CHAPTER 25: SEX AND VIOLENCE
After falling victim to an ambush from the malformed Zoner known as Skrawl, Rudy was left stranded in ChalkZone while Penelope was exiled from the 'Zone, leaving the two best friends separated. Following several years trying to survive on his own, Rudy had grown harsh and crude, no longer able to afford to emote for the sake of his mental stability. Years later, he had returned to the real world, reuniting with Penelope. Upon finding out that she had moved one with her own life, having two children of her own, the news was less than appealing to Rudy, believing that he was long forgotten.
While their newly-rekindled relationship had a hard start, the affair quickly came to a pause with more important matters taking priority. Along with reuniting with Penelope, Rudy had also met once again with Snap, his greatest creation and once-best friend, who had informed him that the threat of the Chalk King was growing, and he was needed to stop it. After reluctantly agreeing, Snap escorted Rudy and the other humans to the resistance group known as Calcite, a group comprised of the dissidents of the Chalk King's vision of ChalkZone. Here, he was informed of a variety of chalk known as the Golden Chalk, a chalk capable of making anything it draws real.
Convinced to undertake the quest for the sake of revenge, Rudy, along with Penelope and her children, accepted the quest to find the Golden Chalk, trekking across miles of ChalkZone to obtain the fabled chalk. Along the way, the group all encountered strange and bizarre threats within ChalkZone, changing Rudy in ways none of them expected. Where Rudy had grown cold and unfeeling before, he had now not only managed to reach his emotions again, but managed to finally take the next step in his relationship with Penelope, a love formed 15 years in the making. Now, reformed from his trials and tribulations, Rudy completes his quest not for revenge, but for the greater good.
After a mind-warping experience within the labyrinths of the lost city of Chalklantis, the group had finally obtained the Golden Chalk, at last completing their quest. With the creation of a cross between a submarine and a plane, the group now make their way back to Barney's Impenetrable Forest, the headquarters of Calcite. Landing their sub-plane just outside of the forest, the group make their way to the entrance.
With a simple ring of the intercom, the group awaited the response of the Calcite members within.
"Codename and password." The intercom requested.
"It's Rudy Tabootie. I've got the Golden Chalk." Rudy said.
Without missing a single beat, the doors to Barney's Impenetrable Forest opened on the instant Rudy finished his sentence, allowing the group entry within. Heading past the doors, the group entered the forest once again, heading straight for the home of Barney the Encyclocentipedia, ready to meet back with the members of the resistance group known as Calcite.
Just outside of the forest, there was one pair of prying eyes that caught wind of the group entering the compound. These eyes belonged to the Zoner known as Skrawl, the unfinished creation of Rudy Tabootie. After chasing down the plane for a good, long amount of time, Skrawl had found his efforts paid off with two pieces of information. Not only did the humans have the Golden Chalk, but he also now knew the location of Calcite, the resistance group fighting against the Chalk King.
What he was to do with this information, however, was another question altogether.
Heading into the hollowed out tree that held the home of Barney the Encyclocentipedia, the group headed straight down to the bottom of the tree, heading to the underground base of Calcite. Upon entering the command center of the resistance group, the four humans were immediately met by Biclops, King Mumbo Jumbo, and Barney the Encyclocentipedia; the three heads of Calcite.
"You say you have the Golden Chalk, Rudy Tabootie, where is it?" Biclops asked.
As Carlos was the one carrying the Golden Chalk in his bandolier, he was the one to display it to the group, holding the shiny piece of rock in his hand. Finally having the Golden Chalk in their hands and out of the Chalk King's, the members of Carbonate gave a loud cheer, all giving a celebratory shout over their success in obtaining it. While they still had many battles ahead to fight, it seemed as though, even just for a brief moment, they had won the war in that instant.
"Words cannot describe how grateful we are for your success, Rudy Tabootie. With your efforts, you will have helped save ChalkZone from the evil oppression of the Chalk King once and for all. However... as much as we appreciate your efforts, we understand that you care not for what you have done, and we know that you wish to return to your jungle. As much as we will miss your presence, we shall respect your wishes. You are free to go and pursue your vengeance against the Chalk King." King Mumbo Jumbo.
