The sight before me caused me to cringe. I had never thought I would be placed in such a...horrible situation. The longer I stared, the more I wished that this was all just a bad dream.

Above me, I could see Snap dangling over the vat of boiling liquid, still wearing that jester outfit I had given him. In front of me, Rudy, glaring at me. There was some sorrow in those eyes, and I could see he was reluctant to do anything against me. But that determination, I could tell that if he was forced to fight me, then he would. He cared that much about Snap.

And behind me, Skrawl and the Beanie Boys. Their presence made my skin crawl, and I could feel my heart pound. I don't know how much longer I could keep up this facade. It hurt me doing this to my friends. But...I had no choice. It was either this, or we would all get captured.

I kept looking up at Snap to make sure he was okay. I know the ropes I drew on him were tight and secure, but I kept fearing that they would break and he'd fall. It was too soon for something like that to happen. I had to make sure everything was timed perfectly. If everything fell into place like it should, and if Rudy reacted the way I hoped he would, then Snap was going to be fine and Skrawl would be swiftly outclassed.

I tried not to smile the wrong way as I thought of how furious Skrawl was going to be once he realizes he had been had. He thinks of himself as so smart and superior. He doesn't even realize the plan I was cooking up right before him.

"Please, Penny.." I heard Rudy say. "I don't want to do this. Let's stop. Please..."

I wanted to stop so badly. I wanted to walk over and give him a hug and tell him everything was all right.

But I couldn't. It was not yet time to make that move. If I did anything now, Skrawl would realize I was faking it and he would take drastic action. I couldn't allow him to lay a single claw on my friends.

Doing my best to keep up the act, I gave Rudy the nastiest smile I could muster. He cringed as I began to walk over towards him. I eyed him up and down, which made him nervous. I could see his shoulders hunching as I pretended to examine him.

"It's too late for that, Rudy." I said coolly as I began to circle around him like a hawk. Rudy kept watching me, looking as if he thought I would attack him. "You broke a promise and now you have to pay the price."

"Penny..." Rudy pleaded with me.

I pretended to ignore him and I moved over towards the lever. I think now was a good time to take the next step. It was incredibly risky and I knew the consequences if it failed. But it was the only way to make Skrawl really trust me with the chalk. If he believes I was really trying to kill one of my 'former' friends, then he would no doubt give me another peice of chalk to 'finish off' Rudy.

I knew Rudy was an intelligent boy. He would know exactly what to do. I knew what he would do. All I had to do was make the move, and he would do the rest.

Grabbing onto the lever, I turned to him and grinned. "How about a little excitement?" I grinned darkly as I pulled the lever, which caused the crank to begin lowering Snap down.

"Snap!" Rudy exclaimed. He stared at Snap in horror as he moved ever closer to the boiling liquid. "Please, Penny... stop this! Let him go!"

I frowned at him. "No can do, Rudy." I looked up at Snap and gave a chuckle. I turned back to Rudy. "It's your choice now, Rudy. Do you wish to fight me, or do you want to use your last bit of chalk saving Snap?" I pulled my arms outward as if to invite him to challenge me. "It's your choice, Rudy."

Rudy looked from his small piece, and then towards me. I tried to hold back my tears as I saw how he was looking at me. I had never seen him look so broken up before. His body was shaking, and I thought I saw a hint of tears in his eyes. "Penny..." He squeaked. "...please..."

I simply returned with a fake cold glare. "You should have helped me with my homework, Rudy..."

Suddenly, there was a slight rip. I pretended not to be surprised as I looked over. The rope holding up Snap was starting to break. I could hear Skrawl chuckle behind me, the Beanie Boy's goofy yet twisted smiles waiting in anticipation. I caught my breath for a split second, and I turned to smile at Rudy. I needed to hurry him along. Thankfully, there was still time.

"Have you made your choice now?" I asked tauntingly. "It's either you try to defeat me and earn your chance at freedom, or save Snap, lose the chalk, and become our slave." I raised up my own chalk in a threatening manner. "Choose wisely, Rudy."

