CHAPTER 24: ALL THAT GLITTERS
Tasked with the task of finding the mythical Golden Chalk, Rudy Tabootie and his three rescuers, Penelope, Carol, and Carlos Sanchez, the group of four have trekked across miles of ChalkZone in order to reach it. With the Lolipopians' hallucinogenic opening Rudy's mind to the Golden Chalk's location, the group has faced many kinds of strange and weird threats in ChalkZone, a land where only the strangest can be found.
Facing an unexpectedly pleasant meeting with Crainiac, a dangerous encounter with Jacko, removing themselves from a possessive dance floor, fighting a chalk clone of the infamous Lars Rodriguez, and each going through a series of trials each specifically tailored to themselves, the group has pushed through numerous scenarios that many would never consider themselves having to go through. Alas, they persisted, and their efforts have finally paid off. Standing before the Golden Chalk, the group all approach the pedestal where the chalk rests, preparing to take it and end their quest, ready to use it to defeat the Chalk King.
"Well, we made it. After all that work, we made it." Rudy said.
"Yeah, we really did." Penelope said.
Reflecting on the trials and tribulations that the group had put themselves through, Rudy and Penelope began to grow silent in reflection, the quietness the two shared quickly becoming an awkward silence. Seeing their actions as a waste of their time, Carol broke their silence, impatient to obtain the chalk and finish the quest.
"Hey, guys, were you planning to take the chalk, or what? That's kind of the reason that we're here and all, aren't we?" Carol asked.
"Sorry, Carol. I just... I just can't help but think about how far I've all come since this started. When you first saved me, I was completely hopeless, and I barely thanked you for all you did. All I wanted was to go back in the jungle and live all alone, and I only wanted revenge out of this quest. Now, I'm finally back again, and I want to get the chalk not just for revenge, but to help save ChalkZone. I know I've said it before, but I want to say it again. Thank you." Rudy said.
Touched by Rudy's heartfelt apology, Carol and Carlos shared smiles in response, with the former's impatience temporarily subsiding from the gratitude shared. After all that had happened to change Rudy over the course of the quest, Carol was happy to see him been changed for the better, feeling proud and accomplished.
"Well, I can't take all the credit. It was Carlos who wanted to get you back so he could make Mama happy again. Right, bro?" Carol said.
"Yes, but did I?" Carlos asked.
"Did you what?" Penelope asked.
"Make you happy?"
"Yes, Carlos, sweetie. Yes, you made me very happy. More than I could have ever imagined. Thank you. I'm sorry that I ever doubted you or your sister for a moment, or you, Rudy."
Also ready to complete the quest, Penelope grasped Rudy's hand, ready to take the final step with him in obtaining the Golden Chalk. Rudy, looking at Penelope for just a brief moment, looked back towards the Golden Chalk, envisioning the end to the quest in his mind. With the first step of his foot towards the chalk, Rudy reached his hand out to the chalk, ready to take it from its resting place and end the quest.
Reaching his hand out for the Golden Chalk, Rudy began to imagine the feeling of the Golden Chalk in his hand, barely able to apprehend the potential power it held within. With the ability to make any drawing he created not simply made of chalk, but real as you or me, the list of things he could do to stop the Chalk King were endless, and only too ripe for exploring further. Before any of those possibilities could be explored, however, it seems that obtaining the Golden Chalk would not be as easy as it appeared, despite the trials they had gone through now over.
Just before Rudy could wrap his fingers around the magic chalk, a hand comprised of chalk outlines extended itself from the Golden Chalk itself, grabbing Rudy's hand and stopping him before he could take the chalk.
"Whoa, there! You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" A voice asked.
Not expecting this strange encounter, the entire group all gave shocked gasps, unsure what to make of this. As the group all stared in confusion, the Golden Chalk began to grow another arm and two legs, standing upright on its pedestal, with the chalk itself comprising its head and two eyes growing on the chalk-head. When the Golden Chalk had developed itself a body, it sat comfortably atop the pedestal it once rested on, watching the baffled group of humans continue to stare at it.
"What? You never see a talking piece of chalk before?" The Golden Chalk asked.
"You... You're alive?!" Rudy asked.
"Of course I am. Haven't we already established that through our conversations? Giving you the path to come here to Chalklantis, telling you to rely on the others, all that jazz?"
"I know, I just... I've never seen any chalk come to life like... this before. You can do that?"
"Seems to be that way, doesn't it? Considering all that you've really been through so far, fighting the imaginary concepts that ChalkZone has to offer, is it really that hard to believe?"
"Well... I guess not, but how come none of the chalk we've been using was alive before?"
"Oh, did we forget about that little incident with the red chalk when that Bullnerd kid got his hands on it? Of course, that's no thanks to you, considering you just had to get your little boy hands all over it to find out what it did, didn't you?"
"Well, the red chalk never grew itself a body. It made me draw things against my will, but it never did anything like you can do."
"True, but I'm not just red. I'm white, black, red, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan, fallow, gamboge, razzmatazz, and every last color you have or haven't heard of all wrapped up into one."
"Wait, if you mixed every color together, you're supposed to get white. Why are you gold?" Penelope asked.
"Because I want to be gold, plain and simple. How many stories of knights and chivalry have you heard of where they go to a city or a castle filled with white things, or black things? It's always been about gold to you silly little humans, and you know what? I love it! It's so shiny and pretty, no wonder you love it so much! Sure, I don't like watching you kill each other over it, I'd much rather you find ways to just make art together, but even gods can't do everything."