Where the cheers of victory and glory echoed the halls of Calcite not two moments ago, bringing with it a sense of eagerness and optimism, the crowd quickly grinded to a halt with King Mumbo Jumbo's next words. Having made their deal with Rudy Tabootie, the members of Calcite knew that he would no longer stay, no longer fight alongside them where he once would act as their savior.
Of course, none suspected the trials and tribulations that Rudy had gone through on his quest, and how he had changed dramatically. If he had not gone through the trials that he did, he would have easily walked away and left the battle. Now, where he is needed most, he will do no such thing.
"Thanks, King Mumbo Jumbo. I definitely plan to take on the Chalk King, but I won't do it alone. I'll be doing it by your side." Rudy said.
As Rudy gave his reply, a surge of hope ran through the audience, a spark that the Zoners never thought would come in many years.
"So you wish to stay after all?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.
"Yes. I know I've been hard on you all and I've been going about this quest in the wrong way. I'd lost my talent, and I didn't want to do anything else but go back in isolation and be alone. Along the whole way, I'd been hard on everyone, and I'm still amazed we got as far as we did. But, during the quest, something happened, and I got my talent back. Once that happened, it was like everything that happened to me over the past 15 years all came off my head, and being able to draw again just took all that away. Now, I'm just happy to be back again. I'm ready to fight again this time, as protector of ChalkZone, just like I used to be... but with the help of Penny, Carol, Carlos, and all of you. I'm ready to be human again." Rudy said.
Hearing Rudy's speech, the Zoners of Calcite all felt their hearts move in one motion, feeling their hope return in a more unexpected way. Remembering the days of when Rudy Tabootie would act as protector over ChalkZone, defeating the many threats that came before it to keep it peaceful, the Zoners gave out another loud cheer of victory. With Rudy Tabootie back in their good graces and willing to fight along their sides, victory over the Chalk King seemed to be all but within their hands there and then.
While the Zoners of Calcite where all surprised and elated at Rudy's return, letting out their surprise audibly, King Mumbo Jumbo only stood still and smiled. Somewhere, within his mind, he had always known that Rudy would come back around upon completing his quest, and took pride in knowing so. Expressing his feelings differently than the others, where the others cheered lously, King Mumbo Jumbo let out his small but gentle smile. Rudy, observing the king's reaction, took notice of this, reading further into his reaction.
"You don't look so surprised, King Mumbo Jumbo." Rudy said.
"I never doubted that you would find yourself again even for a moment. The Golden Chalk was one of ChalkZone's best kept secrets, and it was foretold that it would only select the one most worthy to wield it. Somewhere, somehow, I knew that it would be you. You have been the Great Creator for many years in ChalkZone, and the best one to have made his mark within the 'Zone." King Mumbo Jumbo said.
"I'm honored."
No longer able to hold himself on the sidelines, Snap bursted into the scenario and grabbed a hold of Rudy, hugging his creator and best friend tightly. While Snap's reaction was unexpected and surprising to Rudy, he did not fight back against his reaction; but returned the hug to his best friend. While Rudy had grown taller in his passing years, Snap still retained his short stature, leaving Rudy having to kneel down to hug him.
"Whoa, Snap, something wrong?" Rudy asked.
"Oy caloy, I'm sorry, Rudy, I just... I'm just so gosh-darn happy to see you back to your old self again. I thought that... after... what I did... my best friend was long gone, and I had only myself to blame for all that." Snap said.
"Snap..."
"No, wait, Rudy, let me just say this. What I did was unforgivable. I shouldn't have gone along with Skrawl's plan to lead you to his trap. You may be back, but I... I left you like that, all on your own, made you lose your talent, the thing that made you you, and I- I lost Rapsheeba, and-"
Before Snap could continue his apology any longer, Rudy immediately grabbed hold of his best friend, causing him to let out a frightened yelp. Rather than try to harm Snap in any way, Rudy only silenced him with a hug, reassuring his best friend that all was well.
