CHAPTER 26: SAVE THE RAINFOREST

Castle Chalkenstein is the home of the mysterious man known as the Chalk King, and the unofficial capitol of his kingdom. With no one knowing the location of the castle, and even less knowing how it even came to be, the very idea of the castle's existence made it something of a mythological figure in the minds of the Zoners. The resistance group of Calcite, however, could not afford to dismiss its existence as a myth, and so much of their time during their war against the Chalk King was spent trying to find the mysterious castle.

Forging his unholy alliance with the Chalk King, Skrawl had spent many years of his life here, all in an attempt to fulfill his end of his deal with the Chalk King. If he could obtain the Golden Chalk and bring it to the Chalk King, the self-proclaimed despot of ChalkZone would grant him the one thing missing from his life as an incomplete drawing: purpose. Existing only as an unfinished drawing of Rudy Tabootie, his original vision perverted and altered by many young, prying hands, Skrawl was damned to live as an incomplete creation without reason to exist. Desperate to find that purpose, Skrawl turned to the Chalk King, selling what little soul he had in exchange for a new one.

Where he was certain his choices would lead him to the goal he ultimately desired, his feelings now are uncertain and unclear. In the past, his torturous existence as an incomplete form tore at him for his entire life, leaving him to only crave vengeance against the man who allowed him to exist as he does now. Driven by anger and hatred, the Chalk King was able to push him and lead him to the position he needed to take Rudy Tabootie down for good. Not satisfied, Skrawl sought to torture Rudy for one simple purpose: to make him feel and understand how he feels to have no purpose.

In the past, these choices seemed to be easy and logical. After his many trials to obtain the Golden Chalk from the humans, he is now no longer sure where his heart lies. With Queenie Beanie, mother of the Beanie Boys, forgiving him of his crimes and sparing his life and driving him to analyze his own life, what next choices to make seemed to be unclear. As Skrawl made many enemies throughout his life, he knew to go but only one place: Castle Chalkenstein.

Entering the throne room of the self-proclaimed Chalk King, Skrawl gave a kneeling bow to the king as he sat upon his throne, giving his respect for his nobility and position in his kingdom. The Chalk King, watching the subservient sketch bow a knee before him as he demanded, took a sip of wine from his chalice in amusement.

"My king." Skrawl said.

"You may rise, Skrawl." The Chalk King said.

Rising to his feet again, Skrawl faced the Chalk King, carefully contemplating what to say next. With the Chalk King speaking first, Skrawl had found that he had less time to think over what to say as he was now demanded of a response.

"I haven't seen you for an extended period of time. Last I've heard, you went off seeking the Golden Chalk yourself, despite the fact that I had an agent of my own seeking it." The Chalk King said.

"Yes, well, it seems your 'agent' has not been as promising as you'd hoped. In spite of all those fancy weapons that he possessed, he was defeated and erased by the humans." Skrawl said.

"Hmph. Perhaps I have made an error in judgement of both you and him, Skrawl. For that, you have my apologizes for doubting your capability, as does the late Lars Rodriguez for believing in his. However, my apologizes do come with a condition. I trust that, in his absence, you have managed to obtain the Golden Chalk yourself?"

"No, my king, I'm afraid not. The humans have the chalk. That's why I've come here to-"

Before Skrawl could finish his sentence, the Chalk King threw his wine chalice across the room, enraged by Skrawl's last sentence. Knowing of the Chalk King's temperance, as well as his punishment for failure within his kingdom, Skrawl began to tremble at the knees, or at least whatever counted as knees in his single-line legs.

"So, you go against my demands, go after the humans yourself, all in risk of jeopardizing the entire war, and you don't even manage to obtain the Golden Chalk before the humans can?! And you have the audacity to show your hideous, malformed face within my throne room?!" The Chalk King shouted.

"But I have something else you may want, my king! I know where the humans are!" Skrawl said.

"What use is of that to me now, you worthless sketch?! The humans have the Golden Chalk! They cannot be stopped!"

"But, my king, I don't believe that they know how to use it!"

"And what gives you that idea?"

"Because, if they did, they would have already wiped your castle away by now. If we strike now, not only will we have a chance to get the Golden Chalk from them, but we can also cripple if not defeat Calcite in the process!"

Seeing and understanding Skrawl's line of reasoning, the Chalk King began to calm himself, knowing that he was right. Listening carefully to Skrawl once again, the Chalk King laid back down on his throne, more open to hearing his next words.

"You make a reasonable point. You say that we have a chance to defeat Calcite and obtain the Golden Chalk. Explain yourself." The Chalk King said.

"By following the humans after they had obtained the Golden Chalk, I had discovered where Calcite has holed themselves up: Barney's Impenetrable Forest." Skrawl said.

"Barney's Impenetrable Forest? Hmph. I'm almost embarrassed we never thought that we never thought to look there. However, as you well know, the forest is called 'impenetrable' for a reason. No known weapon or substance can break through its bark."

"Nothing in ChalkZone can break through, but what if we could erase it? What if we used some of the water that you use on your erasures and use it to erase a hole big enough to move into?"

Intrigued by Skrawl's idea, the Chalk King thought carefully over the suggestion, contemplating on how the plan would work.

"I've a better idea. How good are your driving skills?" The Chalk King asked.

"...Driving skills, my king?" Skrawl asked.

"Well, I suppose we'll see when my Chalk Troopers and I obtain it."

"Obtain what?"

"You've had some experience with human children, Skrawl. What is one of the most common of a child's fantasies?"

Not knowing the answer, Skrawl gave a skeptical shake of his head and a shrug.

"To be a fireman, Skrawl. And what do firemen drive to put out fires?" The Chalk King asked.

"Wait... You're going to bring a fire truck into ChalkZone?" Skrawl asked.

"What better way to break through the Impenetrable Forest? And, better yet, who better than to lead this attack than you, Skrawl?"

"...Me? You want me to lead this attack?"

"But of course I do. You obviously recognize the shortcomings that have cost you much in our relationship; now, you make this suggestion to make amends for your failure. A very smart way to bring reparations to our partnership. You are, of course, trying to bring reparations to our partnership, are you not?"