"Okay, okay, we get it. So, what's the deal now? We were supposed to find the Golden Chalk- er, or, you, apparently, so we could beat the Chalk King. So, are you gonna come with us, or not?" Rudy asked.
"Not just yet, Rudy Tabootie. I went through a lot of trouble making sure you all went on just the right path to get where you need to go, and I'm not about to mess all that progress up now. You're all definitely doing great, but you've still got a ways to go."
"What are you talking about? We need to stop the Chalk King! He's probably taken over half of ChalkZone in the time you've been going on and on, making us go all over the place, nearly getting us all killed, and putting us all through that weird labyrinth! Are you going to help us stop him, or not?"
"You're not ready yet. You've definitely learned a lot since I've started, but you're not ready to handle me yet. I am literally the beginning of human consciousness, and I've only been growing and growing ever since you humans started eating those little mushrooms and wandering about this funny little planet. I'm every idea, every mental picture, every abstract all wrapped up into one big mega-burrito of imagination. You've only had your ability to draw for a day now, and you've drawn... what? A bottle of Yahoo Soda, a glass of water, a wet-suit, and a piece of paper. You think that's enough to stop the Chalk King?"
Thinking over its words, Rudy realized that the Golden Chalk was right. While his artistic skills had come a long way since the group had began their quest, he was nowhere near ready to fight the Chalk King with his art. Acknowledging this fact, Rudy gave a light nod, agreeing with the Golden Chalk.
"Okay. You're right. I'm not ready yet. So, what do I have to do to get ready?" Rudy asked.
"I've made it simple as simple for all of you. All you have to do is play a little game with me. A simple game of tag. Kids have played tag since the beginning of time, and, since I've gotten this far to make you all kids again, it seems easy enough. I'll be the one to tag, and you'll all be 'it'." The Golden Chalk said.
"Easy enough."
"Not that easy. Keep in mind, I'm the pinnacle of all human imagination, and we're in my world; a place where anything and everything can happen for no reason whatsoever. Therefore, catching me isn't going to be easy nearly at all. So, here's a new rule: I'll use all my powers at my disposal. In order to take those powers away from me, you have to think of them. So, whatever you don't come up with, I've still got. Got it?"
"Got it."
"I got it." Penelope said.
"Yep, I got it." Carol said.
"Gotcha." Carlos said.
"Not just yet, you haven't, although I like your enthusiasm." The Golden Chalk said.
The Golden Chalk hopped off its platform, changing itself into a housecat as he landed to the ground, choosing a Egyptian Mau breed. On top of changing its form to that of a cat, it also created for itself a set of clothes, basing them off the famous suit that Evel Kenevel wore during his many stunts.
"Now, then, I believe we've got the rules down. So, catch me, if you can!" The Golden Chalk said.
[Soundtrack Cue: Primus - Tommy the Cat]
Just as it rushed off in its cat form, the Golden Chalk immediately rushed off down the halls of Chalklantis, nearly leaving the sight of the group within seconds of its run. Not able to afford losing the Golden Chalk, the group immediately rushed after it, trying their best to keep up to the sentient chalk. With Carol and Carlos in front, being younger and more agile, Rudy and Penelope just barely managed to keep up with the two, trailing behind the children.
Moving across a checkerboard bridge spanning through a corridor of strange and barely describable objects floating in the air, the group continued to chase after the Golden Chalk, trying to avoid being struck by the various objects. After ducking under one cookie jar filled with melted kangaroo fat, dodging a sack of oranges being strapped together with telephone lines, and avoiding a picture of Charles Bronson playing a saxophone mounted on a frame made of candy rope, the group made their way past the corridor, moving on to the next area and still continuing their chase after the Golden Chalk.
Heading into a hallway holding a series of doors, the group chased the Golden Chalk towards one of the doors, seemingly cornering it, as the Golden Chalk could not open the door in its cat state. However, the Golden Chalk quickly worked around this by materializing a cat door for the door, stepping through it. The group, needing to catch the Golden Chalk, all walked through the door, hoping to immediately meet up with it.
Upon stepping through the door, however, each of them emerged from the adjacent doors in the hallway, no one ending up through the same door. Not understanding what had just happened, the group all stepped back through the doors they emerged from, hoping to meet back where they originally were.
After stepping through their respective doors again, the group all wound up emerging from different doors yet again, each changing body sizes. Carol grew to an average adult size while still remaining a child, Carlos shrunk to half his size, Penelope shrunk to the size of a dog, and Rudy grew too large to barely step out from the door. Even more confused, the group all returned to their original doors, stepping through their respective entrances.
Emerging from the same door again, the group all found themselves all riding in a pink low rider, all returned to their normal sizes. As they all disembarked from the low rider, the car turned into a swarm of hamsters with dragonfly wings, all flying away from the scene. At this point, none of them had any clue where the Golden Chalk had went, leaving them having lost track of it.
Before the group could search any further for the chalk, the Golden Chalk ran into the hallway, now in the form of a mannequin made of cantaloupes, displaying a zoot suit with a hat carrying a feather. Giving a tip of his hat and a whistle, the Golden Chalk made its presence known to the group, letting them all on its trail again.
"Hope you're not giving up yet, you haven't even touched me!" The Golden Chalk said.