"I forgive you, Snap. You just did what you thought was best, and you wanted what was best in your mind. In the end, everything worked out for the best. I'm back again, and Penny and I are... Well, you know..." Rudy said.
"Friends again? Great, Rudy, I knew you two would work it out somehow. How's about we all go out and have a piece of coffee and some play some Pishe Pasha, like the good old days?" Snap asked.
"Well, Snap, we... We're actually more than friends now. You know?"
"What do I kn- Oh! Well, uh, great, Rudy, real great, heh, I shoulda guessed you two'd end up... you know, together like that. Great."
Snap began to grow timid and nervous, trying his best to hold back a slightly amused smile of amusement. Rudy and Penelope, not understanding their friend's reaction, inquired into his strange attitude.
"What's the matter, Snap?" Penelope asked.
"Nothing, it's uh... Just got... You two... reminded of a funny thought, that's all." Snap said.
"What funny thought?" Rudy asked.
"Well, uh, you remember the Doofi?"
"Yeah."
"Well, since you- They- Uh... You know how some... uh... not-so-bright people just breed like rabbits?"
"Yeah?" Penelope asked.
"Well... Uh... If Reggie made 'em even close to you two, I think Carol and Carlos there are gonna be havin' to share their house with a whole lotta siblings."
As Carol and Carlos gave confused and concerned looks to each other regarding Snap's joke, Rudy and Penelope began to blush very hard at the comment, contemplating the implications of the joke and all its meanings. Never having considered what became of the Doofi for many years, to hear what the two had done now was a substantial surprise, and one that events in their own future questionable.
"Oh. Well, that is certainly very interesting, Snap, but, uh... I don't quite know what you mean on that last part." Penelope lied.
"Oh, I know you know, I'm just havin' a laugh. It's not every day you win a war with your friends." Snap said.
"Fair enough. I guess we could use a little laugh after all that." Rudy said.
"Well, I hate to keep interrupting at somber moments like this, but shouldn't we, you know, use the Golden Chalk to stop the Chalk King now before we celebrate? We haven't really technically beat him." Carol said.
"Oh, yeah. Right. Man, we've really got to stop getting caught up like this."
"Yeah. It's a miracle you guys made it this far without us."
"Fair enough. Carlos, care to hand me the chalk?"
Handing the Golden Chalk off to Rudy, Carlos let the chalk gently roll out of his palm and into Rudy's, transferring the magical chalk to his hands. Where Carlos had only held the Golden Chalk loosely or let it sit in his palm, Rudy had gripped it firmly in his hand, more than ready to draw with it. What he was not ready for, however, was the phenomenon that was quickly to follow with the particular drawing grip that Rudy had given the chalk.
Where the others had not immediately noticed the strange phenomenon begin, Carlos caught eye of Rudy beginning an unexpected change from the Golden Chalk. As Rudy continued his grip on the Golden Chalk, a magical shine of gold began to run down his arm, its influence growing and growing.
"Alright, now I just draw a nice, big, super-weapon to blow up Castle Chalkenstein and-" Rudy began to say.
"Arm!" Carlos said.
"What?"
While Carlos' efforts to warn Rudy were communicated loudly enough, they were not delivered quickly enough. Before Rudy could do anything with the chalk, a strange transformation began to overcome him, the Golden Chalk beginning its change over its artist. With the Golden Chalk being firmly in his hand, ready to draw, the Golden Chalk itself began to overcome him entirely, controlling him completely, like the red chalk had previously done when Rudy had tried to wield it in the past.
"Rudy?! What's wrong?!" Penelope asked.