While Skrawl was still not completely sure if his allegiance still laid with the Chalk King, he knew very well what would come if he were to disobey the Chalk King or displease him in any way. Remembering the fate of many who had fallen victim to his execution by erasure, Skrawl was not anywhere near noble enough to face such a horrible death. With his fear of death combined with his close history with the Chalk King, Skrawl decided to give in to his demands, as means of self-preservation rather than reparations.

"Yes, I would like nothing more than to repair our partnership, so that you may finally give me the purpose I desire." Skrawl said.

"Splendid, Skrawl. For a disgusting, unfinished sketch, you truly are an excellent subject." The Chalk King said.

"Then, what are we do to now? How would we get into the real world to obtain the truck?"

"I will see to it personally, Skrawl. All you need concern yourself with is your battleplan. You will have my Chalk Troopers at your disposal, and you shall lead the fight. And, when you succeed in both destroying Calcite and bringing me the Golden Chalk, you will not only have the gratitude of your sovereign, but, with the power of the Golden Chalk, I shall grant you the purpose you so desire."

Entering the magical world of ChalkZone, Rudy, Penelope, Carol, and Carlos had accepted a quest to pursue and retrieve the Golden Chalk, a type of chalk capable of making anything it creates real as anything in the real world. The petitioners of this quest were a group named Calcite, a resistance force organized and created with the sole purpose of defeating the evil Chalk King, a Zoner obsessed with recreating ChalkZone as he saw fit by means of war and genocide. Realizing their plight and plea, the humans accepted the quest of Calcite, agreeing to obtain the Golden Chalk so that they may defeat the Chalk King.

Along the way of their quest, the group had all gone through many strange and bizarre adventures, many changing the group due to their trials and efforts. Where Rudy was once harsh and unfeeling from his days of isolation, the journey had changed him back to his creative self, with his once-lost talent to draw returned. Penelope, finding out Rudy was not dead and ChalkZone was real, restarted her relationship with Rudy anew, taking it to the next level after an unexpected 15-year separation.

After returning from the lost city of Chalklantis with the fabled Golden Chalk, the heroes have now returned to Calcite with the intention to use it to defeat the Chalk King and end his reign of terror. However, as easy as this task sounds, they seem to have run into an unexpected roadblock in that plan.

Upon trying to create something with the Golden Chalk to defeat the Chalk King, Rudy suddenly lost control of his mind and his body, being bent to the will of the Golden Chalk and all its power. After going through Penelope and Carol, Carlos discovered that the Golden Chalk can only gain control over its user when it is gripped with the intention to draw. With this knowledge, Carlos successfully managed to remove the chalk from any unprepared hands, ending the Golden Chalk's control.

Now, the humans and the members of Calcite gaze upon the Golden Chalk, trying to think of a way to use the chalk in a more effective way. With all the power and potential the Golden Chalk contained within its body of calcium carbonate, no one had any clue as how to use it to draw any means of stopping the Chalk King, essentially making the Golden Chalk useless.

"Well, when we try to use the Golden Chalk, it makes us crazy. Great. Now, we've got a piece of chalk that makes us crazy and change everything around us, and we've already used a big chunk of it. After all that work, we can't use this thing. Great." Carol said.

"No. There's got to be some way to use this chalk somehow. The Golden Chalk wouldn't have put us through all that if it didn't want us to use it. There must be some sort of trick we're not seeing." Rudy said.

"I don't understand. When it had us, or, at least, when it had me, it was like I had the first thought in my head amplified several times over, and then interlaced with so many other thoughts at once." Penelope said.

"And the first thought you had in your head was... whatever that was?" Snap asked.

"Well... Uh... I mean... That joke you made kind of put it in my head..."

"Hey, hey, don't go blamin' this thing on me!"

"No, she is right. Human thought is one of the most malleable substances in existence. With even the most slightest, most indirect, or even most odd suggestion or saying that one can make, it will always send someone else's mind into a long train of thought, whether or not they may know it. The Golden Chalk is meant to be the amalgamation of all human thought, all the bad and the good, perhaps it was taking this suppressed thought and amplifying it." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"But why would it do that?" Carol asked.

"Art has many forms and methods, and each of these are all based in human emotions, all to be expressed. The Golden Chalk is meant to be the beginning and collective of all human thought and imagination; every human thought, idea, emotion, desire, and soul all within a golden stone. Rudy may have handled the red chalk previously and felt its influence, but the red chalk only existed in anger and rage, one emotion only."

"Okay, so maybe I just try to find a way to suppress my emotions so it can't mess with me. I already know how to shut it off, maybe I just need to shut them out when I use the Golden Chalk."

"Then you have missed the entire purpose of your journey, Rudy Tabootie. Your goal was to regain your talent to use the Golden Chalk, not reject it a second time."

"But what else are we supposed to do? We can't just use it like any regular chalk. There's got to be something we're not seeing, some way to control it that we're not getting."

"Well, it's supposed to amplify whatever you're thinking about, whether conscious or subconscious. Couldn't we just focus on stopping the Chalk King, then grab hold and let the Golden Chalk take it from there?" Penelope asked.

"That's worth a try, but we don't have enough chalk to work with for a test run. With that little mistake, we used up a big portion of the chalk, and we'll need every bit of it to stop the Chalk King."

"Can't we draw more chalk with the chalk?" Carlos asked.

"We might be able to, but there's still the main problem of controlling the chalk long enough to do that. The Golden Chalk put us through those weird trials for a reason, we're just not seeing something. What did you guys learn from the labyrinth?"

While the other members of the group had gone through their own strange adventures in the labyrinths of Chalklantis, and none were bound to forget their experiences any time soon, none could fully articulate what had happened to them in the labyrinths. Even worse, none had any idea how to apply their experiences to the task of using the Golden Chalk.

"Uh... Well... I ran away from some voices... I met what looked liked some boys I dated in high school, then my ex-husband, then you, and lost my ability to walk. I don't know how, but I managed to stand up again and the voices just went away." Penelope said.

"Got hugged by people I didn't know, took myself apart to make Daddy happy, and got put back together by the hugging people." Carlos said.