Transforming itself into a unicycle that had wheels made of flowers and old shoes with a rusty pineapple can at the seat, the Golden Chalk continued its way down the infinite void of Chalklantis' inner labyrinth, encouraging the group to continue chasing it. The group immediately met with its request, rushing down the hallway to catch it, blindly rushing into whatever would wait in store for them.
Moving to a stairway that spanned for miles and miles, the group caught eye of the unicycle continuing its run, moving up the stairway by changing into a pogo stick and hopping its way up. Chasing after the Golden Chalk in its pogo stick form, the group quickly ran up the stairs, more than ready to catch it and end the chase. With the staircase spanning as high as it did, however, the end that they were looking for seemed to be farther than they were hoping.
"Rudy? We're not making any progress here. What should we do?" Penelope asked.
"I don't know, it's hard to think and run like this at once. I can barely keep up with him." Rudy said.
"He said we need to think of whatever powers he uses to make him stop using those powers. Carlos, you're the one who reads comic books and knows about powers, what do we do?" Carol asked.
Being more than familiar with numerous superpowers and their proper names, Carlos was nominated as the one to get the Golden Chalk to stop using its powers and slow it down in order to catch it. Thinking of some of the most obvious ones that came to his head, Carlos began to name them off.
"Shapeshifting." Carlos said.
As Carlos listed the power out loud, the Golden Chalk reverted back to its original form; a chalk outline with the piece of chalk itself as its head. Now no longer able to take on different forms, the Golden Chalk continued its chase up the staircase the old-fashioned way; on foot.
"Running." Carlos said.
While running might not be considered a superpower by most, Carlos' trick was enough to force the Golden Chalk to move from running into walking, drastically slowing its flight. Resorting to a faster means of transportation, the Golden Chalk began to fly up the stairs, speedily making its way from the group.
"Flying." Carlos said.
Now no longer able to fly, the Golden Chalk fell on the staircase, seemingly defenseless and unable to escape from the group. Resorting to different means, the Golden Chalk mysteriously vanished into thin air, leaving most of the group in despair with no idea how to find it. Carlos, however, was not convinced by the trick, trying two different means to bring it back.
"Disappearing, turning invisible." Carlos said.
Despite not knowing which was the superpower used in question, the trick was enough to bring the Golden Chalk back to its resting place, lying back on the staircase and waiting to be picked up again.
"Teleporting, walking, crawling, limping, hopping..." Carlos continued.
As Carlos listed off several means of transportation, the Golden Chalk was forced to lay in place, unable to escape from the group and unable to move. Now, victory for the group seemed not only imminent, but far too easy. Even with Carlos' clever thinking, however, it was not enough to restrain the Golden Chalk.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
With a simple twiddle of its non-existent nose (actually, it grew one just for this occasion, Carlos didn't list that), the Golden Chalk instantly changed the scenery around the group, putting them all someplace else. Before any of the group even had a chance to realize what had happened, the Golden Chalk was long gone, and the four were all alone in a new, strange place.
"Uh... What just happened? Didn't we just beat him?" Carol asked.
"Not quite, young Carol. You've really got to focus a little more." The Golden Chalk said.
Hearing the omniscient voice of the Golden Chalk surround them, the group all looked out for the Golden Chalk itself, hoping to lay eyes on it. Despite the seeming large open space that they were in, an area where something like the Golden Chalk would be obvious and apparent, it was nowhere in sight.
"How?! I said, 'teleporting'!" Carlos said.
"You didn't say who couldn't teleport and where I couldn't teleport myself or someone else, you only thought of me teleporting from there. Besides, you got it right the second time, I was really invisible." The Golden Chalk said.
"Teleporting us to wherever this is."
"Too late, Carlos, you're here now already. Besides, you had to be more specific than that. However, I wouldn't worry about that right now. I'd focus more on the more important things you have to deal with."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Rudy asked.
"Like those dogs let off their leashes."
Before the group could question what the Golden Chalk was referring to, a giant horde of dogs began rushing across the plains they were standing in, all barking loudly and viciously. Upon trying to turn the other way to escape from the horde, another group of dogs began approaching from the opposing direction, making the collision of the two groups of dogs imminent.
"Okay, Carlos, you got us this far, any ideas?" Rudy asked.
While Rudy expected the young boy to come up with an answer, Carlos was far from being able to form any sort of solution, being frozen by fear. Ever since Carlos was but a very young child, he carried an irrational but strong fear of dogs. Where many would hear the appearance, bark, and panting of a dog to be a welcoming sight and sound, the very idea of it put Carlos in absolute fear, unable to move, beginning to drop to the ground.
"Carlos? What's wrong? What are you doing?" Rudy asked.
Recognizing the fear and anxiety overcoming her son, Penelope held Carlos tightly, trying to relieve him of his fears of the dogs.
"He's scared to death of dogs. Rudy, you've got to do something now." Penelope said.
With Carlos out of commission and the oncoming angry dogs growing closer and closer, Rudy frantically thought of a solution to the problem they were stuck in. Trying to think of a way to depower the Golden Chalk wouldn't help here, so the situation called for a practical solution.
Taking the chalk in his hand, Rudy drew a circle on the ground, creating a hole to a series of tunnels under the ground, all of his creation. Taking the other three members of his party, Rudy led the group below, closing the hole behind them with a pane of bulletproof glass, allowing light in their hiding hole.
"Where'd all these tunnel's come from?" Carol asked.
