For starters, this is actually the third idea I have ever came up with for writing this fanfiction series of mine. This idea swarmed my head way back in July 2020, when I was just starting out. I was just about to start it, but other ideas took priority. I kept pushing this story back and back and back even further, because I kept getting ideas for more fiction. I have more stories planned out until May 2022, to be estimated. I might be finished in April of next year, who knows? Also, I've been writing more stories for other characters lately. I mean, writing stories with Marshall as the main character is super easy and fun, but I like challenging myself.
Like some other stories of mine, this little ditty is a flashback to when the pups are the regular ages they are in the show. Enjoy- mitch :)
all sugar'd up
written September 19th to September 27th, 2021
Rocky was very proud of himself, to say the least. At only 6 years of age, he was a tried and true veteran at making old materials and making them new again. The mix had already made several stellar pieces of material, such as a clothing iron, chairs, brooms, clocks and even a functioning washing machine. But Rocky had something new in his horizons: he wanted to make an invention. He had the brains. He had the tools. He had the dedication. The only problem was...well...he didn't know what to make. The recycling pup had a small shed in the front yard of the lookout built for himself to work in, and he looked over possible blueprints for success. Nothing seemed to really stick out in his mind, until one day, something did pop into his head. He saw a few neighborhood kids drinking soda, and this made him think. After a moment, Rocky had a brilliant idea: make a soda that was meant for dogs like himself. He looked over the nutrition labels of several different cans and got to work. Over the next month, he worked on a prototype of his new product. And today, he would reveal his project to all his friends. The pups and Ryder were all in the front yard, as Rocky stood before them.
"Greetings, my fellow canine and human comrades. For just over a month, I have been working on a special project for all of us. It's not finished yet, but it has made enough progress that I can show you what to expect when it's finished. I give you...Rocky's N-rgy Drink! That's energy with the N!" The recycling pup announced, yanking off a blanket off of his invention. A single can laid on top of a table, as all the pups and Ryder gasped while looking on in astonishment.
"Wow, an energy drink! That's pretty cool, dude!" Chase observed.
"How did you make this? I'm very impressed, by the way." Ryder asked.
"It's rather hard to explain. I have studied and compared the leading sodas in the market, and I have came to a conclusion: there are none specifically targeted for dogs like us." Rocky explained.
"Wow, you thought of us when making this? That's so cool. I've always wanted a soda like humans." Marshall remarked.
"Basically, I have taken out some human elements, like carbonation, and made some edits to make it more canine-friendly. This invention is not finished yet, as I don't know what its effects are. It's a prototype." Rocky revealed.
"A prototype? Can I be the first to try it?! I would be honored." Zuma asked Rocky eagerly.
"Zuma, as much as I want you and the rest of us to try this drink, we can't. It's a prototype. It might be a bad idea." Rocky disagreed.
"Aw, come on, man! It's only a prototype! How bad can it get?" Zuma protested.
"Zuma, I'm not taking any chances. You can't have it. The side effects might be dangerous." The mix warned him.
"Come on, bro! I'm your best friend!" The water rescue pup pleaded.
"Well, Rocky's right. You wouldn't want to mess with a prototype of anything. Especially if it can be digested." Ryder spoke up.
"This isn't fair!" The chocolate lab pouted in defeat. He walked away abruptly, leaving everyone else in confusion.
After a few hours, Zuma's desire to try out his best friend's product had not died down. In fact, it had only grown. Zuma called on a few friends he trusted: Marshall, Skye and Rubble, for a meeting under a large tree in the front yard.
"Is this really about the drink, Zuma? If it is, then I'm out." Rubble scoffed in annoyance.
"Yeah, why didn't you ask Chase to be here?" The dalmatian inquired the chocolate lab.
"Because he's Mr. Rules and Regulations around here. Plus I feel like he's gonna tell on us if he hears anything about us trying the soda." Zuma grumbled to his friends.
"You mean we're actually gonna drink it?" All three of his friends gasped.
"Guys, think about it! I mean, it's an energy drink. It might make you extra alert, my dudes." Zuma pointed out.
"That would be sweet, though." Rubble answered.
"And, well, it can make us more energetic! And it could actually taste good. If there's something Rocky knows, it's how to mix several things and make something completely brand new and amazing!" The lab preached.
"I mean, just the thought of what it tastes like...I just can't help but think about it, too." Marshall spoke up.
"Maybe we should try it out...a little sip wouldn't hurt." Skye rationalized.