I watched as Rudy seemed to debate internally what to do. I could tell his mind was racing. He was clearly trying to decide which course of action to take. I said not a word as I waited. Underneath my contorted face, I was tearing up inside. I never wanted to do something like this to Rudy. Even if it was to save him and Snap, this just felt...way too cruel. I wished there was a better way to do this.

Rudy made his decision. He dashed over towards the acid. I felt my heart flutter in excitement. Come on, Rudy, you can do this. I know you can. I watched him start to draw. Yes, the milk. I knew you could do it Rudy. Now all you have to do is...

There was a loud snap, and then a scream. What happened next went by so fast, it took me a while to fully digest what had occurred. Rudy and I were both frozen, and I could see his eyes widen in horror. It took me a split second to realize the terrifying truth.

Rudy...wasn't fast enough. I could see the blur of Snap as he went down, and there was a loud splash. I could hear Snap's horrible screams as the liquid burned him. The vat took on a deep red color as his body was ripped apart, charred beyond recognition. Then his body disappeared completely. I knew what had happened. The spoon that disintegrated earlier gave me a perfectly clear, and rather gruesome, idea of what had taken place.

I felt my heart freeze. No..this is not what I meant to happen. Snap couldn't be gone... Any moment now, he would crawl out and insult me or something, and tell Rudy to teach Skrawl a lesson.

But that moment never came. Snap's screams had died down completely, and all was silent, save for the heavy, disbelieving breaths from Rudy, and Skrawl's chortling at the turn of the situation. I tried not to look at him as I fought against the sickening wrench of my stomach. But it wasn't my own feelings that had me worried the most. My eyes were locked onto Rudy, watching him carefully.

Rudy hadn't moved since Snap fell in. It was as if he was in some sort of trance, and his muscles had been frozen solid. He was staring at the vat, his mouth hanging open, his eyes bulging in horror and shock. He was trying to digest what had happened, and his expression shown how much he was in disbelief. This lasted a short time before he slowly turned his head towards me. At first, he had that same look in his. Then his expression altered.

I felt my heart skip a beat as all the warmth and kindness and love he had for me melted away in seconds. His eyes narrowed, flashing with newfound anger and...hatred. I could see his body tremble hard and his teeth clenching. It was then I knew that Rudy no longer considered me a friend. He took a few steps towards me, his body shaking even harder as he appeared to be fighting back an array of powerful, negative emotions. Any restraint he yielded in his eyes was completely gone, and I knew that he would no longer hold back.

"Y-You..." Rudy seethed through his clenched teeth. "You killed Snap..."

"R-Rudy..." I croaked out, which went unnoticed by the laughing Skrawl. "I-I..."

"You're a murderer!"

I felt as though my heart stopped beating at this. I had never meant for this to happen. Inside, I was mourning for Snap's loss. It wasn't easy holding back to the tears. I wanted to fall down to the ground, beg for Rudy's forgiveness, and cry for Snap. But I knew that Rudy would never forgive me. Not after what happened.

Poor Snap... I could not even hope for him having a quick death, as I knew that wasn't the case. His final moments were filled with confusion and pain and agony. His screams would forever be engraved in my head. And that look in his eyes... that hurt look of betrayal... That's all I'll be able to think about when I try to picture him in my mind. Snap..I'm.. I'm so sorry... I never meant for you to get hurt like this. Please...forgive me..

As my sorrow and horror and disgust at what I did raged on internally, as I scolded myself for not planning better, for not giving Rudy a better chance at fighting back, I tried to keep up the facade. Now, I had no choice. Even if I convinced Rudy it was just an act, my recklessness did still cause our friend to die. He..He would never forgive me for that. He would always see me as a murderer. I had to face facts.

I had shattered our trust and friendship, and now there was no going back.

I became aware of a fist connecting to my jaw. I felt my head being swung to the side and I staggered. I turned my head, my eyes wide as I saw Rudy standing there, baring his teeth. In a second, I knew what had happened. The rage inside Rudy had become too much, and now, acting on pure, raw emotion, he lunged towards me, preparing to strike me again.

In an attempt to defend myself, I brought my hands forward and grabbed onto him. The two of us began to wrestle along the ground. The sudden attack had taken me by so much surprise that Rudy managed to pin me down.