Unable to answer Penelope's question, Rudy continued to feel the Golden Chalk overcome him, driving him across the walls around them and swinging him randomly across the room, nearly running down other bystanding Zoners. Acting out its last movement in the transformation, the Golden Chalk began to spin Rudy around in a tornado-like motion, mimicking that of the Tasmanian Devil. As the winds being produced from Rudy's transformation blew about the room, knocking several lightweight Zoners across the area, the transformation itself began to find its ending. With the violent winds output by Rudy's transformation dying down, the change came to an end.
[Soundtrack Cue: Infectious Grooves - Violent & Funky]
As the transformation came to an end, Rudy emerged from the phenomenon, having completely changed in appearance. Where he was previously dressed in his previous manner of a black jacket and blue jeans, he was now dressed in an olive green suit and fancy black dress shoes, complete with a large gangster-style fedora on his head. Accompanying all of this was a large and nearly insane grin spanning from ear to ear, along with a crazed appearance in his eyes, as well as his skin turning pure gold.
"Uh... Rudy? Are you okay?" Penelope asked.
"Am I okay? Are you okay? Is anyone really, really, okay? I'D LIKE TO THINK SO, BECAUSE I'M FEELING GREAT! HA-HA-HA!" Rudy said.
"Uh... Ok... Well... Maybe you should think about putting the Golden Chalk down, at least for a moment. You're not acting... normal."
"Oh, come on, Penny, don't be a party pooper, pooping's for toilets! I might love toilets as much as the next guy here, but toilet jokes just never really cut it! You've got to be original, new, creative! It's not just about laughs, it's about scares, shocks; pure, primal fear! Hey, you guys wanna see a scary face?"
Drawing over his face using the Golden Chalk, Rudy transformed his face into an unspeakable, indescribable, and impossible sight of horror not even the best horror writers could attempt to recreate in their minds. With the state of pure, primal fear coursing through their minds, Penelope, Carol, and Carlos and the surrounding Zoners all gave terrified screams, cowering back at Rudy's prank. Quickly wiping the scary face from his real face, Rudy gave out a hysterical laughter, falling to the floor in a fit of hilarity.
"Oh, man, you should've seen the looks on your faces! You know, why do we even have faces? I mean, they're funny to look at when they're stretched in just the right way, but they're just so hard to deal with! I mean, you've got to brush your teeth, pop your pimples, blow your nose, wipe your eyes; it's all just a huge amount of work! Why can't someone just find an easy way to deal with it, like get rid of faces? How about we have just metal pipes for heads? One for breathing, one for eating and drinking? Problem solved! And don't even get me started on the plumbing down below! Who'd think to put an amusement park next to a toxic waste plant?" Rudy ranted.
"Okay, that's it! Rudy, put down that chalk, it's clearly messing with you!" Penelope shouted.
"Is it, Penny? Or is it you messing with me? Or is it me messing with you? Or is it me messing with the chalk? Or is it the chalk messing with you? Or is it me messing with the chalk messing with you? Or maybe is it the chalk messing with me messing with you messing with me messing with the chalk messing with me again? Cause if it is, I gotta tell ya, that's one big mess, and I ain't cleanin' it up!"
Intervening to remove the Golden Chalk from Rudy's hands, Penelope leaped after the chalk while Rudy held it in the air, like a tall school bully keeping a needed item from a victim.
"Rudy! Give me that chalk!" Penelope shouted.
"Oh, you mean this chalk right here?" Rudy asked.
Rudy stopped fighting and presented the Golden Chalk to Penelope, seemingly offering it to her.
"Yes, that chalk right there, give me-" Penelope began to say.
[Soundtrack Change: Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On]
Before Penelope could take the chalk from Rudy's hand, the Golden Chalk itself turned into a large bouquet of flowers, while Rudy picked his teeth with the chalk. Where he was previously wearing a suit, he now wore a fancy tuxedo with a bow tie, but his skin still remained a solid gold. On top of this, Penelope's clothing was now that of a glittering red dress, complimented by high heels.
"Mon Cherie, we really mustn't waste our time with words, our lives are far too short to be spent like this; sending each other love letters day in and day out, longing and lusting for one another on opposite sides; can't you just see we were meant to be?!" Rudy shouted.