"I went through this weird forest where phones grew from trees and people talked backwards, I ate some taffy that fell out of a nose and became a god, talked with some aliens made of weird things that told me gibberish, and I stopped a fairy from attacking another fairy, all while changing colors." Carol said.

After hearing the strange experiences that equated to an average afternoon of the mind of Hunter S. Thompson, Rudy found himself taken slightly aback by each of their stories, with each storyteller each just as baffled as each other's as well. While Rudy's own journey had been relatively strange, theirs all put his to shame in terms of insanity.

"Uh... Wow. Okay, but did that give anybody any ideas on how to use the chalk?" Rudy asked.

"Nope." Carol said.

"No." Carlos said.

"Not a clue." Penelope said.

"Then there's something we're still not seeing. What the hell could it be?" Rudy asked.

"What was yours? Maybe there's something in your story that could tell us what to do."

"I entered 'Open' Mikes Pub filled with a bunch of other weird Zoners and performed Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, even reenacting the music video."

"Oh. Well... That's... Maybe you... Okay, I don't have anything."

"Well, that's just great. We went through a whole bunch of weird trips through a bunch of ancient labyrinths and we learned nothing." Carol said.

"No, no, no. There's definitely something we're missing. C'mon, out of all that wild stuff we went through, there has to be some trick we picked up somewhere. There just has to be!" Rudy said.

Thinking back on his experiences in the labyrinths of Chalklantis, Carlos recalled a particular event during his flight from the hugging mobs. When surrounded by the mob and unable to draw, the chalk in Carlos' hand had instantly changed itself into a rocket, an item that he had contemplated drawing to escape. Remembering this event, Carlos brought it up to the group.

"Rocket." Carlos said.

"What?" Rudy asked.

"Had chalk in my hands, couldn't draw. Thought of a rocket, chalk changed to rocket, got away."

Hearing of Carlos' newfound ability, the group all moved in closer to hear more of this strange new feat.

"Carlos, how did you do this?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, please, child, tell us how you have done this." King Mumbo Jumbo requested.

"Better, I'll show you." Carlos said.

Taking a piece of chalk from his bandolier and grasping it firmly in his hand, Carlos carefully concentrated on the object of his choosing, thinking of a simple object to materialize the chalk into.

"Pocketwatch." Carlos said.

Crafting the mental image for the aforementioned item in his head, Carlos concentrated hard on the image, placing all his focus on the pocketwatch in order to make it a reality. With all his conscious mind and thought focused into the imaginary pocketwatch, the chalk sitting in his hand quickly started to transform itself into the pocketwatch in his mind, just as he had imagined it.

The other humans and the Zoners alike, all amazed and enamored by Carlos' new ability, found themselves speechless to the trick. Most impressed of all was Rudy Tabootie; where he had done many great accomplishments in his years in ChalkZone, never had he encountered a power like this before.

"Carlos... You found out how to do this yourself?" Rudy asked.

"By accident, but, yes." Carlos said.

"That's amazing! I never even knew you could do anything like that with the chalk. How's that even work?"

"Well, when you draw something with the chalk, whatever you draw turns into that object. If the chalk can turn into anything just by being drawn into something, could it turn into whatever you need just by thinking of it?" Penelope asked.

"It looks like Carlos here proved that's possible."

"I must say, this is extremely marvelous! I have witnessed many different creators move through ChalkZone, but never have I seen one who has unveiled such a talent before; to draw without drawing." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

Hearing King Mumbo Jumbo's words, Carlos began to think deeper on what he had said, pondering on the past creators that had entered ChalkZone.

"Said other creators were in ChalkZone." Carlos said.

"Yes?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

"Who else?"

"You know, Carlos is right. You keep saying that other creators came through ChalkZone before them and me, but you've never talked about them in detail. Who else had come through the 'Zone?" Rudy asked.

Carlos and Rudy's inquiries began to make King Mumbo Jumbo grow nervous, beginning to detract from the conversation. Recognizing this issue, Barney the Encyclocentipedia broke the silence, hoping to return the conversation back to its original point.

"We mustn't waste our time with such matters. We've got the problem of trying to use the Golden Chalk on our hands. Like you said, we must find a way to use it to defeat the Chalk King." Barney said.

"Hold on a minute. You two are getting pretty nervous right now. Are you trying to hide something from us?" Carol asked.

"Hide something? Why in the 'Zone would we be trying to hide something?"

"Oh, gee, well, I don't know, maybe it's because you just panicked and tried to change the subject when we brought up other creators? What are you hiding?"

Realizing that they could not keep their secrets from the humans, King Mumbo Jumbo and Barney gave looks to each other, seeking permission or encouragement in the other. While neither were ready nor willing to speak of the past creators in ChalkZone, they knew that they could not hide the truth any longer.

"As we have said, you were not the first humans to step foot in ChalkZone. Just as there has been the magic chalk, there have been many others who have found it and made their way into ChalkZone. Some of these creators have been great assets to the 'Zone, bringing many new imaginative and wonderful creations to this world. As brilliant as these young minds were, they all knew that they could never stay in ChalkZone. While they might have spent much of their childhoods in ChalkZone, they have all, at one point or another, put up their chalk and returned back to the real world to live their adult lives focused on responsibility and family." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"All, save, for one. Biclops?" Barney asked.

Following their request, Biclops pulled the hair on his head, showing in his eye the aforementioned Creator. Biclops' eye showed the image of a young boy, no older than 7 years old. The humans, listening carefully to the story that the two Zoners were telling, leaned in to see the story of this child as it unfolded in the eye of Biclops.

"Christopher Wolfe. When he first arrived in ChalkZone, he was young, only 6 or 7, but he was extremely talented. During his life, he managed to create many different landmarks in ChalkZone, like Mount Runnynose and the Candycane Forest. He spent much of his time in ChalkZone, but for reasons we did not know at the time." Barney said.

"Our knowledge of it came slowly. First, Christopher seemed to be somewhat detracted from the rest of us, as if he desired to be alone in his own creations. This was simple enough, and we respected his decision. Later on, however, we began to find numerous bruises and marks on his body, ones that came from physical altercations. It was then when he revealed to us that this was done by his own parents. He had been entering ChalkZone in order to escape his own life. As time grew on, his sessions within ChalkZone grew longer and longer, and, eventually, he stopped going back to the real world altogether. He came to stay and vowed never to return to the real world." King Mumbo Jumbo.