"Great. I have a plan just for that. I'll wake all of you guys at midnight, when nobody is gonna suspect anything. We'll sneak into Rocky's shed, each have a little sip and go back to bed. Nobody will know." The chocolate lab foretold. The pups all agreed to their plan, thinking that nothing could go wrong, and that Rocky would never suspect anything. Little did they know how messy, dangerous and crazy things were gonna get.
12:00 MIDNIGHT
By now, all the pups and Ryder were nestled into their beds, sleeping the night away. Zuma took to bed extra early tonight for their plan to go without a hitch. As midnight struck, a small clock that the water rescue pup smuggled in starting ringing. Zuma put it in snooze nearly instantly as he woke up, fearing that Chase would hear the sound. After a few moments, nothing was heard outside the pup house. The chocolate lab sighed in relief, as he, one by one, woke up the dalmatian, cockapoo, and bulldog from their respective slumbers. They tip-toed to the shed where their recycling pup friend's work was stored. Zuma opened up the door slowly, and the foursome cringed as a loud, creaking symphony of noise emanated from the door's hinges.
Once inside, they closed the door behind them and turned on the light, and it revealed all of the mix's blueprints, rusted-out materials and occasional photographs of his work. The four were amazed as they looked around the shed.
"Bro, Rocky really knows how to keep this place nice and tidy." Rubble stated.
"Yeah, it's super organized and everything. See, every shelf and drawer has tools laid in place." Skye spoke, overlooking the layout of the shed. Rocky had a knack of being a sort of neat-freak, and organization was key to his daily ritual of tinkering.
"Where is the soda...it's gotta be here somewhere…" Marshall wondered aloud, as the pups continued to examine the shed further.
"Oh my god, I found it! There's a six pack of sodas on the top shelf!" Zuma pointed out, gazing upon a shelf that was only accessible via a ladder. Skye got up onto it and climbed up, throwing down a can to each of her friends.
"Well, my homies...this is Rocky's first invention...a soda drink. Who knew? I'll start us off." Zuma spoke as he took a giant gulp of the soda.
"Dude, I thought it was only gonna be a little sip." Rubble objected.
"Relax, it's all gonna be-WOAH!" Zuma shouted. Thanks to the drink, his eyes exploded with life. The drink sent surges of energy through the chocolate lab's veins, and he was seeing entirely different colors and landscapes through his vision.
"Zuma! You ok, man?!" All three pups exclaimed in shock, as they rushed to the water rescue pup's aid. They held him up as he somewhat regained his focus.
"OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE COOLEST DRINK EVER!" Zuma exploded.
"Huh?!" The bulldog, dalmatian and cockapoo replied in confusion.
"Trust me, IT IS SOO GOOD! I FEEL LIKE I CAN RUN A MILE!" Zuma cried. He felt hyper-energetic in moments, as Rubble took his friend's advice. The bulldog downed the soda can he had and experienced the same reaction.
"OH MY GOD, DUDE! THIS IS SO AMAZING! YOU GUYS SHOULD TRY THIS!" Rubble begged the two pups left in the room. Skye and Marshall gazed at each other and shrugged.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Skye giggled.
"I don't have a clue. Bottoms up!" Marshall declared, as the two clinked their cans and drank up. Within seconds, all four were hyper-energized and more hyper than a child drinking 3 cans of Redbull.
"Hey, guys! Wanna go hang at the playground?!" Marshall blurted out. His three friends cheered, as they rushed out of the shed in a haste. They all jumped into the dally's firetruck, with Marshall revving the vehicle excessively loud while screeching away at nearly 40 miles an hour across the bridge-nearly 20 miles over the speed limit. As they entered town-nobody was in sight, thankfully-Marshall felt like ramping things up.
"Hey, Marshall! I wanna go faster!" Zuma begged him as the four raced through Adventure Bay, with no moon to light up the scenery and the only illumination coming from the street lamps.
"YOU GOT IT, DUDE!" The fire pup cried, as he stepped on the gas even harder. Now, he was going almost 70 miles an hour. In a 25 MPH zone. The dally was driving recklessly, nearly hitting several mailboxes and wreaking havoc before finally making it to the playground: in less than three minutes. Nobody heard anything except the tires screeching on the road, so it was shrugged off by the majority of the townsfolk.
"RACE YOU TO THE SLIDE!" Rubble shouted, as all four made a beeline for the largest slide in the whole park.