"I drew them, kind of. I just thought of a really big tunnel system, like they had in the Vietnam War. I remember it from history class." Rudy said.
"Wow. Smart."
"Indeed, but you're not out of the woods yet. You've still got a ways to go until you find me again. Care to try another trick?" The Golden Chalk asked.
"Oh, I've got more tricks than that. Oliver? Here, boy!" Rudy called.
Coming to Rudy's beckoning, a giant rat crawled up to his creator, lightly skittering and nibbling on a piece of wensleydale cheese. Carol and Carlos, off-put by the appearance of a giant rat standing before them, both grabbed each other and screamed in terror, trying to get as far away from the rat as possible.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FREAK IS THAT AND HOW DID IT GET IN HERE?!" Carol shouted.
"Relax, this is Oliver. I thought him up along with the tunnels. In the Vietnam War, they'd have a bunch of Australian soldiers crawl through tunnels to seek out enemy soldiers. They were called Tunnel Rats. I heard saw a documentary about it once, thought the name was cool. So, here's my own Tunnel Rat, Oliver. Say hi, Oliver." Rudy said.
Oliver waved a paw towards the cowering Carol and Penelope, who skeptically returned the wave. While the women were dead scared of the giant rat, Carlos found Oliver to be adorable, lightly petting him and scratching his belly, much to the rat's enjoyment.
"Carlos, stop that right now! Don't you know that rats carry all kinds of diseases?!" Penelope shouted.
"Oh, don't worry, he's fine, Oliver's been vaccinated. Now, Oliver, think you can lead us to the Golden Chalk?" Rudy asked.
Oliver gave a confident skitter, beginning to make his way down the tunnels that Rudy drew, with the rest of the group closely following him from behind. With the rat navigating the group through pitch black, the humans were all left with barely any vision at all, needing to take a small pause.
"Wait, hang on. It's only getting to get darker from here. You guys'll need these." Rudy said.
Rudy quickly drew the group each a set of night-vision goggles, handing them off to the others. Now able to see in the dark and able to move through the tunnels as Oliver continued to lead them to the Golden Chalk, the trip became slightly easier, but only slightly. With each step of the journey, the tunnels began to grow tighter and smaller, making navigation through the tunnels become harder with each movement.
As Carlos was the least sensitive of his own body, he did not mind the claustrophobic environment. He did, however, begin to grow bored with the crawl, wanting to have a vision of what was going on above them. The entire crawl, the dogs above their heads fought and fought, making all sorts of noises of war, but they had no idea as to what was actually happening above them.
Temporarily taking off his night-vision goggles and drawing a selector switch that read 'X-ray', Carlos flipped his new switch, giving himself a vision of what was happening above. As he began to watch the war of the dogs unfold through the dirt, however, Carlos began rethinking his decision to watch the action above, regretting letting his curiosity get the better of him.
Through the eyes of his X-ray goggles, Carlos was able to see the war of the dogs unfold, the very sight of it overwhelming him. The dogs all lashed out at each other with various objects like leashes being used as whips, bones being used as clubs, and vacuum cleaners being used as psychological warfare devices. On top of this, the dogs also let loose various humans under their command, like veterinarians chasing after the dogs with shots and vaccines, and babies all roughly tugging on their ears and tails.
While the bizarre sight of war would be enough to set anyone off, the fact that the war was being fought by dogs was a fear-inducing nightmare for Carlos, completely crippling him with fear. Even though all the action was above his head and through dirt, Carlos could not continue on, his own fear crippling him from moving any further. Curling up into a fetal position, Carlos stopped moving on, leaving himself in place.
Before the others could move on, Oliver stopped in his tracks, pointing out the young Carlos unable to move. Instinctively, the group all returned for him, all offering their hands to help him, but none of them could reach the downed boy. Every hand they reached out were slapped away by Carlos, who continued to lay crippled in fear.
"I want Daddy." Carlos said.
"Carlos, please, we've been over this, Daddy's not coming-" Penelope began to say.
"I want Daddy."
"Carlos, come on, this isn't the time, we need to get through and-" Carol tried to say.
"I want Daddy."
As Carlos repeated his demand, he began to grip himself tightly, as if trying to hug himself. Seeing her son use this motion, Penelope then realized the problem, but had no way of solving it.
"What is it? Why's he going on about his dad now?" Rudy asked.
"Whenever he'd get really scared like this, his father would hug him really tightly, and it's immediately calm him down." Penelope said.
"Then what are you waiting for? Hug him and let's go."
"It never worked with me, not even if I hugged as hard as I could. It always had to be him."
Thinking over his options, Rudy needed a way to get Carlos moving again, and a way to get him to safety. While Penelope could not give Carlos the hug to calm him down, an idea came to him: If the only factor was that it was a male figure gripping him tightly, could he feasibly try it to calm him down?
Testing his idea, Rudy carefully approached Carlos, making sure not to push him any further into his fear. Quickly grabbing a hold of Carlos and gripping him very tightly, Rudy hugged Carlos as tightly as he could, trying to apply as much pressure as he could. While Carlos began to fight back for a short while, his efforts quickly and immediately died down, allowing him to find some shelter in Rudy's arms. Where his biological father was no longer there to provide that safe hug that he previously had, Rudy was able to provide it for Carlos, bringing him that safety once again.