Rudy grabbed Penelope and held her back in his arms, beginning to lean in for a kiss.
"Kiss me, dear, let me feel your love. I'm gonna plant a seed in your garden. I'm gonna tickle your tummy from the inside. I'm gonna take you on a one-way trip on the bone-train express!" Rudy shouted.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
Disgusted by his crude and direct approach, Penelope slapped Rudy in the face, running towards the other end of the room to avoid him. Still under the influence of the Golden Chalk, however, Rudy was not stopped by conventional means. As Penelope backed against what she believed to be a wall, she turned to find herself leaning against Rudy, now dressed as Paul McCartney as he appeared on the album art of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
"Oh, I'm sorry, who am I to proposition a woman before giving her a serenade? Surely, after this song, you will find it in your heart to forgive me." Rudy said.
Pulling a guitar out of nowhere like a magic satchel in a cartoon, Rudy began playing an acoustic guitar rendition of The Beatles' Penny Lane, with the lyrics changed to be about him and Penelope rather than the street in Liverpool and using the Golden Chalk as a guitar pick.
"Penny Sanchez is a beautiful woman,
Sharp as tacks and such a shape-a-ly body,
Got two kids and and became a mommy
Grew some big titties,
We shagged and shagged in the bushes like two wild dogs,
Little Carol didn't get even a wink of sleep,
We made too much noise when we shouldn't have made a peep,
I was like a sheep, I want to weep,
Penny Sanchez is in my ears and in my eyes,
Makes me feel real warm around the thighs..." Rudy sang.
Even though Rudy's voice and vocal style would've been more than enough to sway Penelope, his choice of lyrical content only resulted in giving off mixed signals, leaving her even further confused as his actions. No longer able to stand seeing her partner act completely insane from the influence of the Golden Chalk, Penelope reached out and grabbed the chalk out from his hand, finally snatching it from his hand.
With the Golden Chalk finally out of his hand, Rudy changed back into his normal form, again wearing his black jacket and blue jeans as before, and his skin its natural pale rather than solid gold. No longer under the control of the Golden Chalk's influence, Rudy felt his sanity and control return to him at last, realizing what he had just done and feeling regret over his actions.
"Penny, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know what just happened to me, it's like I was just-" Rudy began to say.
[Soundtrack Cue: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult - Sexplosion]
As Rudy tried to speak, he looked up to Penelope to deliver his apology, finding his words quickly dying off into a baffled and confused stammer. Where Penelope was previously dressed in a simple shirt and pants, she was now dressed in a fetishistic dominatrix outfit, holding a whip in one hand and the Golden Chalk in the other, and her skin a solid gold as well.
While Rudy was immediately entranced by her new outfit, Carol became disgusted with her choice of clothing, gagging at the sight of her scantily-clad mother. Carlos, not affected by or even concerned with nudity, did not seem to notice or care about his mother's clothing, seeing it as no different from many comics he read.
"Oh... Oh, god, Mama, that's just... that's just wrong, why would you dress like that?" Carol asked.
"Aw, what's the matter, baby, you never seen a beautiful woman like me before? I'm not ashamed to show what my momma gave me, so why don't you be proud of what your momma's got, baby girl?" Penelope asked.
Turning her attention straight back to Rudy, Penelope threw her whip around her partner, reeling him in like a fish on a hook. Where Rudy was the advancer in the past scenario, he now found himself becoming the victim.
"You know, Rudy, I could tell you were singing that song from your heart. How's about you get a little closer to mine?" Penelope asked.
Penelope shoved Rudy straight into her breasts, which had somehow grew larger than before, leaving his face covered in a pair of oversized mammary glands expanded by cellulite. While his newfound discovery of his interest in breasts would've made the experience a taste of heaven in his eyes (not that it wasn't for him, mind you), the strange new behavior that Penelope was outputting due to the Golden Chalk was overtaking his mind, putting his focus more on helping her break free of its control.