The moving picture of Christopher progressed to his older years, appearing about 14 or 15. Where the eyes of the younger Christopher appeared to be more bright and innocent, the eyes of his older self no longer had that particular shine, signifying more changes internally than externally.

"While the idea of a creator living in ChalkZone permanently was certainly alien to us, we understood that his choice was made from necessity. The boy needed a family to care for him, so we tried to be that family. It may have not been the best idea, it was all we could think of. And, for the first few years, it seemed easy enough. Like you, he sought to use his talent to help others in ChalkZone, and did so very well. However, as he began to grow older, he began to undergo his changes towards adulthood. This resulted in many... disturbing events... that we were not prepared for." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"First, he had desired more adventure, craving more daring and dangerous escapades to feed his drive for excitement. In ChalkZone, there is never anything short of exciting, so this came somewhat easy. Next, however, he began to crave friendship. While we certainly tried out best to offer ours, it seems that our friendship was not wanted nor welcome. He began using his talent to create others like himself, almost human. He began to fall further into his own world, but we tried to give him the space he wanted. Then, came... his desire for a woman. This is when he began to change for the worst." Barney said.

"Being a human, he had a desire to be with a woman, to have her as his partner. While the idea was taboo to say in the least, we decided to try to help him meet other Zoners. This... did not go well. It mainly ended in frustration and resentment. Then, he began drawing his own women, turning his desire for one partner into a desire for many. Each time he had tried to... Well, with sexuality the way that it is, the... fluids... had erased his creations, leaving him even more empty within. Things began to grow out of control."

"He had began hording the chalk for himself, attempting to create a world of his own and forsake us. He demanded that we treated him as a god, calling for worship and devotion to him. Whenever one would speak up or dissent, he would fight back against us. Eventually, it was decreed that he would have to be drawn away. We had done our best to take the chalk from him, take away his power, and leave us be. The victory was bittersweet."

Biclops' eye changed to show Christopher drawing a swarm of Balloonemia Bats, unleashing the swarm of viscous flying devils upon the population of ChalkZone, as well as many Zoners falling victim to their bites and ballooning up to subsequently and violently explode.

"He unleashed untold swarms of dangerous creatures into ChalkZone, leaving us defenseless to help ourselves against the attack of the creatures. The worst were the Balloonemia Bats, which I believe you remember well enough. There was no knowledge of the cure back then, and the populus of ChalkZone suffered for it. I pleaded him to leave, but at a price. He drew a flute capable of calming the bats, but I was forced to take them into my temple where they would not harm anyone else. The rest, you know from there. Where Christopher was once seen as a Great Creator such as yourself, he became known as a bringer of death and destruction." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

After hearing the parable of the creator turned evil from his attempts to control ChalkZone, the humans took a moment to reflect on the tale, needing their time to fully digest the story. Rudy, the one who had been the one responsible for saving ChalkZone from the Balloonemia Bats before and countless other disasters that the boy named Chistopher was responsible for, took this story the hardest.

"All this happened, and you never told us? Why?" Rudy asked.

"As you remember, Rudy Tabootie, both King Mumbo Jumbo and were absent for some time. They were not here to tell the tale until now." Biclops said.

"Then why didn't you? Something like this, you should've told me."

"When you first came to ChalkZone, we had feared that the tragic events that the boy had put us through once would happen all over again with you. With this, I decided to take control of the situation, and I guarded the Chalk Mine to prevent you from obtaining that power. When you drew me with a new eye, something done out of the goodness of your heart, I knew then that I could trust you. This is why I allowed you access to the Chalk Mine, but I never dared told you the tale out of fear that the same would become of you. Besides, at the time, I merely knew it only as legend. It was not until the threat of the Chalk King that I was told of this tale that I knew it was true."

"Wait, what does the Chalk King have to do with Christopher Wolfe? Is he somehow working with the Chalk King?"

"We believe so. For years, the Chalk King has been obtaining water from the real world, using it in his conquest over ChalkZone to erase those who did not fit his vision for the 'Zone. As you know, we Zoners cannot use the chalk, but a human can. It is more than possible that the Chalk King has used Christopher in order to reach the real world for his needs."

Learning of the new threat that he was to face with Christopher Wolfe, Rudy took this news with great care, preparing himself for the task at hand.

"Then that just gives me one more person to fight to save ChalkZone. So, what do we do now to stop him?" Rudy asked.

"This, Rudy Tabootie, may prove to be a challenging question. Without any way to efficiently use the Golden Chalk, it could take weeks to learn how to use it." King Mumbo Jumbo.

"Weeks that we do not have. With each passing minute, the Chalk King grows one step closer with his war, leaving many Zoners in danger." Barney said.

"Which is all the reason why we should take care to use the Golden Chalk efficiently. If misused, it could do more damage than good, or, even worse, fall into the hands of the Chalk King, which would seal our fate."

"If we don't even try to use it, we may not even be around long enough to know, old friend. What are we to do, then?"

"I'll use the Golden Chalk, alone." Rudy said.

Hearing Rudy's suggestion, the group all found themselves taken aback by the suggestion. With Rudy only being selfish for the majority of his return, hearing him make such a selfless act instead put the others at concern, particularly that of the humans and especially Penelope.

"What about your speech of fighting together, Rudy Tabootie?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

"If it means that you all stay safe, then I'll have to break my promise. If I don't make it, at least you can still fight on your own, and maybe I could've at least done some damage or used up the chalk before they could use it." Rudy said.

"Rudy! What are you saying?! Don't you realize what you're suggesting?" Penelope asked.

"That I could be getting myself killed? No, I'm fully aware of that, Penny. But if I don't try something, lots of Zoners could get erased. I can't let that happen, we've come way too far and fought too hard to lose this fight."

"And I've come way to far and fought to hard to lose you, Rudy. I won't let you just die like this."

"If all goes right, I won't have to. Even so, I want you to stay here and be safe. There's nowhere safer in ChalkZone than Barney's Impenetrable Forest."

