in. The feeling of crampiness suddenly gave out to wide and open as he found himself in what appeared to be a large warehouse.

The place looked pretty old, but not too bad. It was apparent someone had been keeping it mostly clean. They did a good job. With the acception of some dust and a few cobwebs in sparse locations, the place looked well kept. He could see row after row of metal shelves, unlabeled boxes adorning them. He couldn't tell just what this warehouse was for, but he would worry about that later.

The zoner began to look for a way out. He thought it was going to be easy, but he soon realized it was going to be a bit more challenging than he thought. This place was larger than he realized, a lot more spacious than he thought it was. He had no idea how long it was going to take him to get out of here. But he knew the quickest way to find it: walk along the stretch of the walls.

As he did this, he kept his eyes on the rows, looking between them. He tried to see if he could notice any sign of what direction he should go in. Maybe he could find some kind of clue, like an exit sign or something.

He did eventually find something, but it wasn't what he had been looking for.

Sitting up against one of the empty shelves, in roughly the middle of the warehouse, was some kind of...weird contraption. Despite wanting to continue finding the exit, Snap was drawn to the machine. There was something...almost compelling about it. He walked towards it slowly, his white eyes focusing intently on it. It didn't take him too long to reach it, and he stopped a few feet in front of it. He looked up and down, taking note of its details.

It was hard to describe the device. The closest Snap could think of was a large juicer. There was a wide, cylinder-rectangle thing that looked like just about any small zoner could fight through. It terminated into a large, metal box thing, with several grooves and multiple wires all over, stretching along the ground. There looked to be a spear-like structure jetting out at the side, and it was glowing slightly. Despite the glow, it didn't seem to be ominous, and Snap was even able to safely touch it. Looking back at the machine, he noticed something moving slowly where the cylinder-like thing connected with the metal box thing. And right in front were some diods and buttons. The last thing Snap noticed was a sliver opening in front. It was much narrower than the top, and was rimmed with a thick, rubber edge.

Snap was perplexed by this device. It looked appealing, with its design, but at the same time, not knowing what it was kind of unnerved him. He didn't know what this machine was for, and why it was here. It seemed to be operational, yet the function was a mystery. It couldn't be a juicer; he smelled no fruit on it. Despite its appearance, it probably didn't have anything to do with food. There was probably some other function it had, something he wasn't thinking about.

Despite his desire to find out more, Snap knew he couldn't waste time on this machine. He had to find a way out of here. He stepped to the side of the machine and looked up, trying to see if he could locate a sign that he may have missed during his walk. Looking up, craning his head as far as he could go, he thought he could see a glimpse of something. He jumped up, but no matter how high he launched himself into the air, it wasn't enough to see the item in question. Having no choice, he began to climb up the shelf behind the mystery machine.

Slowly, Snap made his way up the shelf. He was careful with his footing, making sure he didn't slip and twist his ankle or break his leg in the process. He made progress, slow and steady. He gritted his teeth in determination, making to climb up about three shelves. He pulled himself onto the shelf, his round hands clawing for a grip as he tried to see what he thought was a sign. But it turned out to just be a colored box. Snap sighed in disappointment.

Suddenly, he felt himself moving backwards. His eyes bulged and he tightened his grip on the shelf. He turned his head, and out of the corner of one eye, he could see that he, along with the shelf he was on, was falling down towards the machine. Thoughts of how weak the shelves must be for him to weigh it down like this barely registered in his mind. Snap's mind raced as he reacted as quickly as he could. He let go of the shelf, crashing into the ground. He rubbed his head and then looked up. Seeing the structure coming down towards him, he rolled out of the way.

As soon as he did, there was a loud crash. Snap held his hands to his head, curling up into a somewhat fetal position as the crack ehoed in his ear. He heard loud screeching as metallic parts were stretched and crushed. Dust had been kicked out from underneath, forcing him into another coughing fit. After a few seconds, the sounds stopped, and he looked over to see what had happened.

The shelf he had been on toppled over and landed right on the machine. One of the shelves pressed against the machine, cutting into it almost like a knife through butter. One of the support bars for the shelf also smashed against it, crushing the front portion and Snap could see that not only did the antenna not glow anymore, but there was smoke pillowing out of the machine, along with some sparks of electricity. As the sparking increased, as he started to see darker smoke coming out, Snap realized what was about to happen.

