It's Hard Being a Leader

"MEETING!" the mermasquid shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping to gain the attention of his team mates. No one came so Wash Buckler tried again,

"MEEEEEETIIIIINGAH!" Again no one came or even answered. The water skylander was used to being ignored but as the leader of his team he knew it was necessary for everyone to listen to him. It was obvious to the pirate that no one respected him as leader or wanted to listen to him. I guess I'll just have to make them respect and listen to me, Wash Buckler thought. He was about to leave and find the others when he felt a familiar chilly sensation he'd come to know quite well,

"Freeze Blade, you're one minute late to the meeting," he scolded the ice cat. Freeze Blade had confusion all over his face,

"Meeting?" he asked then realised his mistake. The mermasquids face darkened, almost as dark as Kaos' face.

"I mean, yeah! The meeting! Sorry 'bout that, I was… um… having some trouble with some… uh… chompies," the ice cat explained in a completely unconvincing manner.

"Chompies? CHOMPIES! THEY'RE NO CHALLENGE TO ANYONE!" Wash Buckler shouted furiously. Freeze Blade's ears flattened against his head and he backed away from the enraged pirate and tried to come up with an excuse,

"Uh… they were… very edgy chompies." Wash Buckler cooled down a bit, a confused look on his blue moustached face.

"Edgy? Like Spy Rise?" he asked.

"Yes but… a lot more edgier than Spy Rise," the ice cat explained now confident his excuse was convincing. But Wash Buckler wasn't convinced. His face turned red with anger once more as he shouted at the cat,

"NO ONE IS MORE EDGY THAN SPY RISE!" (Wash Buckler 2018). Now terrified of what might happen to him, Freeze Blade began to back away rather quickly. He was almost able to skate away when a tentacle grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME DO YOU, CAT!? NO ONE LISTENS TO ME!" Wash Buckler roared. Freeze Blade was trying to free his arm from the blue tentacle that trapped it.

"I-I'm sorry?!" Freeze Blade apologised hoping it would be enough to calm the raging mermasquid. And it worked. Wash Buckler released Freeze Blade's arm and flopped on the floor.

"What's the point," the pirate sighed, "No one listens to me and no one will ever listen to me." Freeze Blade suddenly felt sympathy for the mermasquid. He sat down next to Wash Buckler feeling a little awkward for he didn't know what to say,

"Well, you're a great leader," Freeze Blade exulted. But it was all for nothing. Wash Buckler burst into tears, crying. When the ice cat tried to comfort him, he just cried louder and harder. Freeze Blade was afraid the whole room would flood if the mermasquid kept crying. Then it stopped.

"I'm sorry, son," Wash Buckler started,

"Um… I would prefer you not call me that," Freeze Blade cut in. Wash Buckler had a tendency to call the ice cat, son. Due to the fact that Freeze Blade had no family and was still only young, Wash Buckler felt responsible and father-like to the cat. Freeze Blade, however, felt rather uncomfortable when the mermasquid treated him like his son. Wash Buckler sighed,

"Why don't the others like me?" he asked.

"What do you mean? We like you," Freeze Blade assured.

"Then why don't you listen to me? You didn't come when I called a meeting,"

"Well, they probably just couldn't hear you,"

"Well they should hear me! I'm the best!"

"Um… well… why don't you go talk to them?"

"Talk… to them? You mean scream and shout at them until I get what I want?"

"No. I mean talk to them. I think Knight Light is in his room," Freeze Blade stood up and Wash Buckler followed.

"Eh, fine. I'll try," Wash Buckler finished.

"Cool! Bye!" with that the ice cat skated away as fast as his ice skates could go.

"Hmm, oddly fast exit," Wash Buckler shrugged then headed off to Knight Light's room.

"Knight Light!?" Wash Buckler called, "Open up!?" He waited a while then heard a faint voice from inside.

"Come on in!" The pirate opened the door and stepped inside the dorm. His nose filled with the sweet scent of cake. He's baking again, Wash Buckler thought, And whatever he's baking smells AWESOME! The water skylander walked over to where Knight Light was working in the kitchen.

"What're you making?" Wash Buckler asked, completely forgetting why he'd come to Knight Light's dorm in the first place.

"I've been tasked with making the wedding cake for Flynn and Cali's wedding. They want an eleven-teared cake," the skylander chef answered.

"How many layers have you done? Also can I have some?"

"I've only finished the first tear and no, you can not have some," the last part was spoken a lot darker than Knight Light's usual tone of voice. The light skylander was very protective of his baked goods.

"So, why're you here? You just wanted to take my food didn't you!?" Knight Light asked intensely, his wings positioned in an intimidating pose. Wash Buckler gulped and backed away,

"No, no, not at all. I just wanted to say that I'm having a meeting with the whole team and as your leader you must listen to me and come to the meeting, ASAP," Wash Buckler explained. Knight Lights wings relaxed, and he went back to working on his cake.

"Well, as you can see, I can't come ASAP. I still have ten more tears to make in less than an hour! And I have to decorate the cake! And ice it! Not in that order, that would be weird, anyway, AND I have to take the cake to the wedding!" The feathered hero started sweating and breathing rapidly, "Is it getting hot in here?"