Just as Rudy finished his sentence, a strange rumbling noise began to move through the room. In a room placed several feet underground a tree in a forest full of indestructible trees, this was a very large concern to the group, immediately detracting their attention away from the conversation and onto the strange noise. Feeling the trembling shake through the headquarters of Calcite, the group immediately began to make their way to the top of the trees, investigating the strange niose.

"What on Earth could that be?" Penelope asked.

"Not on Earth, Mommy. In ChalkZone. Different rules." Carlos said.

Heading to the top of the trees, the humans and members of Calcite looked over the edge of the walls of Barney's Impenetrable Forest to see a series of tanks making their way to the edge of the wall, signalling an all-out attack on Calcite by the Chalk King's forces. Even with their numbers as high as they were, the threat of the invading army might have proven to be a minor issue. Residing within a forest made of indestructible trees, even the largest army in ChalkZone could not make it inside.

There was, however, one small factor that changed the equation entirely. Leading the brigade was a real fire truck, with the Skrawl himself riding atop. Not only was this fire truck real, but it was pulling a tanker full of the most dangerous element in the real world that could effect ChalkZone: Water.

With the fire hose attached to the tanker in the Skrawl's hands, the malformed Zoner held up his weapon in pride, displaying it for the onlooking humans and Calcite agents to see. Recognizing the true threat of the tanks, the attitude of Calcite quickly changed, seeing their doom as more imminent than they thought.

"Oh, no." Rudy whispered.

Looking upon the Zoners watching him in fear, Skrawl readied himself to deliver a damning speech to those within, sharing his intention to obtain the Golden Chalk within.

"Greetings, Calcite! It has come to my attention that you have something within that forest of yours that I want: the Golden Chalk! I've been searching for that particular piece of calcium carbonate for a decade and a half now, and I must give you my thanks for finding it, but I now demand that you hand it over!" Skrawl yelled.

Feeling a rage in his heart upon seeing Skrawl again after many long years under his torturous hands, Rudy began to approach the edge of the trees. Acting once again as the protector of ChalkZone, Rudy stood atop the edge of the wall of Barney's Impenetrable Forest, facing the Skrawl once again. Skrawl, having laid eyes on Rudy Tabootie once again for the first time in many years, gave an amused smile towards his enemy, with Rudy returning his smile with a scowl of his own.

"Well, well, well. Rudy Tabootie, at last we stand face-to-face. You may not have noticed, but I've had my eyes on you since you first began your little quest. It really does amaze me; when I first brought you to Castle Chalkenstein, you were half-dead and broken in my arms. Now look at you, back to health and able to draw once again. The Chalk King told me several times that I should have killed you long ago, but I must admit that I find it extremely satisfying to see you once again like this." Skrawl said.

As much as Rudy felt an extreme desire to destroy Skrawl as soon as he laid eyes on him, his trials and experiences reminded him to have a shred of mercy in his heart, and to remember the safety of the others.

"I might not have anything good to say about you, Skrawl, but I can tell you one thing, I remember how you broke my arms and took me down all those years ago, and all that pain and torture you put me through after that; and I'm not about to let that happen again." Rudy said.

"Oh, but of course not, Rudy Tabootie. All that progress you've made over only a few days of reappearing, I wouldn't dream of doing that all over again. After all, all I wanted was fulfill my partnership with the Chalk King, so I may get what he promised me. Speaking of which, would you be so kind as to hand over that Golden Chalk so that I can complete that task?" Skrawl asked.

"Not a chance. I may not have been able to stop you before, but I'm here to stop you now. You're not getting the Golden Chalk."

"Please, be reasonable, Rudy. The Impenetrable Forest may be able to withstand many things in ChalkZone, but nothing in the 'Zone can withstand water, and I've got a full tanker full of water ready to erase every man, woman, child, and whatever else may be within. You might not be affected, but any of your friends within made of chalk certainly would perish. You could take a few of your friends with you back into the real world, live happily there with any of your choosing. Anything to get you out of my way so that I can finally receive my reward. Anyone else left can surrender, and I'll see that the Chalk King gives them a quick erasure."

While the idea of simply running away and saving a select few Zoners to be spared the horrors of the Chalk King, Rudy knew that this option was all to cowardly to accept. As quickly as the idea came to his head, Rudy dismissed just as fast.

Signifying his defiance to Skrawl and the forces of the Chalk King, Rudy held up the Golden Chalk for them all to see, seemingly offering it to the group. The forces of the Chalk King all gazed upon its powerful aura with Skrawl taking in most of the view, seeing his own future in the chalk than the actual power of the chalk itself. While the gesture of Rudy gave a slight startle to the other humans and the leading members of Calcite, Rudy's next sentence quickly changed their tones, as well as those of the Chalk King's forces.

"You want the Golden Chalk? Come and get it." Rudy said.

With his mind still conflicted on his affiliations with the Chalk King, Skrawl wanted only for this fight to be a quick and quiet surrender, not wanting to put more weight on his unbalanced moral compass. Annoyed and disappointed with Rudy's choice, Skrawl gave a frown, knowing what would have to come next.

"So be it." Skrawl said.

Skrawl opened the valve on the fire hose, unleashing a fury of water upon the walls on Barney's Impenetrable Forest. While the indestructible trees were more than enough to ward off any attempt to break through their bark, they were no match against the water, breaking down and erasing a hole through the trees to the other side.

On the opposite side of the wall, Snap, taking on his more militant persona of Cobalt 99, began ordering around numerous Calcite agents, forming a resistance for when the Chalk King and Chalk Troopers broke through to the other side. With many scared Zoners fumbling to even hold their rifles and other weapons in their hands, Cobalt 99 struck out all sense of fear that laid in the hearts of the Calcite agents, readying them for the fight to come.

"We ain't got no time to stand around and lollygag around, we gottaselves a serious threat on our hands! Get in shape and get ya guns ready! C'mon, ya apes, ya wanna live forever?!" Cobalt 99 yelled.

"Uh, yeah, actually I do wanna live forever, that sounds pretty nice." An ape said.

"Well, ya ain't gonna get that way by waitin' to get erased! Now grab ya rifle and get in position, ya dipstick!"