With Carlos calmed back down and grabbing onto Rudy like a baby panda bear, the group was now ready to continue working their way down the tunnels, pushing through to the other side. Holding Carlos safe in his own arms, Rudy urged the group on, ready to conclude their journey.
After another few minutes of grueling crawling that seemed to last an eternity, the group finally reached the other end of the tunnel, reaching a new area, hopefully the one containing the Golden Chalk. Exiting the hole of the tunnel, the group all stepped out, glad to be standing in an open room once again. Showing his gratitude to the giant rat by drawing him a piece of goat milk cheese, Rudy lightly petted Oliver, dismissing his services.
Needing to take a moment to breathe after the strange encounter that they had been put through, the group took a moment to observe their new surroundings. Where the past locations that they had been in were strange and unusual, this location seemed to be very normal. They appeared to be in a room with absolutely nothing in it; no windows, no furniture, nothing. The only thing that existed in this room was a door in front of them, presumably leading into another area.
"The rat- I mean, Oliver led us here because the Golden Chalk's here, right?" Penelope asked.
"Yep. Must be through that door." Rudy said.
Now sufficiently calmed down and out of the sight or sound of the warring dogs, Carlos climbed down from Rudy, standing up on his two feet once again. With Carlos calmed down and no longer afraid, Penelope gave a glad smile, happy to see her son mentally well again.
"Are you okay, Carlos?" Penelope asked.
"Yes. Rudy helped me. Felt safe again." Carlos said.
"Well, I'm just glad I could help you. I couldn't leave you behind like that."
Showing his appreciation for his actions, Carlos jumped up on Rudy and hugged him again, glad to have been helped out of the fearful mess he had put himself in. Happy to have helped Carlos through, Rudy returned the hug, gently setting him down afterwards.
"Okay. So, door. Let's head through and get that chalk." Rudy said.
"Rudy, wait! What if the Golden Chalk has some new trick?" Penelope asked.
"We already took out most of his mobility powers, what else could he have in store?"
Just upon opening the door, however, it appeared that the Golden Chalk did indeed have more tricks than any of them could think of. As the door handle turned, the door immediately swung open, then flew off the hinges, being sucked into an infinite portal beyond it. With the portal beginning to suck the group in as well, Rudy immediately grabbed a hold of the doorway, placing himself as the only thing standing between the group and the portal.
"'We already took out most of his mobility powers, what else could he have in store'?" Carol mocked.
"Carolina, this is not the time!" Penelope said.
"But we're getting sucked into a portal, how are we supposed to-"
Before Carol could finish her sentence, she was immediately sucked through the space Rudy could not cover the group from, sending her flying into the abyss beyond, screaming as she flew away. Penelope, shocked and devastated to see her firstborn child pulled into the abyss, screamed frantically and cried out, hoping in vain that she would return.
"NO! CAROLINA!" Penelope shouted.
"Can't hold on, need to-" Carlos began to say.
Before Carlos could finish his own sentence, he too began to get sucked into the portal, screaming as he fell into the abyss. Now witnessing both her children be pulled into the abyss, Penelope began to feel tears fall from her face, unable to stand the sight she was witnessing.
"NO! NO! NO! CAROLINA! CARLOS! NO!" Penelope shouted.
As Penelope continued her panic, Rudy began to lose his grip on the doorway, nearly sending both of them into the abyss. Before he could be pulled into the portal beyond, Rudy grabbed a hold of the doorway with one hand, holding Penelope tightly in the other.
With both parties holding onto whatever they had with their dear lives, neither knew what to do, stuck in the wake of the void pulling them in. As well as having little options, the two had even less time to act, as Penelope began to slip through Rudy's fingers, the pull of the void bringing her closer and closer within.
"Hold on, Penny! I'll think of something!" Rudy shouted.
"I can't hold on, Rudy! I'm slipping!" Penelope said.
"Just hold on, I've got you!"
"I can't, Rudy, I-"
Before Penelope could finish her sentence, she too was pulled into the void, sent flying away in a fearful and desperate scream. Watching the last member of his party fly away into the strange void before him, Rudy was now left all alone, and without any more options. Having no one else to help him on the quest, the end seemed to be close enough for him, with an ending not with him holding the Golden Chalk.
Feeling the gravitational pull of the void continue its grip on him grow and grow, his grip on the doorway began to loosen and loosen, with his fingers slowly unraveling around the threshold with every passing second. With his index and middle fingers beginning to slip off the threshold of the doorway, Rudy was soon to join his companions, being sent into the abyss beyond without any way out.
"Ugh... Ah... For god's sake, what am I supposed to do?!" Rudy thought aloud.
With the last grip he had on the threshold slipping off, Rudy was quickly pulled into the abyss just as the others were, being sent through an infinite void of space and time, screaming as he flew for miles and miles. Feeling every iota of force pulling him through the force of the abyss, Rudy was now lost and completely helpless, not having any way to save himself from this strange place, much less any of his friends.
[Soundtrack Cue: The Doors - Break on Through (To the Other Side)]
Even though he believed himself to be alone in this strange place, he quickly discovered that he was indeed not alone in this infinite void. Moving across the spaceless space he flew aimlessly in, he encountered the Golden Chalk, riding on a surfboard across the open waves of the void, taking in all its sights and emotions in a ride for thrills and fun.
"Gotta say, I'm very happy little Carlos didn't say 'surfing'. I would've hated to miss this. You know how much fun it is to surf in a void like this? You real people really don't know what you're missing." The Golden Chalk said.
