"The Rex Show is Going Live"
In Vegas, someone was putting a videotape into a VCR and looking at a television screen. The screen suddenly came to life.
"The Rex show is going live! The new season will start here! LIVE IN VEGAS!" Rex shouted into the camera. He wore an Insane Clown Posse "Wraith" jersey, denim shorts, and sandals with Velcro.
Rex was a 5'5" armadillo who was a lime green color. His skin was anyway. His right arm, his legs from thigh to ankle, and his tail were a darker green. These limbs were replaced with cybernetic limbs after losing them in an accident years ago. His tail had a built in laser and appeared to be skeletal looking for intimidation. His right arm also had a laser, though not a powerful. His past is full of pain and heartache from Sonic, a weasel named Nack, and even Courage himself. His normal garb would be an orange jersey with matching boots and hardhat. But he occasionally dresses in other things when the mood suits him.
"First of all, let's dispel the fact that Vegas is only all about gambling. There are many other things to see, do, and eat! Come with me and check em' out!" Rex said, waving to the cameraman (who is Dark Sonic) to follow him.
Inside the Viper, Rex looked at the camera, ignoring the road ahead.
"First, we're gonna go to the famous 'Liberace Museum'! This place is dedicated to the nine gold record, highest paid, gayer-than-Elton John musician of all time!"
"SHIT!" Rex shouted, swerving out of the way of another car.
When the camera comes back on, we see Rex in front of a building.
"We're here, live, at 1775 East Tropicana Avenue. This is where the museum is located. You can see it right behind me here," Rex said gesturing to the white building behind him. It had an arched doorway, and gold lettering reading "Liberace Museum". It almost looked like part of a strip mall.
Rex walked into the front door in fast motion with "Viva Las Vegas" playing in the background. "Yes, it's this little non-prophet organization where we can remember the greatest Batman villain…er…um……….musician ever. If only his brother George was here!" Rex said, making a swooning pose.
The camera moved from side to side, signaling Dark Sonic shaking his head in disproval.
Rex looked at the gold records; the ostrich feather suit, and especially the cars. The mirror tiled Rolls Royce was mind-boggling.
"LOOK! It's his Uncle Sam pants!" Rex said like a three year old, running up to the dummy that was wearing them.
After some fun, more "Viva Las Vegas" played as they left and got back into the Viper.
"That was interesting. Next stop is a place where there are people freakier than I am! That's right, it's the Guinness Book of World Records Museum!"
Just to the north of the Circus Circus hotel, a blue viper skidded to a stop. They entered the museum and were amazed by the stuff.
"We're here now at the Guinness Museum, where I was just watching the domino display. Did you know, that sixty students in the Netherlands set up over 2.3 MILLION dominoes? This feat took place at the…" Rex looked over to the display that had the word "Dominoes" printed all over it. Housed in this display were 3 screens showing the information. "…………………..Lee…war…dem Expo Centrum FEC? Now I do!"
After a bit of browsing they came upon a huge mannequin. Near it was a red ruler only going to 4 feet that read "How Tall Are You?" in white letters.
"Wow. Robert Wadlow! Says here he was the tallest man alive at 8 feet 11 inches, and over 400 pounds. Damn! If only he played basketball in the finals!" Rex said looking up at the dummy. He stood in front of the ruler for the heck of it.
"Heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy. Says here I'm, like, 5 feet 5 inches! I shrunk some!!!!" Rex said in disbelief. "Nah, I'm just jerkin your chain. I'm not really 6 feet tall, folks. PLEASE!" he said, rolling his eyes.
"Now, here we are at Las Vegas native Louise J. Greenfarb, a.k.a. "the magnet lady" who has collected over 29,000 and counting fridge magnets! Amazing!" Rex tried to shake them off his metal arm, but wound up hiding it behind his back, grinning sheepishly. More were on his tail and legs.
A few minuets later, they were thrown out the front door.