"Where's my position? I don't know where I'm supposed to go." A dipstick said.

"Partner up with a buddy and take a spot where you think the bad guys are gonna come through. Now, move it, ya dope!"

"Dude, like, move where? I'm like, not real good with moving right now... and stuff." A marijuana leaf said.

"Find somewhere that you won't get shot from and try to shoot back, if your muscle control's still in effect. Get goin', you ass!"

"Hey, I'm already in position!" A donkey said.

"Oh, sorry, not you, Eddie."

Atop the trees of Barney's Impenetrable Forest, Rudy removed his jacket, preparing himself for his next move to stop the invasion. The others, not informed of his own plan, began to question his motives for his counterattack.

"Rudy, what are you doing?" Carol asked.

"I've waited years for this opportunity, and now I've got it. While you all get out of here, I'm going to hold them off." Rudy said.

"What?! Rudy, you can't go! What if something-" Penelope began to say.

Before Penelope could let out any more of her concerns, Rudy interrupted her protest with a kiss, savoring the touch of her lips as much as he could, not sure if this would be the last time he would do so or not. To assure her that he would return somehow, Rudy placed his birthday gift bracelet on Penelope's arm.

"I'll be back, I promise." Rudy said.

With Penelope temporarily calmed down, Rudy turned his attention to Carlos, needing a piece of chalk as well as a weapon that he had grown very fond of, needing it back in this current turn of events.

"Carlos, some chalk, please?" Rudy asked.

Handing him a piece of chalk, Rudy grasped the piece firmly in his hand, carefully focused on his weapon of choice: his now-lost axe. Focusing carefully on the weapon that served him well throughout his years of isolation, Rudy sought out to recreate the axe just as he remembered it, focusing on and scrutinizing every as he drew it out, referring to the image in his mind. With the pressure of the invading Skrawl and his Chalk Troopers in his mind, he felt both pressured and driven to complete his task, having little to no time to make his weapon.

By giving a few short strokes of the chalk in the air, the sketch began to change and form into the familiar shape of the axe, forming into the double-bladed heavy weapon that Rudy proudly used in his days of survival. With the axe in his hands once again, Rudy began to take a new approach towards the threat of Skrawl. Instead of using cleverness and creativeness, this time he opted for the simple but effective brutality of a fight, allowing both a way to ward off his attack as well as take the revenge that he still craved deep in his heart.

"Get back inside the base and lock yourself up tight. Arm yourselves with as much chalk as you can. Penny, I love you." Rudy said.

Jumping off the edge of the trees, Rudy rushed straight down towards Skrawl below, readying his axe in hand. Giving a hard landing on top of the fire truck, Rudy took a quick swing towards the firehose, slicing the hose's spout off and causing the water to spray discordantly. With the water no longer in the focus of Skrawl's hands, the hose began to spray down several tanks and Chalk Troopers, significantly reducing the invading army before they could enter the forest.

"Coming at me with an axe rather than the chalk? I don't recall you resorting to violence in instances like this in the old days. Changing things up?" Skrawl asked.

"Saving ChalkZone might be high on my priority list, but this is personal for me just as it is for others. Besides, these aren't the old days anymore. I've picked up a few tricks while I was surviving on my own, no thanks to you." Rudy said.

Accepting Rudy's challenge for a one-on-one fight, Skrawl pulled out a large spear, giving it a twirl in the air.

"Well, then, why don't you show me what you've picked up during all that alone time of yours?" Skrawl asked.

Giving a physical answer to Skrawl's challenge, Rudy rushed towards Skrawl with his axe in hand, preparing to deliver one mighty swing towards his archenemy. Making good on his own challenge, Skrawl held his spear in the air, deflecting his blow with a simple parry. Pulling his spear back, Skrawl caught the underside of the axe's blade, pulling Rudy alone with it. With Rudy brought a step closer within his reach, Skrawl landed a kick to Rudy's chest, knocking him on his back.

Taking his chalk in his right hand with his axe in his left, Rudy began sketching another tool to aid him in his fight. As Skrawl began to approach with a downward attack from his spear, Rudy drew a shield, deflecting the spear from piercing his chest. Rising up from the ground again, Rudy pushed Skrawl back towards the other end of the tanker. Skrawl, holding his spear against the shield, tried his best to prevent being pushed back in the fight, but Rudy's years of experience adding to his physical strength proved to make him more than a physical match for him.

Continuing to push his enemy back, Rudy drove Skrawl to the edge of the tanker, aiming to push him off and finish the fight. Realizing that Skrawl could not beat Rudy in purely physical terms, he instead tried more cunning ways to find favoritism in the fight. Positioning his spear and balancing his body just right, Skrawl flipped over Rudy's head, landing behind him with a slight second of reaction time. While Skrawl was nearly able to land a strike in his opponent, Rudy still possessed enough speed to deflect his attack. Knocking his spear to the ground, causing it to pierce another hole in the water tanker, Rudy sliced Skrawl's spear in half, leaving his large two-handed weapon broken into two one-handed weapons.

Following his attack with another swing of his axe, Rudy aimed his next strike straight for Skrawl himself. Using his unexpected change in weaponry to his advantage, Skrawl parried the axe with his two small sticks, planning his next choice of move more carefully. Realizing that he could not stop Rudy while he wielded the chalk, Skrawl tried for a way to get it out of his hands. Taking the bladed end of his broken spear, Skrawl made a quick slice to Rudy's left forearm, causing him to loosen his grip and drop the shield.

Back to only one weapon once again, Rudy used his axe towards Skrawl once again, making several violent swings towards his once-captor and torturer. As he managed to drive Skrawl back long enough for room to draw a new shield or new sort of weapon, Rudy took his chalk in his bare hand and began to sketch the first tool that came to his mind. Having his enemy right where he wanted him, Skrawl threw the non-bladed end of his broken spear towards Rudy's drawing hand, knocking the chalk out of his hand and taking his means of producing more weapons. While the attack left Rudy without any chalk, it certainly did not make him any less capable in the fight. Growing tired of having to prolong the battle any longer, Rudy began to reason with Skrawl instead.

"Give it up, Skrawl. You can take away my chalk, but I'm still beating you." Rudy said.