It was hard for me to tear away from those eyes. I could see the fires rage on inside. I could see the hurt and betrayal shining in them. Where there was once love, now only hatred resided.

And it was all my fault. I wailed on the inside, cursing myself for being so stupid. Why did I have to do this? Why couldn't I have thought of a better plan? If I had just thought more clearly, if I had just found a better way to... Now it was too late. My actions had cost me not just one friend, but two. Snap was dead because of me, and I don't think I will ever get over the guilt of that. And Rudy... He was no longer my friend. He would never trust me again. The only thing he wanted from me now was blood.

I had seen Rudy angry before, and it was unnerving. But he would usually recover, apologize, and return to his sweet self. I had gotten a taste of what he was like if sufficiently angered, and even then, he had realized his wrong doing and apologized.

This.. This was different. I had killed his first best friend, his creation, the one zoner he had seen like a little brother. And I, the murderer, was now pinned down below him. The anger that he displayed was far greater than anything I had seen before. Not even Skrawl had this kind of anger directed towards him. I had awoken a side to Rudy that I had never wanted to see and I was going to be forced to witness his rage.

And it was all my fault.

"You bitch! How could you do this?! I trusted you!" Rudy grabbed onto my throat. "I trusted you, and you stabbed me in the back! You're a monster! A lying, disgusting monster!"

"Rudy..." I tried to speak, but Rudy already tightened his grip on my neck. My eyes bulged and I started to push back against him.

"I will make sure you pay for what you have done..."

I could feel my blood run cold at the sound of his voice. He sounded so dead serious there. I could tell that he spoke the truth. I stared into his hate-filled eyes as he tightened his grip on my throat. He was acting on pure rage now, and I knew that the chances of him stopping on his own were slim. It didn't take him long to completely cut off my air supply.

I tried to take in a breath, but nothing worked. I choked and gagged as my former friend started to strangle me to death. I kicked my legs out in desperation, trying to knock Rudy off of me. It was no use. I could feel my mind start to go muggy.

"Chalk Queen!" I heard Skrawl shout. "Fight back!"

A part of me didn't want to. A part of me just wanted to let Rudy defeat me, so this nightmare could be over. Rudy could take care of Skrawl afterwards, and everything would be fine.

...or would it? Rudy was still chalkless, and Skrawl could keep the magic chalk from him. No matter which way this would go, Rudy was still trapped. I could help him get out, but at this rate, he wouldn't even accept my assistance.

My instinct to fight back was growing stronger. There was no way I could fight this for long. Even if Skrawl didn't order me to fight back, I still would have, simply to defend myself. My heart was racing, my mind pumping with rapid, terrified thoughts. I needed air. I needed oxygen. I needed to get this boy off of me.

In that moment, I remembered that I was a bit stronger than Rudy. There was a reason why he and Snap had trusted me to hold both their weights. Working around the farm certainly helped out. Now it was time for me to show that strength, and turn the tide of this fight. Grabbing onto his arms, I began to push back. Rudy grunted as I applied all my strength in the shove. He struggled to pin me down, but I showed that I was stronger, and slowly, I began to win the wrestle match. Rudy was soon pushed off of me and I managed to climb up to my feet.

I panted a few times as I glared at Rudy. I was hoping the fight would end here, but that was just wishful thinking. I could tell that Rudy still wanted to continue. The desire to avenge Snap's death was strong in his eyes. He was not going to let me get away with it. And I don't think I could ever escape the guilt of it.

I really had only one choice.

Turning to Skrawl, I said, "I need another piece." I tried not to vomit as Skrawl gave me a sinister look.

"Anything for you, my little Chalk Queen."

I ignored the cold shudder as I grabbed onto the chalk. I turned to Rudy. I kept up with the evil smile, but deep inside, I was being torn apart. I had never wanted to do this. And now, I was given no choice. If only I had thought things through more... It was my fault that things turned out this way. If only I had remembered to close the portal...

...wait... No, it wasn't me who had drawn that portal. It had been Rudy. He was the one who left it open. He was the reason that I was kidnapped. He was the reason all of this had happened.