"You fiend! What did you do with my friends?!" Rudy shouted.
"Oh, don't worry, they're fine, they're all in spots of this void, just like you are now. Right now, how's about we focus on a little you-and-me? You know, you may not be the first boy to stumble his way here, but you definitely are the one with the most potential. Aside from little Carlos, of course, but that's a different story. You've been revered as a hero, Rudy, but Skrawl and the Chalk King saw fit to take that away from you. Don't you think it's time you made a stand to fix that?"
"What do you want me to do?! I've been through so much of this crap already, can't I get a break?"
"Did Bob Dylan get a break before he wrote 'Like a Rolling Stone'? Did John Lennon get a break before he wrote 'Imagine'? Did Freddy Mercury get a break before he wrote 'Bohemian Rhapsody'? I, my friend, am an artist, and I've been working so hard on you since the day you set foot in here, working so tediously to make you a masterpiece. Now, I'm on the very verge of that breakthrough, and I'm not about to let up. You remember the rules, now, tag me!"
As the Golden Chalk rushed through the void, continuing its ride on its surfboard, Rudy began thinking of a way to tag the Golden Chalk, finishing his quest once and for all. Taking a piece of chalk in his hand, Rudy drew a surfboard underneath his feet, giving him an equal ground with the Golden Chalk.
Riding atop his surfboard in this infinite abyss, Rudy continued his pursuit of the Golden Chalk. Moving his surfboard across the edge of the void, touching upon all of space, time, reality and matter itself, waves began to ride across the void, sending all different sorts of colors and shapes all over the place, ranging from simple red hexagons to square circles containing 7 different spectrums of colors. If he weren't so obsessed with getting the Golden Chalk, the sights he was witnessing would take his very breath away, leaving him with no words to even describe the experience.
Putting his dedication back to obtaining the Golden Chalk, Rudy focused back on the task at hand, continuing his pursuit. Continuing to ride his surfboard through the abyss of time and space, Rudy began to gain ever so slightly up onto the Golden Chalk, seeming to get closer to his goal. However, with each step forward he took, the Golden Chalk seemed to take a few steps forward out of his reach.
While he began to grow frustrated with his apparent stalemate in the chase, Rudy remembered the right way to beat him. In order to beat the Golden Chalk, he had to think and name off his abilities, cutting off his access to said abilities and making him easier to capture. Thinking carefully over his next choice of words, Rudy named off as many abilities as he could.
"Surfing, swimming." Rudy said.
As Rudy named off the abilities, the Golden Chalk's surfboard disappeared, leaving him without any way to navigate the seas of reality they were in. Unable to swim, either, the Golden Chalk simply floated around through the void, with Rudy's grasp on him closing in.
"Punching, slapping, hitting, kicking, headbutting, kneeing, elbowing, biting." Rudy said.
Leaving the Golden Chalk without any way to defend itself from Rudy Tabootie, Rudy's victory seemed to be imminent and easy, with the end of the quest finally in his grasp.
"Growing noses, teleporting yourself or me, changing the area." Rudy said.
With no more means of escape, the Golden Chalk was now mere inches away from being tagged by Rudy. After a masterful fight and effort from the Golden Chalk to keep itself out of their hands, it seemed that now was the time to finally be used.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Or, so it seemed to be.
By doing absolutely nothing at all, the Golden Chalk disappeared into thin air, out of Rudy's sight and reach. With the chalk escaping his grasp yet again within such a short range out of his reach, Rudy began to grow more frustrated, believing that the Golden Chalk was now cheating to get his way.
"Hey! No fair! Carlos already said no turning invisible, and I said no teleporting youself!" Rudy said.
"That's not good enough, Rudy. Remember, I'm all of human consciousness and imagination all rolled into one. I think of things that no one could ever think of, and everything everyone's ever thought of. I am everything, and I am nothing. I am reality, Rudy Tabootie." The Golden Chalk said.
While Rudy began to grow even more frustrated at the Golden Chalk's words, being confused and thrown off his train of thought by its strange riddles, something began to resonate through his last words. The Golden Chalk was the sum of all other colored chalk into one, with all their traits into it. It truly was everything, and this gave him the final idea on how to win.
Feeling a stroke of confidence, Rudy Tabootie spoke out his next words.
"Existing." Rudy said.
With the next word uttered from Rudy's mouth cancelling out the Golden Chalk's ability to exist, everything around him ended in one bright flash, all falling victim to his paradox. As the Golden Chalk no longer existed as the rules allowed, ChalkZone itself could not exist, and Rudy would not occupy the space it was in.
As the flash of light faded out, Rudy's vision returned to see him touching the Golden Chalk's arm, having successfully 'tagged' him. On top of this, not only was he back in the room where the Golden Chalk was peacefully laying, but Penelope, Carol, and Carlos were all back, standing in their places as if they never left.
The Golden Chalk, having been beaten by Rudy Tabootie, gave something that resembled a smile, having no mouth to actually smile with. With Rudy catching the Golden Chalk, he had now finally readied himself for it.
"Well done, Rudy Tabootie. I always knew you had it in you." The Golden Chalk said.
"You said you were everything. If you didn't exist, then you couldn't be everything, and you couldn't keep fighting me like this." Rudy said.
"Now, that's using your imagination. Not even the most brilliant scientists could've come up with that one. No offense, Penny, dear."
"Now how about you come with us and help us stop the Chalk King?"