"Are you okay, Knight Light?" Wash Buckler Asked. Knight Light was growing pale,

"NO! I'm stressed out of my mind! Why do people think I can handle tasks like this…?"

"I think I'm just gonna go now," Wash Buckler said quickly.

"I don't feel so good," with that, Knight Light fainted, and Wash Buckler ran straight out of the room slamming the door behind him and trying to forget everything that just happened.

"He'll be fine," the pirate skylander convinced himself. "Maybe I'll have better luck with Spy Rise."

While walking down the hall, Wash Buckler was able to think but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by happy screams.

"I'M FREE!" Wash Buckler knew that voice anywhere and he turned to meet the fluffy, feathered, face of King Pen.

"Wash Buckler! I'm Free!" The Penguin Sensei cheered.

"Free from what?" Wash Buckler asked, though he already knew the answer.

"From kidnappers of course!" King Pen was known for being captured very easily. He'd been taken prisoner by many of the most feared villains in Skylands. "So, what're you doing, Wash Buckler?"

"Trying to get my teammates to listen to me. That includes you by the way," Wash buckler answered. King Pen was also part of Wash Buckler's team along with Rattle Shake, Spy Rise, Chompy Mage, Dr Krankcase, Knight Light and Freeze Blade.

"Wash Buckler, you're the leader. The leader can lead his subjects but if the subjects, like me, don't listen, give up," the sensei finished his words and left Wash Buckler confused.

"I thought you were supposed to have wise and intelligent sayings," Wash Buckler said.

"I thought that was wise and intelligent. Hm, anyway, bye!" then King Pen waddled away leaving Wash Buckler alone again.

A while later, the pirate skylander reached Spy Rise's lab and went to knock on the huge metal door. Suddenly, something dropped from the roof and landed on top of Wash Buckler pinning him to the ground, a green light shone in the mermasquid's eyes.

"Ah! Spy Rise! It's me! Wash Buckler! Your Leader! Please don't kill me!" Wash Buckler whined from under the multiple metal legs of the Spyder. Spy Rise slowly lowered his weapons and stepped off of the aching skylander.

"What are you doing here?" the Spyder asked in his usual dark and edgy voice.

"I'm here to tell you, as your leader, that I'm having a meeting and you are required to come ASAP," Wash Buckler explained in the most commanding voice he could muster.

"Oh I heard you when you screamed 'Meeting' for everyone to hear,"

"Then why didn't you come?"

"Because I don't care," there was a short pause of silence before Spy Rise added, "Also I'm dark and edgy. I don't follow my leader's commands." Wash Buckler sighed and shuffled away slowly. He knew that if Spy Rise sets his mind to not listen to him, nothing would convince the Spyder otherwise.

Back in the lounge room, Wash Buckler slumped on the long couch alone, sighing continuously. A while later, the pirate heard chattering. Soon, two skylanders entered the room, Dr Krankcase and the inventor's best friend, Chompy Mage. The two reformed villains were chatting about what type of sandwich is the best when they noticed the melancholy figure of Wash Buckler slumped and sighing on the couch. Krankcase and Chompy Mage looked at each other with confused looks then walked over to the sighing pirate skylander.

"Hey, whacha doing?" Chompy Mage asked. Wash Buckler just sighed again. "HEY! WACHA DOING!" the short wizard shouted trying to get the mermasquid to talk but all he received was an elbow in the chest from Krankcase, "Ow!"

"Don't shout at him you idiot! He's obviously upset!" the inventor huffed at his friend.

"Sorry! I'm still learning how to be nice and good and stuff," Chompy Mage said, defending himself.

"Ask him like this," Dr Krankcase whispered to his friend then proceeded to demonstrate, "What's wrong Wash Buckler, you seem sad, is there anything I can do to help?" He gave Chompy Mage a look that said See? That's how it's done. Chompy Mage crossed his arms. Wash Buckler sighed then began,

"My teammates won't listen to me and come to my meeting. It was going to be a great meeting, all filled with stats and boring stuff and I'm their leader why won't they listen to me?" The pirate then proceeded to burst into tears. Dr Krankcase pet the mermasquid on the shoulder and comforted him,

"There, there. It's okay," the inventor said in a half fake half real sympathetic voice. "We'll suffer… I mean come to your meeting." Krankcase looked over at Chompy Mage who was making hand gestures that said, No way! I am not sitting through a meeting with a mermasquid! The chompy puppet mimicked its master.

"You will?" Wash Buckler sniffed.

"Sure we will! Right Chompy Mage?" Dr Krankcase urged. Chompy Mage gave up and sighed,

"If it's the good thing to do. Okay," he said feeling defeated. Wash Buckler wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up,

"Okay then, let the meeting begin!" he cheered. The two reformed villains sat on the couch and as soon as Wash Buckler started speaking, they both fell swiftly asleep. A while later Wash Buckler realised his two teammates were sleeping. He sighed,

"Being a leader is hard."

The End

Written By Jayh