"And don't come back you wreckers!" a voice hollered. The door slammed.
"Feh! Who needs em'? Let's go get some grub! I know just the joint!" Rex said, getting up off the ground.
Amid the green and gold neon lights of the restaurant, a blue Viper skidded to a halt out front. They gave the keys to the valet attendant and walked in.
"Here we are at Emeril Lagassee's New Orleans Fish House. The best place for kicked up seafood with a BAM!" Rex said.
"And how many?" the woman at the podium asked.
"Two please. Don't mind the camera, we're filming a show." Rex said, waving off the camera. "And by the way, I didn't know you had valet parking."
"We don't." the lady said.
Rex ran out the door and down the street. Dark Sonic sat the camera on their table and finally showed his red-eyed face. He resembled the heroic hedgehog, but that was it. His flesh, fur, and his gloves and shoes (when he wore them) were all jet black. He was almost a walking shadow. His quills were longer, sharper and hung past his shoulders, and his ears were longer a bit, giving them a Batman kind of appearance. The only things not black were his eyelids, inner ears, fingernails, and toenails. Those were a light gray color. His eyes were all red, except the black pupils, and glowed when it was dark enough.
"While Rex is occupied, I'll show you the menu!" he said taking one from the waiter.
"Are you ready to order?" the nervous waiter asked.
"Not yet, my partner hasn't arrived yet," Dark Sonic said, glancing at the door.
The waiter nodded and walked off. Dark opened the menu and began to read it to the camera.
"Let's see…dinner menu. Hmmm. 'Emeril's House Salad: assorted Organic Baby Lettuces tossed with Pepper Jack Cheese, Marinated Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Homemade Spiced Croutons'…nah. I need meat!" Dark Sonic said, continuing reading the menu.
Rex finally came back, cursing under his breath, but with a new guest. They sat down at the table with Dark Sonic who was still reading the menu. "Damn that Tommy Vercetti."
"Hmm. 'Grilled Maine Lobster & Mango Summer Roll served with Watercress, Plantain Shoestrings and a Carrot Dipping Sauce'…nah," Dark continued. He glanced up from the menu and noticed Rex and now, Cindy sitting at the table.
Cindy was a young girl who was an interesting mix of bloodlines. She was half raccoon, half fox. She had raccoon gray fur all over her body, with the exceptions being her hands and feet, which were black like a fox's, and her chest, stomach, and muzzle which were white. Her yellow eyes had the traditional black raccoon mask, and her black fox-like ears emerged from under her well-styled black hair that hung to her shoulders. She wore a red tank-top, denim shorts and blue sneakers with white highlights. Her bushy fox tail had the raccoon stripes in black streaked across, and was topped with bushy white.
Cindy was a skilled psychiatrist who evaluated Rex after his failed plan. (See Chris's story "Hidden Secrets") Cindy felt so sorry for Rex she decided to give him the love he never had, and try to revert him back to who he once was. Dark didn't like her, not because she stole his attention. Not even because she was trying to change Rex back. It's just her pure heart always gives Dark an uneasy feeling. It seems everyone he meets, except Rex, has a pure heart. Some hearts are more pure than others though.
"Where did SHE come from?" Dark Sonic asked annoyed, using his eyes to point at Cindy.
"I decided to swing by and pick her up after I beat the crap outta that guy," Rex said, putting his left arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. They began to kiss.
Dark Sonic covered his eyes. "If you are gonna do that, I'm outta here!" Seeing love also made him sick. Not only out of jealously, but because it's the total opposite of all he embodies.
"You're just jealous! Have you ordered anything yet?" Rex asked noticing the menu.
"No. I figured I'd be 'nice' and wait for you to return. Now I see that was a bad idea." Dark Sonic said, returning his gaze to the menu.
"Look, let's not turn this show into the 'Real World' okay?" Rex said.
Rex took the menu from Dark and looked it over, Cindy's head on his shoulder reading along.
