Chapter 4: Fall
"Location: Amity Park, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 3rd 2109"
The Man in the Black Suit stepped onto the podium. Newspaper photographers in the audience began to take pictures, but he didn't even react to the bright flashes. He simply took his place behind the microphone and began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time." the Man in the Black Suit said.
Vanellope and Rancis ran into the entrance hall, finding Vlad alone. He was looking at the door, his shoulders hunched. It looked almost as if he regretted something. Hearing his uninvited guests, he straightened up and turned around.
"Your too late. He's already out there." Vlad said.
"So? We'll just wreck his speech. Easy!" Vanellope said.
"It's not that simple. For one, you would have to get through me to do that. And besides..." Vlad started to explain. He glanced to the door again, a dark glare on his face, and said "He's already won.".
"Some of you I have already met and spoken to. They probably don't remember me, but I told them that there would come a time when I required their assistance." the Man in the Black Suit announced.
"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 3rd 2109"
Crepe was sitting in front of the computer in Adorabeezle's lab, looking bored. Suddenly, the screens started flashing. A surge of energy has been detected, right in the middle of Amity Park.
"That can't be good." Crepe whispered.
"Location: Amity Park, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 3rd 2109"
"In the past few days, I've run announcements on the major television channels throughout the world. Chances are, you saw one, although I doubt you would recall it." the Man in the Black Suit announced.
"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 3rd 2109"
"Wait, what do you mean a trap? Like an ambush or something?" P.I.X.A.L. asked.
"Worse. He's been planning this for centuries! Mom did research on him, and that's why he came for us." the robot replied.
"Robots have moms?" Sour Bill asked P.I.X.A.L. in a whisper.
"He has this... mimetic phrase that he can use to control people's thoughts. A sentence he can say to implant something in their heads." the robot explained.
"Location: Amity Park, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 3rd 2109"
There will come a time when I need assistance. Until then... forget you saw me.
Swizzle and Jubileena were standing on the roof of the building, watching the Man in the Black Suit. Swizzle's eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait a minute. I remember him now. He said something to me before he gave me to the Shadowed One." Swizzle said.
"Yeah, me too, after the fight with Aragon. How did we forget that?" Jubileena asked.
Swizzle turned to his wife.
"Forget you saw me." Swizzle replied.
"Now, the time has come. The time for me to reveal why I am here and the time to change the course of history." the Man in the Black Suit announced.
"What do you mean he's already won? He's just outside the door, right? We can just steal the microphone!" Rancis asked.
"But he's already broadcasted his message right into the tiny little brains of the general public! Their already conditioned. He just needs to give the order!" Vlad replied.
"What?" Vanellope asked.
"He's just one phrase away from victory, Vanellope. You don't stand a chance." Vlad replied.
"The time has come to call upon the assistance that I required and the favor I asked." the Man in the Black Suit announced.
"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 3rd 2109"
"He's broadcasted that sentence through everything. Radios, TV, the Internet, even books, over all the worlds he could reach!" the robot announced.
"But if that's true, and he's making a speech right now..." P.I.X.A.L. started to say.
"He can control the world with one word." the robot whispered.
"Location: Amity Park, The World Of Nickelodeon, July 3rd 2109"
One word, heard around the world. One word, told to a crowd of hundreds in front of Amity Park City Hall. One word, locally translated, to every television set in each world. One word, filtered into every computer screen at the moment it was said. One word, slipped into every book, hidden among the words until the time was right. One word, across the planets and worlds.
"Submit." the Man in the Black Suit said.
The Man in the Black Suit seemed to explode into pure darkness, forcing open the door to City Hall. Vanellope and Rancis watched in horror as it spread across the crowd. As it did, their eyes turned black, their skin paled, and they shifted to stand at attention. The very bricks and masonry of the nearby buildings seemed to turn dirtier and more forlorn, weeds and vines sifting through them. The sky clouded over, and the world turned dark. Vanellope grabbed her portal key and shouted into it.
"Swizzle, Jubileena! Get out of there!" Vanellope shouted.
"Swizzle, Jubileena! Guys, pick up!" Vanellope's voice shouted.
Swizzle and Jubileena stood at attention on the roof of the building. Their skin was pale and their eyes were black.
They had submitted.
"Uh, no one said anything about this." the Dirty Bubble said nervously.
He and Man Ray were pinned by Minty, while Snowanna was aiming her guitar at a downed Ember. All parties had stopped fighting and were looking at the sky in awed shock.
"We're doomed." Candi whispered.
"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, July 3rd 2109"
The energy pulse on the computer screen exploded. Crepe jumped back as a loud beeping filled the air and the display began to turn red. Flashing lights appeared over every major city on earth, each world in The World Of Disney, and each world in The World Of Nickelodeon, and they began to spread.
"That's... really not good." Crepe muttered.
Sour Bill, P.I.X.A.L., and the robot stared out the window as Sugar Rush changed before their eyes. The road in Sugar Town became cracked and full of potholes. The different candy trees shriveled up and died. Each of the bodies of different kinds of liquids dried up completely, leaving behind only the sickly sweet smell of crusty old sugar and dead nature. The candy in the game became moldy and inedible.
"He actually did it." Sour Bill whispered in shock.
P.I.X.A.L. nodded and turned to the robot.
"By the way, we never got your name." P.I.X.A.L. said.
Modesto, London, Moscow, Tokyo, New York, Cairo, Sydney, Brasilia, Leeds.
Toontown, Fantasyland, London (the Peter Pan and Mary Poppins versions), New York and Devil's Bayou and Australia, Arendelle, San Fransokyo, Corona, France (the Beauty and the Beast version and the Ratatouille version), Prydain.
Bikini Bottom, Amity Park, Dimmsdale, Retroville, The ChalkZone, Hillwood, Africa.
Everywhere in the universe, legions of ordinary people stopped what they were doing and stood to attention. The skies turned dark, the buildings become rundown, trees died, and water became a murky brown. Then, as one, they said three words in unison.
"We will obey." they said.