"Penny, put the chalk down, it's controlling you like it did me!" Rudy said.
"Aw, what's the matter, I thought you liked big boobies? Well, if makin' 'em bigger is what it takes for you to notice me, then I must increase my bust!" Penelope said.
Penelope pulled a chute string from her back, seemingly deploying a parachute from an unseen backpack. In a few seconds, however, Rudy quickly realized that there was no parachute being deployed, but, rather, something else was happening. Through the power of the Golden Chalk, Penelope's breasts began to grow and expand to cartoonishly and ridiculous sizes, nearly overtaking the entire command center of Calcite.
"Escape plan lambada! Escape plan lambada!" A Calcite agent shouted.
While the efforts to avoid the ballooning bosoms were valiant, with Rudy, Carol, Carlos and the Zoners quickly trying to escape the colossal coconuts by following Calcite's plans for dealing with contingencies, they proved to be not enough. Within mere seconds, Rudy, Carol, Carlos, and the Zoners were all pressed up against the walls of Calcite's headquarters, each being surrounded by a cushioned covering of ludicrously large love pillows.
"Whaddya think, Rudy? Big enough for a man of your tastes?" Penelope asked.
"Uh... Actually, Penny... You think... Maybe... You can reduce tho a smaller size to where we can actually walk around?" Rudy asked.
"'Smaller size', huh? Ooh, I know what you want!"
As the mammoth-sized melons retracted back to a practical size, the humans and Zoners all fell back on the floor, all trying to recuperate from being compressed by Penelope's large and levigating lady lumps. Just as Rudy had risen from the floor, he had immediately tried to seek out Penelope once again, wondering what sort of trick she would play next.
"Down here, hot stuff." Penelope said.
Upon looking down to follow Penelope's altered voice to locate her, Rudy found that she had taken on a form that gave an innumerable amount of horrible implications to him, ones that even a man away from civilization for 15 years would instantly understand as taboo.
Penelope had now taken on the form of her 10-year-old self, but still dressed in her dominatrix outfit, and looking after Rudy with lusting eyes. Not liking the implications that Penelope was giving in the very slightest, Rudy nearly gagged at the thoughts of what she was suggesting.
"Wanna play with me like they do in those Japanese cartoons, daddy?" Penelope asked.
"Are you- Are you serious?! Dear god, I don't even have the words to describe how wrong this is! You change back to an adult right this second!" Rudy said.
"But I am still an adult! Just think of me as your little shortstack!"
"Okay, I'm not gonna take this anymore!" Carol said.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
While Penelope was busy trying to re-enact certain scenes from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita with Rudy, Carol took the opportunity of having Penelope reduced down to her height to take the Golden Chalk from her, ending its influence over her mother. Within an instant, Penelope changed back into her normal self, gaining all awareness of her actions just as Rudy had done with his.
Realizing the last action she had taken, she reacted pretty well considering the circumstances.
"Oh, god. I can't believe I just suggested... that to you. I think I need to throw up." Penelope said.
"Likewise. I'm just glad Carol got the chalk out of your hands, that's another time she saved us from-" Rudy began to say.
Before Rudy could finish his sentence, he realized that Carol had taken a hold of the Golden Chalk, leading him to realize that it would undoubtedly take control of her just as it did the two. Just as Rudy realized this fact, Penelope also noticed it, both parties realizing the danger on their hands.
Upon turning to face Carol, they had both witnessed her also fall under control over the Golden Chalk's influence, turning her skin gold and dressing her in a t-shirt that read 'FIGHT' and numerous protest signs in her arms, each reading different messages like 'REBEL', 'RESIST', 'NO', and other such negative exclamatories.