"I beg to differ. We haven't gotten anywhere in this particular fight, but the theater of war opposite to you has made its way through in the time you've spent on me." Skrawl said.

"Enough of your taunts, Skrawl! Give this up! You don't have your water anymore. Your invasion is over."

"Don't be so sure. Ever since I beat you, I've found that it pays to have planned my moves 2 steps ahead."

"Then how are you going to get in the forest? You might have erased some of the trees, but you haven't broken through yet."

"Well, when planning this raid with the Chalk King, he happened to share with me a parable from Asian history. Ever heard of the fall of Ba Sing Se?"

Before Rudy could realize what Skrawl was talking about, a massive drill began to make its way to the partially-erased portion of the wall, piloted by Crainiacs 1 through 5. Making their way to the wall, the large, highly-technological drill began piercing its way into the bark of the trees. While the trees are often known to be indestructible, their limits have never been tested against being partially erased and drilled into by a device designed by the (sort of) smartest Zoners.

"Press that button!" Crainiac 3 said.

"No, press that button!" Crainiac 4 said.

"No, no, no, you're doing it all wrong, you press that button!" Crainiac 2 said.

"I designed this thing, I know what I'm doing!" Crainiac 5 said.

"You idiots didn't do anything! I built this whole thing myself!" Crainiac 1 said.

"Crainiacs 1 through 5?" Rudy asked.

"Yes. While they were a bit of a hassle to organize, I quickly found that they were smart enough to come up with a metal alloy strong enough to pierce through the trees, made a nice backup plan. Now what are you going to do to stop me, Rudy Tabootie?" Skrawl asked.

Realizing that he had forgotten about the wall of Barney's Impenetrable Forest, Rudy turned to see the Crainiacs' drill had began to break through the seemingly indestructible trees, making their entry into the forest imminent. But, while the invasion was not yet over, he would not allow it to succeed.

Unfortunately, just as Rudy prepared to valiantly continue his fight with Skrawl, his archnemesis had laid a swiping kick to his legs, sending him falling to rough metal hood of the tanker. Before Rudy could get back up to fight once more, Skrawl jumped on top of him, placing the remaining pole of his spear around his neck, forcing him to witness the invasion as it continued.

"That's right. I gave you an opportunity to cooperate, but you refused. Now, you get to watch what happens next, Rudy Tabootie." Skrawl said.

[Soundtrack Cue: Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles (Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death Version)]

On the other side of the trees, Cobalt 99 and the members of Calcite anxiously awaited the arrival of the enemy, the tension in the battleground-to-be growing higher and higher with each passing second. With many Zoners with their fingers (or other appendages) tight against the triggers of their rifles, all knew that a fight would break out soon, but none knew at what second it would break out. Many of these Zoners had believed themselves to be safe in Barney's Impenetrable Forest, seeking out the forest as a means of asylum against the war, but were now forced to face the war as it was brought to their very doorstep.

"Easy, now, boys, we can do this. Just keep your rifles steady." Cobalt 99 said.

Seeing the tip of the drill begin to pierce through the trees, the defending Zoners knew that the fight was now inevitable, and that the sanctum that Barney's Impenetrable Forest once was now no longer held that status. As the invading forces of the Chalk King penetrated their way through the protective wall of the indestructible trees, the purity of the forest once had from being untouched by outside forces of ChalkZone was gone, and the innocence of the Zoners within was robbed by the coming fight.

Finally, the wall had been broken down to nothing, leaving a wide, gaping hole for the forces of the Chalk King to invade. The Chalk Troopers, led by the nameless sergeant that had led them into so many of their battles of conquest and destruction, let their leader take the front line, wielding one rifle in each of his hands. With a cigar hanging from his lip and a hardened metal helmet hanging over his eyes, the unnamed sergeant gave the order his troops to attack, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through his body.

"Alright, ladies, we've made it to the party, who's gonna take the dance floor?!" The sergeant shouted.

Leading his Chalk Troopers into Barney's Impenetrable Forest, the unnamed sergeant and his army began opening fire upon the defending Zoners, giving an offical start to their invasion. The defending Zoners, only a bunch of misfits without experience in firefights such as this one, all held down the triggers to their rifles, spraying all manners of projectiles towards the enemy in hopes that they would end their attackers before their attackers ended them.

While many losses began to stand on the invading side, the defenders began to suffer their own losses quite quickly. As the sergeant led his trooper further, many more Zoners began to fall before their attack. A pack of cigarettes was the first to go, followed by a refrigerator magnet, then a plastic cup, a stack of business cards afterwards, and blob of jelly subsequently, just to name some of the losses.

Snap, still in his more violent persona of Cobalt 99, was not ready to fall as the others were, nor would he let their deaths be in vain. Continuing his work with his rifle, Cobalt 99 shot down Chalk Trooper after Chalk Trooper, single-handedly leading the resisting fight against the invasion. Remembering the dreaded day in which he had betrayed his creator and best friend, Cobalt 99 refused to allow the Chalk King any more gain in his conquest of genocide, continuing to fight back against the Chalk Troopers.

When his rifle ran out of ammunition, Cobalt 99 pulled out 2 pistols, taking one in each hand against the Chalk Troopers. With his resistance force dwindled down to nil, the blue soldier found himself forced to fall back to the internal headquarters of Calcite. Moving from cover to cover and taking as many Zoners as he could back with him, Cobalt 99 stopped at nothing to minimize losses on his end and maximize losses to the enemy.

"Fall back, fall back!" Cobalt 99 yelled.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Within the underground base of Calcite, the carnage and war continued to unfold on the surface, leaving the 3 remaining humans, Carol, Carlos, and Penelope, all to sit in terror as they contemplate when the war will come for them next. Without Rudy to protect them, and his attempts to hold off the invasion seemingly for nothing, the group knew that the Chalk Troopers would eventually reach the base, all in search for the Golden Chalk. King Mumbo Jumbo, Barney the Encyclocentipedia, and Biclops, the leading heads of Calcite, stayed close to the humans, trying to provide as much shelter as they could to their refugees.

"You need not worry yourselves, children. I have acted as protector of the Chalk Mine for years before its destruction, and I will not allow you to be harmed." Biclops said.

