Chapter 12

When Trixie's mother had called her home, Stephanie decided to pay Clyde a visit. As soon as the pink-haired girl entered the Track One, Stingy was now free to carry out Remus' devious instructions. The sleepy-eyed brat remained calm and collected as he approached the mayor's house, looked around and casually entered through the front door.

He walked along the hallway and found the door leading to Stephanie's room. Once inside, he closed the door quietly and surveyed the overly pink room, deciding where to look first.


Elsewhere, Sportacus flipped and sprinted his way across town, tracking down the newly escaped Remus Tard. Once he got to the school playground, he noticed little Gloria and Ritchie sitting on the swing set.

"Gloria! Ritchie!" He called as he approached them.

"Hi, Sportacus." They said chirpily.

"Hi, kids. Listen, you haven't seen an old man in a wheelchair pass by here, have you?"

The two children blankly looked at each other for a moment then turned to Sportacus, shaking their heads.

The hero in blue simply nodded. "Okay, guys. Thanks anyway. If you happen to see him, though, come and get me as soon as possible, all right? Don't try anything that could get you hurt."

"We won't." Little Gloria smiled.

"Okay. I'm off to warn the mayor!" Sportacus said as he leapt away.


Outside the Track One, Stephanie and Clyde were laughing to each other's stories while sitting on one of the ship's lowered side ramps. As they talked, the clouds slowly passed by them and sifted through the fins of the aircraft.

"So there I was…" Stephanie continued her story. "Wearing my hero outfit with a rope tied around my belt. I gave Sportacus the thumbs up and out I went, running along the side of his airship. I was so nervous; I thought the rope might give out. But then I saw the office window poking through that black tower and so I went for it. And as I swung forward, I was thinking to myself: 'Man, what am I doing!? I must be crazy!' You know?"

Clyde nodded with a chuckle. "So then what happened? Did you break through the window?"

"Yeah. And there he was, just looking at me in disbelief. He didn't think I could do it. And for a moment, neither did I. But I knew all of LazyTown was counting on me, so I couldn't back down. Especially since I had made it so far. Did you ever have to go through something like that?"

The green-eyed boy shook his head. "No. Trust me, Stephanie. You're more of a hero than I am."

"That's not true, Clyde. I'm sure you handle yourself well under pressure."

"I wish you were right."

"Well, what about that day with Terrance?"

"I didn't really save anyone, Steph. I just untied the kids and brought you home. That's all."

"But my uncle told me you punished Terrance."

"I shouldn't have. Not in the way I did, anyway."

"What did you do?"

"Something… unusual."

"Tell me." She put her hand on his shoulder.

Clyde's heartbeat was now rapidly growing. "I, uhh… I don't think you'd understand."

"Sure, I would. Just tell me."


In Robbie's lair, Stingy entered from one of the lowering tubes and approached Remus. The old man wheeled his way towards the young boy with an ambitious grin on his face. Stingy, still under the influence of the Hypno-Ray, held his hand out and lowered the gold medallion and chain onto Remus' lap.

"Excellent, Stingy!" Remus exclaimed as he clasped his entire hand over the amulet. "Well done! And now, Rotten! Give me my device!"

"You mean this stick-cube-gun thingy?" Robbie asked as he held up the long contraption.

Remus snatched his device away and flipped the small switch on the handle. A low humming noise then started to emanate as Remus turned himself around towards the exit.

"Come, Rotten!" He commanded. "We must hurry!"

Outside, Robbie struggled to hold up the top of the entry tower as Remus slowly climbed out. Stingy followed behind him and accidentally stepped over Robbie's foot. This, of course, caused the resident villain to scream out in pain and drop of the heavy lid on his fingers.

SLAM!

"OWW!" Robbie screeched as he growled furiously at the heavens. "Why me!? Huh!? Why me!?"

"Robert!" Remus yelled as he walked along the grass, using his device as a cane. "Quit playing around!"

"I'm Robbie Rotten! I don't play around!"