Climbing up to his feet, Snap made a dash away from the machine, his eyes wide in horror. Seconds later, as he managed to get down several aisles, the machine exploded.

sss

What a day... Sandra did not expect to get that many customers, even without her special of the day. Business was booming. She wondered if Snap had anything to do with it. He was probably telling some zoners all about her restaurant. At this, she couldn't help but smile. She'd have to thank him later if that were the case.

She had locked up for the day. She usually didn't shut down this early, but despite her success, she didn't feel comfortable staying open that long without a special available. She would have to take care to get enough meat later on so that she could serve a lot more meat rolls to her hungry customers. Some zoners were disappointed that she had already locked up, but she promised them that she would be open again tomorrow.

After she sweeped up the place, wiped down the counters, and locked up the cash register, the dragon zoner made her way towards the back. She walked passed the kitchen and her personal bathroom and moved through the long corridor. It bent at some sharp angles, forcing her to turn suddenly. Despite this, it wasn't too bad to navigate and she kind of liked it, as it sort of reminded her of tunnels in a cave, her favorite type of land structure.

She wondered what her next specialty was going to be. She couldn't just keep making meat rolls. She would have to think of something else. She usually tried to have something new every few days at least. It was how she kept attracting more customers. Always something new. Maybe Snap would have some ideas for her, or those humans. Even if the humans couldn't eat chalk food, she reckoned Real World food was similiar. She could whip up a chalk version of whatever they came up with.

She reached the door and turned the knob. It creaked open and she felt a rush of air move through her as she stepped into her own personal warehouse. She took in a deep breath, detecting the smells of the building. Familiar smells that reminded her of her successes of the restaurant. But before she could continue working on the next specials, she first had to check up on something important.

She walked between two of the shelves. She looked up, noting the boxes all around. She gave a small smile. They certainly came in handy. She might need more eventually. With her hobby, there was always room for more boxes, more storage. Perhaps she could get Rudy to draw her more. She could always use some.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when she saw what was in front of her. She could see one of the shelves had been knocked down, but while that was enough of a shock, something else horrified her more.

Smoke...

She could smell smoke...

And was that burn marks...?

Breathing in and out quickly, Sandra rushed forward, her short cape-like thing flapping behind her, her back parallel to the ground as she approached the scene. As soon as she reached it, she went back into her tripod stance and looked around. Her eyes widened in horror at what laid before her.

It was...it was her machine. It was completely destroyed. One of the shelves fell onto it, slicing into the machine and rendering it useless. With the bits that laid all over the place, spread out all around, Sandra could tell that the machine had exploded. Luckily, it didn't seem to have started a fire or anything. But the machine itself was charred, distorted and dented, and some areas broke off and laid on the ground all around. It looked so brittle, like at any point, it would crumble into dust.

Seeing her machine in this condition caused Sandra's body to shake. A wave of emotion rushed through her body. She..she couldn't believe it. What happened here? The shelves may not be the strongest around, but they wouldn't just topple over that easily. There was no strong rush of wind through here, and as she looked at the shelf's metal support for weaknesses, she found none.

Then, as she moved around the destroyed machine tenatively, she noticed some kind of scent. She paused, and pointed her muzzle in the air. Her nostrils flared as she tried to detect the smell. She realized there was some kind of extra scent in here. It was familiar and yet it was so badly distorted by the smoke that she could not recognize it. But it was all the evidence she needed for her to realize something happened.

Someone had sabotaged her machine.

This caused her blood to boil. Someone had invaded her property and destroyed her machine. They dared to invade..dared to destroy what was hers... Her red eyes narrowed dangerously, her sharp teeth bared viciously.

She didn't care what it took. She didn't care how long it was going to take. She vowed right then and there, she was going to find who was responsible for this. She would find them and she would make them pay for what they had done.

sss

I'm still not sure if I'm going to wait until this story is finished before I post the next chapters or not. For now, I'll just keep posting the chapters as I finish them. If I change my mind later, I'll make an author's note about it.