"Oh my god, what the heck was that?!" Rocky gasped in shock. As he heard the screeching of tires and several pups whooping and hollering, the mix urgently rushed to open his door, only to find Marshall's truck missing. Why is Marshall's truck gone? And, wait a second? Why's the light in my shed on? Oh no…Rocky gasped as he thought of horrible consequences. The mix sped over to the shed, and opened the door. There, lying on the ground, were 4 pawprints of differing size and 4 empty soda cans. This could only mean one thing.
"Aw, man! You gotta be kidding me! Zuma drank my soda!" Rocky yelled in panic. His soda had been tampered with. Rocky calmed himself down, and sniffed each of the paw-prints. Only one of the pawprints was not seen out of the four he could find: Chase. He sighed in relief, as Rocky turned out the light, and rushed over to Chase's blue police pup house. "CHASE! WAKE UP!" Rocky commanded as the shepherd jolted awake. Less than 15 seconds later, Chase's door was opened, and the police pup was face to face with a very worried Rocky in front of him.
"Rocky, what's wrong?" The german shepherd inquired.
"Chase! Zuma and the other pups drank my soda! And Marshall's truck is gone! I need you to help me catch them before they do something terrible!" Rocky cried.
"Okay, Rocky. I think we should be fine without Ryder on this one...I'll get their signals using the GPS in the truck…" Chase said to himself as the duo rushed into the lookout to change into their gear. Another minute passed, and they were out onto the roads of Adventure Bay, seeking their friends all alone. "So, Rocky...what did you put in your 'soda'? Just curious." Chase shrugged as they drove closer to the park.
"Uhhh...Redbull, coffee, and Monster energy drinks." Rocky admitted, his ears drooping in embarrassment as they jumped out of the police car in the parking lot.
"Dude! Are you serious?! Did you know how much caffeine is in those things?! Who knows what our friends are doing...and...Skye...oh no! Skye's in trouble! WE GOTTA SAVE HER!" The german shepherd panicked. The mix smacked him in the face instantly.
"Chase, focus! We have no moment to lose! Say, why don't you corral Marshall in that net of yours?" Rocky suggested.
"Good idea, Rocky! Now, how do we get his attention?" The police pup wondered aloud. The four other pups were having a wild time at the playground, Zuma sliding down the slide backwards, for example. Skye and Marshall were launching each other with the seesaw and landing awfully on the grass-which was an uncharacteristic trait for the pilot. Rubble was too busy chasing a squirrel to care.
"Hey, Marshall! You see this tennis ball launcher?!" Rocky called out to his spotted friend nearby. His ears perked up and he turned around.
"Tennis ball?! Where?!" Marshall blurted out excitedly.
"Come and get it! Ruff! Tennis ball launcher!" Chase commanded, as the launcher came out of his pup pack and fired the green ball just a few feet away. Marshall saw the ball and sprinted quickly towards it-faster than both Rocky and Chase had ever seen before.
"You got this, right?" Rocky asked his german shepherd comrade.
"If I got the right timing...here goes nothing!" Chase shouted, as he fired his net at his best friend. Marshall was running so fast that he tore through the net like butter and kept speeding by.
"WHAT?!" Both Chase and Rocky cried with worry.
"How is that possible?! That's the strongest net I have!" The police pup complained.
"Now what do we do?!" Rocky panicked.
"Maybe I make them all go after the ball at the same time...aw, I wish Ryder was here…" Chase groaned. The mix began to think hard for a moment. And his big brain found a way to solve the issue.
"Yo, Chase! I got an idea!" Rocky blurted out suddenly. This grabbed Chase's attention, as he listened to his plan. As he finished describing it, the german shepherd beamed.
"Oh my god, Rocky. You're a genius. This is definitely gonna work." Chase whispered happily as the mix smiled with pride.
After lots of painful effort, at 1 in the morning, Chase and Rocky convinced the other four pups to go to the running track in the park. It was a long track, 800 meters long in an oval shape. Marshall, Rubble, Skye and Zuma were standing behind a white line, still in a crazed, hyper-energetic state.
"Ok, guys. I have an idea…" Rocky began as he walked past his teammates. "I want you guys to run on this track for as long as you can! Don't stop 'till you drop! Whoever stays up the longest will get a prize...a super rare Apollo comic book!" The mix announced as he presented them with the item. The pups gasped.
"THAT COMIC BOOK IS MINE!" Rubble decreed.
"No, IT'S MINE!" Zuma loudly protested.
"You guys are SO SLOW compared to me. That book is mine." Marshall sneered.
"You boys are way too caught up in your games...that comic book is mine." Skye mumbled.
"Ready, set, GO!" Chase yelled, as the quartet started to speed around the track. Rocky and the german shepherd stood by and watched the dogs run at blindingly fast speeds-even Rubble, the big guy, was hauling a lot of force.