As Remus slowly walked up a small hill, he felt a gentle breeze pass by him. The old man took a deep breath and could immediately feel the magic aura tingling within.

"Perfect." He exhaled with such passion. "Robert! Your energy drainer, please!"

Remus detached the handle from his device and dropped it on the floor as Robbie handed over his energy drainer. The old man then attached Robbie's device into his own and aimed for the sky.

"I hope this works." He closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger.

With its sophisticated and complex machinery, the long and slender device locked on to every airborne particle of magic energy and like a vacuum, sucked it in. The energy particles sifted through the air as it passed down the device's tube and was safely transferred into the storage cube. Remus noticed the blinking light emanating from his cube and turned the device off.

"All done!" He said, pulling out the medallion from his pocket.

"What now?" Robbie asked, almost cowering away.

Remus held up the medallion and pointed the nozzle of his contraption towards the gaping hole where the green gem was. The old man flipped another switch and pulled the trigger again, releasing the raw energy he had collected.


Still outside the Track One, Stephanie continued to try and milk the information out of Clyde by clinging onto his arm and giving him "the look". Yeah, you know what I mean.

"Come on, please?" She started to giggle.

"No." Clyde grinned as he was trying not to blush. "No way!"

"You're laughing!"

"No, I'm not!" He tried to hide his face.

"Yes, you are!" She put her hand on his face and turned it over to face hers. "You see? You're laughing!"

"So what?" He couldn't help but giggle.

Stephanie and Clyde then realized their faces were a little too close to each other's but neither one seemed to mind. Stephanie's hand remained on Clyde's face, so the boy decided to put his on hers. For a brief moment, they remained silent and gazed into each other's eyes, breathing rather heavily. As Clyde and Stephanie leaned in—

CRASH!

Stephanie and Clyde were forced back into the airship as it rocked from the powerful streams of green light hitting its outer hull.

A/N: KISS? NEVER! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The clouds suddenly darkened and pulled together as the residents of LazyTown looked up at the strange occurrence.

"Clyde!" Stephanie hung onto a pole. "What's going on!?"

"I don't know!" The young boy said as he crawled over to the controls.

Sportacus wasted no time in heading back for his airship as his crystal went berserk. It was the same as last time. The louder than usual, sharp ringing noise almost deafened the hero but he remained his course and piloted the enormous aircraft through the dark clouds.

"Remus." He said under his breath as he searched for the Track One.

The green and silver airship continued rocking from every bolt of energy knocking against it. Inside, Clyde struggled with the controls as he tried piloting it away from the black cloud that was approaching them.

"Stephanie!" He called out. "Hang onto something!"

Another sudden jolt caused the boy to fall back and hit his head on the hard wooden floor. Stephanie gasped and tried to reach for him but the shockwaves continued to ground her.

"Clyde!" She desperately tried to reach for him. "Clyde, are you okay!?"

There was no reply. The young boy remained motionless as the Track One suddenly switched to autopilot and circled around the heart of the storm.

"Clyde, wake up! Please!"

The sound of Stephanie's voice started to ring in Clyde's head but for some reason, another voice called out to him. A voice that told him to shut down and let the "others" take over. Slowly, Clyde opened his eyes and immediately jumped back up on his feet with a strange grin on his face.

"Clyde!" Stephanie exclaimed.

The green-eyed boy ignored her and took out some sort of flipper latch from his pocket and spoke into it. "Captain's log, stardate 8454. The Enterprise has somehow spun out of orbit from our destination but as… God as my witness, I will get us home!"

"Clyde?" Stephanie was bemused from the boy's sudden Shat-attack.

Clyde then front-flipped his way over to the pilot seat and strapped himself in as the storm continued to rock the airship.

"Full power to engines, Mr. Sulu!" The faux Shatner said to no one in particular as he switched the controls.

The Track One tilted to the right and dived straight into a dark swirl in the middle of the sky. The magic energy intensified and pounded the airship mercilessly as Stephanie hung onto the back of Clyde's seat. It was then when she noticed Clyde switching between voices, talking to himself without reason while piloting the airship through the storm.