"You know what I can't stand?! You two! First, you hate each other's guts completely, then, you start to feel sorry for him and you treat her like garbage, then you both love each other like you've never seen anybody else before, and, now, you both wanna bang each others' brains out! CAN'T YOU PEOPLE MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ABOUT ANYTHING?! And don't even get me started on all those stupid mushy moments that I've had to break you two out of! Seriously, can't you just ogle each other after we get away from the bad guys or once we beat them?! Do neither of you have any sort of priority?! And why did we even need you two, anyway?! Me and Carlos could've done it all ourselves! Better yet, I didn't even need that little know-it-all! I can draw stuff, too, you know!" Carol ranted.
Tossing her picket signs aside, Carol materialized her fingers into sticks of chalk, randomly scribbling at the open air. After only seconds of scratching at the air, Carol managed to perfectly recreate an entire library of famous art pieces, ranging from The Persistence of Memory, The Birth of Venus, The Mona Lisa, and The Scream, among countless others.
"See? See?! I don't have to be the quiet one to get things done! I keep talking and talking, but none of you ever listen to me!" Carol shouted.
"Carolina, has this really been bothering you all this time? Please, just calm down and we can talk about this. I never meant to make you feel-" Penelope began to say.
"AND I HATE BEING CALLED 'CAROLINA'! CAROLINA WAS MY BISABUELA'S NAME! Can't I have my own name for once?!"
"Okay, Carol, please calm down and let's talk-"
"Oh, you want me to talk? Fine, I'll talk, I'll talk until your ears fall off! I'll even keep talking after that!"
After revving up a motor that appeared out of nowhere, Carol plugged the motor into her ears, charging more power straight to her mouth to make her talk even more than she already was. Feeling the numerous power of burning gasoline run through her brain and into her vocal chords, Carol began spewing her angry rants even faster than before, at a speed barely legible by the others.
"IHATETHISSTUPIDTRIPANDIHATETHATWE'VEBEENGOINGONANDONWITHTHISQUESTANDITJUSTWON'TENDALREADYIFEELLIKEWESHOULDHAVEBEENDONEHOURSANDHOURSAGOWHYCANTWEJUSTGOANDERASETHECHALKKINGANDBEDONEWITHITALREADYIJUSTWANTTOGOHOMEANDTALKWITHMYFRIENDSALREADYIHAVENTSEENTHEMINALONGLONGTIMENOWANDIWANTTOGOBACKTOBOSTONWHERENONEOFTHISCRAPWOULDEFFECTUSIFWEREALLYHADTOMOVEISAYWESHOULDVEMOVEDTOHILLWOODATLEASTWEDHAVESUPERHEROESAROUNDUSWHICHWOULDBEAWESOMEBUTNOYOUWANTTOPUTUSINSOMECRAPPYTOWNINTHEMIDDLEOFNOWHEREWHERETHEREISNTANYTHINGTODOITSAMIRACLEIFOUNDTHISSTUPIDCHALKPLACEJUSTSOIWOULDNTBEDEADFROMBOREDOMICANTTELLIFMYHEADISGOINGTOPOPFROMPUREBOREDOMOFPLAINVILLEORIFCHALKZONEISJUSTSOCRAZYTHATICANTTAKEANYOFTHISIREALLYHAVETOGOTOTHEBATHROOMANDIMSTILLWEIRDEDOUTTHATMYPEEBURNSTHROUGHTHEGROUNDIFEELLIKEONEOFTHOSEALIENSTHATBURSTOUTOFPEOPLESCHESTSTHATHAVEACIDFORBLOODIHATETHATIHAVENTHADANYACTUALREALFOODWHYCOULDNTWEHAVEJUSTEATENATTHATSTUPIDKARAOKBARITSNOTLIKEWECOULDVESTOPPEDATAGOODBURGERSOMEWHEREWHEREWECOULDACTUALLYGETREALFOODALLTHISCHALKFOODISMAKINGMEHACKUPSOMUCHCHALKDUSTHOWDIDYOUEVENDEALWITHTHISFORFIFTEENYEARSICAN'TSTANDITFORTHESEPASTFEWDAYSITFEELSLIKEABOSOLUTETORTUREWHYISITMYBROTHERCANDOJUSTFINEINTHISPLACEBUTICANTSURVIVEHEREATALLIWANTMYPHONEIWANTMYWIFIIWANTMYAIRCONDITIONINGIWANTMYTVIWANTMYCUTEBOYSIWANTTOEATABURGERWITHNOTHINGBUTKETCHUPIWANT-" Carol ranted.