"Look sweetie!" Cindy said, pointing to the menu. Her yellow eyes looked up at Rex while her head remained on his shoulder.
"Look sweetie!" Dark Sonic mimicked, annoyed.
Rex glanced up from the menu to see Dark melting the candle with his finger.
He looked at the menu to where Cindy's finger was. "What's this? 'Emeril's New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp served with a Petite Rosemary Biscuit'? Is that what you want?" Rex asked, looking Cindy in the eyes. She nodded.
Rex got up and asked to help in the kitchen. Dark Sonic followed, mumbling along the way.
When he got into the kitchen, he was told to put on the apron and chef hat. He was shown how they prepare the food.
"Can I try?" Rex asked. He grabbed a pinch of spice and threw it down. "BAM!" he yelled.
The other chefs laughed as he acted silly. When he was done, he went around playing waiter. He basically made an ass out of himself, much to the humor of others.
After dinner, it was getting late, so they headed back to the Wild Kard Hotel to rest up.
"Tune in tomorrow as we do more fun things in Vegas! We'll start early to do more things, that is if business don't get in the way." Rex said into the camera. He put it down, showing him and Cindy in bed together. The camera shut off for the night.
Dark paced around the Wild Kard, feeling an odd sensation. Like his body was numb. Something was nearby and was triggering his senses. He walked down the hall nearly bumping into a rabbit. This rabbit was 3 feet tall and had a smart mouth attitude. His yellow eyes were the only other color among his white body. He normally wore yellow and blue sneakers with his staff shirt and black shorts. But now all he had was a robe.
"Watch it buddy!" Card Trick said.
"Sorry Max," Dark said.
"Only Rex can all me that, YOU call me Card Trick! Or CT," Card Trick snapped.
He walked off and Dark only shook his head. He continued to follow this "Vibe" he was getting until it got more noticeable. Judging by the feeling he was getting he was right on top of it.
Dark looked down between his bare feet and saw a strange glow on the tile of the ballroom. He got down on his knees and examined it until he saw some sort of writing. After he glanced at it, it vanished before it could fully register in Dark's memory.
This was certainly strange. Then Dark thought back to when he snuck into the Stromwell lab after it was boarded up. Turns out there was this "adventure" Courage had involving a ghost doctor and some demon named Byleth. Seems that Stromwell was ranting in some sort of journal that in order to get his wife back he had to fulfill the deal he made with the ruler of Purgatory.
Apparently since Stromwell was the only mortal to travel to Byleth's realm, he'd be the perfect candidate to roundup some stray demons that had escaped their punishment. It seems Byleth's ass was on the line due to the four princes of Hell escaping. Before he could get them back, they were imprisoned on earth.
Dark put 2 and 2 together. 4 princes, Dark still needs four pieces of Oblivion. The only thing on the mortal plain to contain such power was an Emerald, making it a Dark Emerald. And THAT means, Dark could absorb them into his being and complete his true form of Oblivion.
The journal did say the prisons were in Las Vegas, which then was just a desert and not the neon paradise it is today. Before Stromwell could do anything he was too impaired by the effects of exposing living tissue to the realm of the dead. He soon became too feeble to do anything and was hit by a car and killed.
Unfortunately, Las Vegas is NOW a neon paradise. If this small batch of writing was to point him in the right direction, it could be anywhere. The geographical changes over time, constant construction, and god knows what, could have disturbed, relocated, or otherwise remove the prisons from where they once rested.
The riddle did say somewhere up high. Dark got into the elevator and went up to the roof, mumbling to himself as it slowly made its approach. Dark scoured the entire rooftop, stopping only to brush the gravel and dirt off the soles of his feet. Now he was really mad. Dark stood on the roof and cursed at his rotten luck. Then he felt another vibe. Dark glanced in the direction of the Luxor, which was right across the street. He sighed, and snapped his fingers, making his shoes appear on his feet. He leapt off the roof and landed near the Luxor, following the vibe.