"Well, now, I'm afraid I won't be able to come with you for that."
"WHAT?!" The group replied.
"Then what the hell were you making us go through all that for?" Penelope shouted.
"Now, now, I said that you need the Golden Chalk to beat the Chalk King. I just said I couldn't come with you to do it, that's all."
"But you are the Golden Chalk!" Rudy shouted.
"Not really, like I said, I'm just the collection of spirits that first made it up. If you turn around, I'd be happy to give you some of the chalk to take with you."
The group all skeptically stared at the Golden Chalk, not understanding why he required they turn around.
"No, seriously, I'm not kidding, can you turn around for just one second, please?" The Golden Chalk asked.
Despite the strange request that the Golden Chalk made, the group complied, all turning around to face away from the Golden Chalk. The Golden Chalk, now no longer being watched, detached its chalk-stick-head from its body, drawing a piece of Golden Chalk in the air, replicating itself. Placing its head back on, cracking its neck, the Golden Chalk requested the group all turn back around.
"Okay, all done, you can turn around now." The Golden Chalk said.
As the group all turned around, they were immediately presented with their own piece of the Golden Chalk; the shiny, dark yellow chalk gleaming before them in a display of beauty. With the power they were seeking finally within their grasp, the group instantly marveled at its presence, its aura of power overtaking everything everything in their minds.
"Okay, are you going to give it to us now?" Rudy said.
"Not just yet. Remember, this might be just a small extension of myself, but I am still the sum of all human imagination. That's a lot to take in for anyone, even the most expressive of artists. Last time I tried giving this to someone, which was Vincent Van Gogh, he cut off his own ear. This makes people very crazy. Remember what I taught you and you'll be fine." The Golden Chalk said.
The Golden Chalk flipped its replicated self into Rudy's hands, urging him to quickly catch it. Reaching out his hands with his palms open, Rudy allowed the chalk to gingerly land in his palms, feeling the power radiate from the magical rock. With his help given to the humans and his work officially completed, the Golden Chalk bid his farewells to the group, off to do whatever he felt like doing next.
"Wait! Where are you going now?" Rudy asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Here, there, here, there, nowhere at all. Wherever the wind may blow, you know what they say. I can't tell you where I'm going, because I've honestly no idea. It's a big, big universe out there in ChalkZone. I've only really focused on the Earth's sector for a while, who knows what other plants have their own 'Zones?" The Golden Chalk asked.
"So, what, then? After everything you made us go through, you're just going to hand off the chalk and be on your way?"
"Pretty much. Very subversive, don't you think? Besides, who cares about little old me? You got the chalk like you wanted, mission accomplished. All you have to do now is use that chalk and beat the Chalk King. Of course, if I remember correctly, you did say that you only agreed to get the chalk, and you only wanted to be left alone after that. You got the chalk, so, this way, you get what you asked for, right?"
"What? No! I- Look, I might have said that then, but I was a completely different person then. I want to stay and help. I know I can help stop the Chalk King, and I want to do it to help, not just for revenge."
If the Golden Chalk had itself a mouth, it would not only be smiling, but it would probably give out one of the most satisfied smiles ever created.
"Well, when you put it that way, then you really don't need my help. Since my work is now done, I suppose I should leave you to it, no?" The Golden Chalk asked.
Ready to embark on its adventure into space and explore untouched areas of ChalkZone on other planets, the Golden Chalk transformed itself into a magic flying carpet, with the pattern stitched to resemble Gilbert Gottfried wearing a pink cooking apron and top hat while holding a parasol over his head. After the outline took a bite of a handful of cheese puffs, the Golden Chalk bid its goodbyes to the group, ready to explore the outer reaches of space.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to boldly go where no chalk has ever drawn before. Best of luck, kids." The Golden Chalk said.
The Golden Chalk then flew off above their heads, leaving the city of Chalklantis and embarking on its proposed epic journey. Now, having finally completed their quest, the four humans all stared at the Golden Chalk given to them, taking their time to observe the prize they had finally obtained. Seeing the chalk was one thing, but, after so much blood, sweat, and tears poured into their efforts, having it in their hands was another thing.
"This is it. We've finally got it. The Golden Chalk." Rudy said.
"We have. But, you know, there was something really strong in what he said. When you first got started on this whole quest, all you wanted was to get this over with. But, now, you want to help again, and you've changed completely. I know I've said this already, but it's just all so weird knowing that someone like that was doing this." Penelope said.
"I know. I'm still getting used to it, too. You've changed a bit yourself, too. You were just trying to keep your mind out of ChalkZone, trying to hang on to the real world, but you've managed to pick it up real well. It's like when we were young again."
"Maybe I spent a little too much time in the real world, and you spent too much time in ChalkZone. I guess we just balanced that out-"
"Hey, as much as I love watching your little romantic moments, I can't help but comment. Now, since we've gotten that weird adventure out of the way, care to draw us a rocket or a plane or something to get us back to Calcite? Since we've got the Golden Chalk, we need to use it to, you know, stop the Chalk King?" Carol asked.
"Oh, uh, right, Carol. Sorry. Here, Carlos, you hold onto this for me." Rudy said.
Rudy handed Carlos the Golden Chalk, who subsequently placed it in his bandolier with the other pieces of chalk he carried. Trading Rudy the Golden Chalk for a regular piece of chalk, both Carlos and Rudy began their sketch on a method of transportation to move the group back to Barney's Impenetrable Forest.