Slowly, I could feel my stomach begin to boil. My sympathy for Rudy began to fade as I started to realize just how much he was at fault for this. I gritted my teeth and clutched the chalk tightly. I could see Rudy take a small step back as he noticed the change in my demeanor. I wanted so much to tear into him, yell at him for what he did. But that would blow my cover. So all I could do was seethe at him with the raging fire in my eyes, my mind swimming with thoughts of just one thing.

Making him pay for what he did.

Rudy charged me, trying to get to me before I could draw. I growled and swiftly began to sketch something. I was not as adept at art as Rudy, but I was still smarter, and that more than made up for my lack of artistic skills.

In my hands, I now held a taser. Rudy did not notice. He was still running towards me, letting out a yell of challenge. I pointed it at him and I pressed the trigger. In seconds, Rudy began screaming. He fell to the ground as the volts of electricity moved through his body. I stood over him, glaring down coldly. I could not feel sorry for him in that moment. It was his fault this happened. He deserved it.

I knew Skrawl was right. He should have helped me with my homework, and he betrayed me.

And now that betrayal had resulted in the death of Snap. He suffered a needless and gruesome death because of this boy. Oh how Rudy will pay dearly...

I let out a yelp of surprise when Rudy, still convulsing from the electricity, grabbed onto my leg. I snarled at him and began to draw something else. A thick bat made of diamond, the hardest material known to man. Rudy's eyes widened in horror, and he barely had time to dodge before I struck down. I ignored Skrawl's laughter as I struck out towards my former friend, whom I used to love, but now hated.

I eventually managed a blow against him. Somehow, I managed to struck at such an angle, in such a location, that I could hear the crack of bone breaking under the pressure. It took me seconds later to realize that it had been his right femur.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

Rudy's bloodcurdling scream filled the air. It echoed off the walls, reverberating more so than Snap's scream did. My ears ached, but I did not cover them. I just glared down at Rudy as I watched him squirm and writhe on the ground. I could hear him bawling seconds later as he struggled with the immense pain. He tried to grab onto his leg, only to cause himself too much pain and he jerked about on the ground.

He looked over at me, his eyes wide in horror, any sign of hatred gone from them. He seemed to be silently asking me why I did this. I did not answer. I watched with an icy glare on my face as Rudy eventually passed out from the pain. Then all was silent.

Skrawl broke it shortly after. "Well done, my Chalk Queen!" I could feel Skrawl's claws on my shoulder. "Now that we have taken care of our little...chalkboy problem, the rest of ChalkZone will follow suit."

I did not say anything. I just glared at Rudy, my breaths coming in deep and heavy.

"Beanie Boys!" Skraw called out. "Take our little...guest and show him his new...accomodations..."

I watched as the Beanie Boys took Rudy toward the cage where Fido was being held. They tossed him into the corner. They showed no gentleness towards him. And in that moment, I did not care.

I could hear Skrawl speaking to me again, but I did not pay attention. My mind was swirling with thoughts of what had happened. I had a hard time fully digesting it, and a part of me wondered if this was some kind of horrible nightmare. Maybe at any moment, I was going to wake up and find it was just a cruel dream.

No... Nothing happened. And nothing would ever happen. This was real. This was my new reality. I had no choice but to embrace it.

Even though I did not hear anything Skrawl said, I turned and smiled towards him. "I understand, Master Skrawl."

Skrawl looked delighted by what I had called him. "Excellent..." He tapped his claw tips together. "You and I are going to get along just fine..."

After that, Skrawl left. I watched him and the Beanie Boys leave. It was only after they were gone that I was suddenly struck with the massive reality of what this had meant.

On this day, I had lost two of my friends, and both for slightly different reasons. I could never change what happened. I will never have them back as my friends. I was now Skrawl's Chalk Queen, and on this day, I had become an enemy of ChalkZone.

It was all too much to take in. The emotional avalanche had built up inside of me, twisting my gut. My anger washed away, replaced by sorrow and horror-filled realization. I dropped down onto my knees and I began to cry.