"I don't even get what they're all fighting about! If Zoners can't use the chalk, why do they even want the Golden Chalk? They can't use it." Carol said.

"Said they have a helper, Christopher Wolfe." Carlos said.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry, Carlos, I don't really focus on a lot of things when we're under attack by evil chalk drawings! There has to be something we can do against them! Maybe if we show them how crazy it makes people, they won't want it."

While Carol was left anxious over the war still being fought over her head, and Penelope only concerned over the safety of her children, Carlos began to contemplate another idea. Where Rudy had left to fight the invading Chalk Troopers, being the one most suited to fight, Carlos knew that he could fight just as well with his own artistic skills. Feeling angered and hopeless by being held back from helping, Carlos could no longer stomach his self-perceived cowardice, needing to act in some way.

Remembering that the Golden Chalk was what the invaders had wanted, Carlos began to contemplate an idea. Carol's suggestion may not have been a good idea, but it inspired him to think of another one. Knowing that the Golden Chalk focused on the inner thoughts of its user and amplified them, as well as he had encountered the ability to change chalk into whatever object he wanted without having to draw it, Carlos formed his plan to stop the invasion.

Leaving the arms of his mother and heading back to the table where the Golden Chalk laid, Carlos rushed straight towards the mystical chalk, ready to take on its powers and fight back against the invaders. While Carol was obviously not in approval of Carlos' idea, Penelope was in even less disagreement, beginning to panic at the very implication Carlos' actions.

"Carlos! What do you think you're doing?! You get away from that and get back here this instant!" Penelope said.

"No. I can save them, and I will. Can't stand by here." Carlos said.

"You can't use that, Carlos, you've seen what it does to a human being, what makes you think you'll do better?!" Carol asked.

"Simple. I'm not just human. I'm Autistic."

Wrapping his fingers around the magical piece of chalk, the influence of the Golden Chalk began to make its way to Carlos, beginning to amplify the primary focus in his head.

As the battle unfolded within Barney's Impenetrable Forest, the firefight between the invading and defending forces quickly turned into a slaughtering of the occupants, the defense being dwindled to nothing and the invaders now having the overwhelming control over the fight. Still laying underneath the hold of Skrawl, Rudy Tabootie could do nothing but watch as the last hope for ChalkZone was destroyed by the force that sought to destroy it, with their acquisition of the Golden Chalk inevitable and the conquest of the Chalk King a sure victory in his favor.

"Do you see that, Rudy Tabootie? Do you feel that? The bodies, the destruction, the spoils of war? That is the sight of my victory, and that is the feeling of your defeat." Skrawl said.

"No... No..." Rudy said.

"No use in denying it now, Rudy. After so, so many years, I've finally gotten that Golden Chalk in my hands. Now, once I bring it to the Chalk King, I shall finally receive what I have always wanted, and I will have finally removed you from my life. Savor this moment, Rudy Tabootie, because this is the last thing you will ever experience."

After the Chalk Troopers had made their way within the base of Calcite, the soldiers of the Chalk King quickly returned out with various prisoners, taking King Mumbo Jumbo, Barney the Encyclocentipedia, Biclops, Snap, Penelope, and Carol out from the base, among numerous other prisoners. With the sight of his friends and allies under the hand of the forces of the Chalk King, all hope in Rudy's heart seemed to be gone forever, with the last hopes of resistance taken prisoner.

"Excellent work, boys. I don't care how stupid you all are, you do come in handy when it counts." Skrawl said.

"You may take us prisoner, Skrawl, but you cannot truly believe that the Chalk King will give you that which you seek." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"Don't feed me that mumbo jumbo, no pun intended. I'm going to get exactly what I want, because I've already finally obtained that which I've sought out for years."

"Then, tell me, Skrawl, why haven't you brought your Beanie Boys to help you in this victory? Did you not need all the help you could get?"

Remembering the experience that had occurred to him with Queenie Beanie, mother and queen of all Beanie Boys, Skrawl tried his best to hide this from the others.

"I've rid myself of those nincompoops and I've been all the better for it, but thanks for asking." Skrawl said.

"I remember the first time I laid eyes on Queenie Beanie. Tell me, does she still have that honey-like shine in her eyes?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Realizing that King Mumbo Jumbo somehow knew of his experiences with Queenie Beanie and the society of Beanie Boys, Skrawl made no more attempts to hide this fact, only to pry into what the king knew.

"Alright, 'King' Mumbo Jumbo, how do you know about that?" Skrawl asked.

"There's a lot of things you know when you've been king as long as I have, Skrawl." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"Yes, I bet you do. Tell me, though, are you at all familiar with the process of being erased? Because I've got an entire tank full of water capable of erasing you and this entire pathetic forest once and for all. Chalk Troopers! Move this one and his dear accomplice Barney in front of the truck's valve. Move everyone else right in front so they can watch them die."

The Chalk Troopers began to follow their leader's orders, moving the humans and Zoners to witness the erasure of the two oldest and wisest Zoners in all of ChalkZone, marking an end to the revolution against the Chalk King. As the humans were piled up with one another, however, Skrawl noticed something wrong with the humans. Where their group had included 4 persons, there were now only 3.

"Chalk Troopers! Where's the 4th one?" Skrawl asked.

"Uh... 4th one?" A Chalk Trooper asked.

"Yes, the 4th human. The quiet one, had a collar around its neck?"

"Uh... Nope, didn't see him."

"Really? Hmph. I guess he must have abandoned this lost cause. Smart kid. Well, never mind him, now, where's that Golden Chalk?"

"Uh... The what now?"

"You know, the Golden Chalk? The chalk that's the color of gold?! The one that's bright and shiny?! THE ENTIRE REASON WE CAME ALL THIS WAY?!"

"Uh... Nope, didn't see any Golden Chalk."

"Well, then, where the chalk is it?!"

Just as Skrawl finished the sentence containing his question, a strange rumbling in the ground began to occur, beginning to display the answer to his question. With a loud 'bang' within the sky, the treehouse home of Barney the Encyclopedia split open, with a bright streak of light protruding through it. As soon as the light began to settle down, the group finally began to see what the source of this strange event was.