"I have never seen this in my life...even Rubble is going so fast...I wonder when they're gonna drop." Chase whispered.
"I'll give them thirty minutes. That should do." Rocky guessed. The mix was right-it took less than 30 minutes for all their hyperactive pup friends to hit a major sugar crash and fall asleep-wih Rubble surprisingly hitting his crash last.
"Hey, everyone got the sugar crash. Soooo, what do we do now?" The police pup asked his right-paw-pup.
"Uhhhh, thanks for asking, Chase. I never actually thought I would make it this far. You got any medical experience?" Rocky admitted quietly.
"No. None at all. Maybe Everest does. I just don't wanna wake Ryder up, that's the thing." The police pup explained.
"Why would you trust Everest? I mean, I haven't seen her do anything doctor-wise. And she lives in the mountains, for crying out loud!" The mix protested.
"Yeah, you're right...Marshall told me that he just started training her a few days ago. She actually told him that she wanted to be a backup medic...just in case Marshall isn't available for some reason." The german shepherd mentioned.
"Maybe Everest just likes Marshall. A lot. But what do I know?! We're like, seven. Maybe I'm just being crazy. We should get our friends back into your truck and just call Ryder when we get back home." Rocky figured.
"Alright then. She would have been pretty pissed at me anyways." Chase sighed as they started loading their stupor-laced pals, one by one, into the blue police cruiser. After five minutes of manual labor, the job was done. As the time ticked past 2 AM, Rocky and Chase finally arrived back home, with their still-sleeping friends not making a move.
9 AM
"Oh my god, what happened…" Skye groaned.
"My head hurtssss…" Marshall whined.
"Dudeee...I feel so weakkkk…" Rubble sighed.
"What is going onnnnn…" Zuma moaned in agony. The four pups just finally woke up from their sugar episode, and Ryder, Chase, and Rocky were standing beside them.
"Soooo, let me get this straight. You four snuck into Rocky's shed in the middle of the night and drank Rocky's soda without permission, causing you guys to have an insane sugar rush. Marshall, you apparently drove 70 miles an hour in a 25 mph area. You're extremely lucky you didn't hurt someone. And you guys were acting completely ballistic and crazy-according to Rocky and Chase next to me. So...who started this whole mess?" Ryder asked sternly.
"It was me...I wanted all of us to drink it...we all were gonna have a sip of the soda, all of us. We were gonna go back to bed afterwards, with none of you ever knowing. I mean, I don't remember ANYTHING after drinking it. It was like we were in another planet or something. We're sorry, Ryder." Zuma admitted sadly.
"Yeah, we're sorry Ryder." Rubble, Skye and Marshall apologized.
"We never thought that we would cause this much chaos. Then again, it was a soda. Of course there was gonna be a lot of sugar. And we don't remember anything else." Zuma continued.
"What did you put in there, anyway?" Marshall inquired.
"Redbull and coffee...I might have put way much more than I should have…" Rocky sighed. "I guess it was partially my fault, too, for making such a thing. I guess I'll just not work on it anymore."
"Rocky, you don't have to quit making an invention just because we made a mistake by drinking it." Skye told the mix in a sincere manner.
"I just...don't wanna do that anymore. I don't wanna hurt someone. That's the last thing I wanna do with my inventions. My goal is to help people and canines, not hurt them." The recycling pup stated in a solemn expression.
"Rocky, I know that someday...you're gonna have the best invention that has ever been invented...sorry, I don't really do well when it comes to speeches." Chase spoke.
"Thanks, dude." Rocky smiled.
"Oh, yeah, we're sorry for drinking your soda without your permission, dude." Zuma apologized.
"It's ok, guys. You meant no harm. I forgive you guys." Rocky replied. The six friends group-hugged each other in solidarity, all smiles between them. Ryder grinned to himself.
They're such wonderful pups, man. I hope they can be this young forever… The boy thought as he snapped a photo of his beloved team. This one's getting framed...
Sooo, yeah! That's my third idea I ever had. It was a long story in the making. Anyways, I'm feeling VERY good right now. The Brewers just won the NL Central yesterday, and the Packers had an incredible finish last night against San Francisco last night. Aaron Rodgers is a baaaaad man. The 49ers left too much time on the clock, and my man Mason Crosby drills a kick 51 yards away for the win. Just incredible. Oh, and I'm getting my drivers test in a few hours. I'm very confident I'm gonna pass. Be the light, everyone. Take care -mitch :)