A collaboration between two artists can be a tricky combination to work through. With two men holding different and opposing visions for a creation, finding two that work together efficiently can be challenging, to say the least. For Rudy and Carlos, however, there is no such challenge in creation, no communication or directional barriers. The two operate as one, their thoughts seemingly as one, both acting out to bring a vision to life.
With each stoke of their pieces of chalk, both Rudy and Carlos worked together in a way that resembled not a team of two, but one person acting as two. Whether this sort of artistic bond has occurred from Rudy stopping in the tunnels to save him or as a simple case of great minds thinking alike, there was no denying that the two worked amazingly well together, their combined art skills a testament to this.
Finally, with the last strokes of their chalk, the duo completed their creation: a submarine with airplane wings; a method of transportation capable of moving the group both through the waters of the Wait 'N Sea and flying back to Barney's Impenetrable Forest. Impressed with the display of their combined art skills creating the sub-plane, Penelope and Carol gave out impressed claps and cheers, supporting the two for their efforts.
"Wow, I didn't think you two could work together like that. Carlos almost never draws with anyone else." Penelope said.
"No one else could draw like me." Carlos said.
"Well, I've never seen anyone talented as you with your art. That wife you drew for Jacko was pretty well-detailed, I almost wish I drew her." Rudy said.
"That's nothing, look at these."
As Penelope and Carol boarded the sub-plane, Carlos handed Rudy a selection of drawing from his handbag, showcasing his numerous works done in his spare time. Starting with his latest creation, Rudy took notice of the busty vampire woman that Carlos drew after reading Vampire Cannibals. While he was still extremely impressed with the excellent art skills of the child, his focus was primarily drawn towards the character's large breasts, taking nearly all of his attention.
"Oh, wow... Well, I guess I feel more comfortable now knowing I'm not the only one obsessed with boobs." Rudy said.
"What?" Carlos asked.
"Oh, nothing. Tell me, is there more art like this in the real world? Preferably with... less clothing?"
"Yes, called porn."
"Porn? What's that?"
"Naked people having sex."
"Really? That's an art now? I- Wait a minute, is that something that kids your age usually look at?"
"Not supposed to, but yes. Didn't care for it, only liked the stories and art."
"Wow, as if sex wasn't already good enough, people found out how to make stories of out it. I can't wait to stop the Chalk King and start reading some of it."
After sharing their exchange, Rudy and Carlos boarded the sub-plane, with Rudy taking his seat at the front with Penelope and Carlos strapping himself in the back with Carol. With naught left to do but wait until the group arrived at Barney's Impenetrable Forest, Carlos took out his pen and paper, proceeding to work on his last drawing, the one he started after finishing Wizards of War. Carol leaned in to peek at his next creation, but Carlos turned away and covered it from her eyes.
"Not ready yet." Carlos said.
"Hmph. Fine. Not like I've got anything else to do now." Carol said.
As Rudy and Penelope began their flight to Barney's Impenetrable Forest, flying through the waters of the Wait 'N Sea and taking off to the skies, Rudy decided to start a conversation with Penelope, wishing to discuss a new topic of interest shared from Carlos.
"Hey, Penny, did you know that sex is an art now in the real world? Carlos said it's called 'porn'. Think we can look at some after this?" Rudy asked.
"Wait... Carlos told you what?!" Penelope asked.
While the heroes return to the headquarters of Calcite and deliver the Golden Chalk, taking a voyage through the air, one other party took a voyage across the ground. The one and only member of this party was Skrawl, the unfinished, malformed Zoner forced to live life without a purpose and the archnemesis of Rudy Tabootie.
Or, at least, he was once sure of being his archnemesis. While his life suffered little sense of direction, he had at least enough direction to know that he wished revenge against Rudy for not finishing him as he was intended to be. Working through a plan formulated by the mysterious Chalk King, Skrawl had finally found a way to exact his revenge, aiming to make Rudy feel as lost and directionless as he did. While he had succeeded for a good decade and a half, there still was some sense of regret in his heart.
For the first few years of their conflict, the rules seemed very simple. Skrawl would come up with some sort of outlandish scenario or threat to force Rudy to do his bidding, Rudy would defeat him, and the cycle would repeat. While the system may have been a vicious cycle, it seemed to establish some sort of bond between the two. Now, with the Chalk King encouraging him to torture Rudy as well as going off on his own tangent of genocide, everything seems so strange and wrong to Skrawl.
Now, after being spared by Queenie Beanie for his evils against the Beanie Boys, Skrawl is left with little to no loyalty or dedication to anything else. Unable to find Rudy and the other humans, he has no idea on where to find the Golden Chalk, and, because of this, he can never receive what was promised to him by the Chalk King. Now alone and without a sense of drive, Skrawl has naught left to do but aimlessly wander the open plains of ChalkZone.
With the sound of a loud engine in the sky, Skrawl finds that he is not as alone as he thinks he is. Looking to the sky to find the source of the noise, Skrawl took notice of a large sort of submarine with the wings of an airplane, flying across the open skies of ChalkZone. Having only a brief glimpse at this plane, Skrawl could instantly tell who it belonged to: Rudy and the humans.
Dedicated to find the Golden Chalk once again to receive that which the Chalk King has promised him, Skrawl puts the inner monologues in his mind aside. Now, his only focus it getting the chalk, and that means he had to do one thing:
Follow the plane.