"Scotty! I need all the power you can muster, mister! 'But sir! I do not think the dilithium crystals will hold'!"

"Who are you talking to!?" Stephanie looked around in a panic.

"Fascinating." Clyde switched to another voice. "This sudden energy wave appears to be emanating from the surface. Perhaps here in LazyTown. I suggest we concentrate all photon torpedoes on the source. 'Excellent idea, Mr. Spock'!"

"What torpedoes!?" Stephanie desperately tried to understand what was happening. "Clyde, you're not making any sense! What's going on!?"

"Torpedoes have been exhausted. I suggest a new plan, Captain. 'Suggestion, Spock?' rotate ourselves back to the surface. 'Agreed! Scotty'!" He then put on his Scottish accent again. "Aye, sir! I'm already on it!"

"Oh no!" Stephanie bowed her head and braced herself for the worst.

The Track One began to spin around as it pierced its way through the black cloud and descended towards a large body of water. Stephanie looked out from the windshield and immediately recognized where they were heading.

"Clyde, we're passing the Yawn River! Pull up! Pull up!"

"Worry not, little lady! For the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!" Clyde did his best FDR as he obeyed Stephanie's command.

Although Clyde managed to pull his airship up, he couldn't prevent the fins from gliding across the water. This, of course, made the task more difficult for the young boy as he struggled with the controls, eventually giving out and halting suddenly on the nearest body of land.

"Yee-haw!" Clyde suddenly turned hick. "Shoot, I'm gon' tell ya what! That there was the best dang rodeo I'd ever been in! The way that bronco was a-buckin' and a-chuckin', I almost stinkered mah britches!"

Stephanie sighed from relief that the nightmare was now over and got up on her feet. She took another moment to breathe as she leaned against the wall panel of the ship, accidentally opening an emergency hatch.

"Uh-oh…" She gasped as she fell out of the beached airship and into the raging river. "Clyde! Help me!"

"Eh?" A now Cockney Clyde turned his head to see the pink girl rapidly flowing away. "What's all this, then? Oi! Steph! Get back 'ere! Now's not the time to go scarper off!"

"HELP!"

For a moment, Clyde snapped out of his funk and called out to her. "I'm coming, Steph! Don't' worry!"

In an instant, Clyde jumped into the river and fought his way against the current in an attempt to bring back his dearest "friend".

"Clyde!" She kept calling out for him.

"I can hear you! Just keep calling my name!" He swam faster and harder.

"Clyde! Cly--" She was suddenly silenced.

"Stephanie!" The boy started to worry as he spotted her leaning against a fallen branch.

Clyde pushed himself through the rapids and made his way over to an unconscious Stephanie, placing her over the heavy branch. He turned the large piece of wood around then pedaled Stephanie and himself back towards dry land.

"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man! I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!" Clyde sang as his sanity left once again.

Once they approached the shore, Clyde gently placed Stephanie on the sand and kicked the log away. Then, realizing he had succeeded in rescuing Stephanie, Clyde began pounding his chest and let off a poorly executed Tarzan yell that ended with an abrupt cough.

"Stephanie?" Clyde leaned over her motionless body. "Steph? Are you okay?"

He noticed she wasn't breathing and placed his head against her chest to confirm his suspicion. Immediately, he opened her mouth wide and started to press against her chest to get her lungs pumping again. After a few moments of failed attempts, he then placed his mouth over hers and released the air from his lungs. One massive blow was all it took for the pink-haired girl to come around. She coughed up the large amount of water and gasped heavily when she saw Clyde's worried expression staring down on her.

"Clyde…" She breathed heavily.

"Oh, thank Hoffa." He sighed from relief.

The two then wrapped their arms joyfully around each other until Stephanie noticed the sign standing straight ahead.

"Where are we?" Clyde asked.

Stephanie just pointed over to the sign and smiled. "We're in HazyTown."