As Carol let out her long and insane rant expressing her distaste for all that was occurring in her life, her head began to grow larger and larger with each syllable let out of her mouth, with carbon monoxide fumes coming out of her ears. As Carol was far too preoccupied with her loud and high-speed rant, Carlos began to formulate a plan to retrieve the Golden Chalk from her and take away its control over her.
Remembering that he had held the Golden Chalk with a rather loose grip, one not intent on using the chalk to draw at that particular moment, everyone else had gripped it tightly, as if they were intending to draw with it. Realizing that the key to stopping the Golden Chalk was to grab it with a loose grip, Carlos began to formulate a plan to get it out of Carol's hands, needing to grab it tightly to remove it from her hands.
Gaining an idea to obtain it without directly touching it, Carlos drew a giant pair of pliers, approaching the still-ranting Carol from behind. With moves ever so silent and cautious to his mission, Carlos reached out with the pliers to obtain the Golden Chalk, managing to grab it with his newly drawn tool.
Using a simple grab and a swift pull, Carlos took the Golden Chalk from his sister, reverting her back to normal once again. With the effects of the Golden Chalk negated from no longer having a human to grip it, Carol's head shrunk back to its normal size, allowing her to reflect on her own actions just as Rudy and Penelope had done.
"Oh, man, I really do have some anger issues." Carol said.
Having the Golden Chalk out of the hands of any more humans where it could potentially cause more harm or damage, Carlos gently set it down on a nearby table. After everyone in the room had taken their time to process the insanity that had just unfolded before their eyes, all the humans and Zoners surrounded the Golden Chalk as it laid on the table, contemplating on what to do next.
"Huh. Well, I guess using this thing is going to be harder than I thought." Rudy said.
While the members of Calcite remained in Barney's Impenetrable Forest, beginning to contemplate how they were supposed to use the Golden Chalk to defeat the Chalk King, the malformed Zoner known as Skrawl began making his march across ChalkZone to meet said enemy of Calcite, making his way to Castle Chalkenstein.
Just as no one knew much of the Chalk King, much less knew of Castle Chalkenstein. Rumors of its existence was spread about ChalkZone, communicated through hushed whispers of dissidents and curious ears, but no one knew for sure if the castle existed nor where it was, much less how it came to be.
For the Chalk King, this secrecy of the home he had made for himself made his conquest of ChalkZone all the more easier; with no one knowing where to locate his base of operations, the head of the snake could not be cut off, as none could find it, and the snake could continue its wrath all it liked.
For Skrawl, however, finding this mysterious castle was an easy task, but only because he had prior knowledge of it, and therefore knew the way there. With his allegiance with the Chalk King was on questionable terms, the idea of returning to him was a strange idea to Skrawl. However, having made so many enemies all over ChalkZone over his years of existence, he had no more friends left to make, and had no choice but to head back to one who at least could qualify as a friend.
Before stepping into the grounds of Castle Chalkenstein, however, Skrawl was immediately met with two Chalk Troopers, the loyal but unintelligent servants of the Chalk King. Pointing their rifles directly in the face of Skrawl, the Chalk Troopers quickly lowered their rifles again, recognizing Skrawl as a familiar face.
"Oh, hey, it's, uh... Uh... I forgot your name. What was it, Scratch? Scribble?" One Chalk Trooper asked.
"No, no, I think it was Crawler. No, wait, maybe Krampus. No, wait-" The other Chalk Trooper began to say.
"Skrawl. My name is Skrawl." Skrawl said.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, we knew that, we just... Uh... forgot. So, uh... What brings you over here?" The first Chalk Trooper asked.
"Take me to the Chalk King. It seems, after so many years, we've finally found the headquarters of Calcite."