He finally felt the climax of the vibe when he reached the Luxor pyramid. He looked around until he found riddle number two. This was beginning to get annoying, as he still couldn't figure them out.
Dark finally gave up and went back inside to rest up.
Come the next morning, they were off again in the Viper.
"Since it's sooooooo damn hot today, I figured we'd hit the 'Wet and Wild'! No it isn't a strip club; it's a water park! That's why we're in our swimsuits!" Rex showed that he was in his blue swimsuit and Cindy was in her two-piece suit, which was green.
Dark Sonic remained clothed, as the water boils when he's in it. He had to man the camera anyways.
"They say that there is over 2 MILLION gallons of water going through a high tech filtering system. And August first was the start of 'Free Pass Week', of which I have one. Watch as 20 toes play footsie in the pool!" Rex said, kissing Cindy.
Dark Sonic sighed from the back seat. He hated this lovey scene. Sure he was glad Rex had a girl and all, but why does he have to have all
that love around him? He was the opposite, after all. That and he was still distracted by last night's events.
When the car arrived at the park, everyone got out and went inside.
Rex snapped a few pics before getting in the pool. "Here's a pool!"
"Look at the fun they're having! Let's play sweetie!" Rex said to Cindy, and they both began messing around in the pool, trying not to get too racy for the public.
Dark Sonic slipped off his sandals and wandered around with the camera, leaving the two lovebirds alone. He decided to have some fun at others expense.
"Did you know the 'Der Stucka' water slide is the fastest and tallest slide in the world? It has a seventy-six foot, seventy-degree drop to a 100-foot long runway. It also is named after the World War 2 bomber plane. Who would have thought that fun would have a name from carnage?" Dark Sonic said, laughing.
"Look a post card shop!" Dark said, grabbing one and holding it up to the camera. "Not a bad aerial shot. And a good map to have some fun!" Dark said.
Dark came back to see Rex and Cindy lounging at the Suntan Lagoon. He turned around, looked into the camera, and smiled as he saw the picnic area. He felt more strange vibes and immediately ran into the restrooms. There, he saw a strange riddle written on the wall in tiny letters. No one else seemed to notice it, but that's because they weren't looking hard enough.
He read it and cursed, spinning on his bare feet and storming out. This was the third riddle he had come across, and once again, it remained unsolved. Why couldn't he solve these riddles?
Dark adjusted his "Casino Staff" shirt and walked out into the sandy volleyball area, kicking up the sand with his toes. He wondered if one of the emeralds could be buried right in front of him. Then he wondered why the other sixteen demons inside him couldn't detect the others of their kind?
Shoving his bare hands into his blue short pockets, he walked off back to Rex and Cindy, thinking of a way to finally win.
Later in the afternoon, they decided to do something fun. Rex changed into his regular outfit minus the hardhat, Dark now wore his shoes without socks and the same shirt and shorts, and Cindy wore her favorite blue tank top, shorts, and sneakers.
"We're here, live, at the Stratosphere Tower to go on the best ride in town! The 'Big Shot' puts the nearby 'High Roller' coaster to shame! You go to the top of the tower, 1,149 FEET above the ground! Then you get into this big slingshot contraption that launches you an additional 160 FEET above the roof, where you freefall back down!" Rex said pointing up to the top of the staggering tower.
Dark suddenly felt yet another vibe, and found the fourth riddle. He cursed again, knowing that it was just like the last time. If only he knew the locations, he could easily get some sucker to figure out the hiding places.
It was obvious that the "Morning star" would be located somewhere very close by, maybe in this very building, but where it was exactly remained to be seen.
After getting scared out of their wits (and Dark finding the shoe that flew off his foot), they went off for lunch.
The video finally stopped. Dark Sonic put down the remote and smiled. "I think that's a definite take," he laughed.