After freeing the mayor, Sportacus and Stephanie helped him through the dark building to the exit. Sportacus had just finished explaining how he had returned.
"I see." said the Mayor. "That explains why you don't look any older."
Stephanie was so happy, she couldn't stop from smiling.
"Now that Sportacus is back, I think we should go over there and stop Robbie right now." she proclaimed, full of determination as they left the prison.
"Not so fast Pinky!" shouted a voice behind them.
Stephanie turned around quickly to see who it was. There stood Trixie, on town wall, with the Robbie Robot that had ran away earlier. It was pointing an accusing finger at Sportacus.
"Trixie?" Stephanie exclaimed. "It's great to see you!"
"I wish I could say the same-.." said Trixie with a unsettling smile. "..but I've got to stop you guys from going any further."
"Why?" Stephanie asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Come with us, and help us stop Robbie."
"Stop Robbie? You have to be kidding!" Trixie laughed. "I've worked hard to earn my ranking around here. I hate taking orders from anybody, and he may be a slime-ball, but he's the King of the town."
"But look at what he's done to Lazytown, Trixie." countered Stephanie, motioning around town with her hands. "It's a mess."
"I don't care. Stingy and I chose the right side, why don't you?" snapped Trixie. "Oh that's right, you could never betray your precious Sportacus."
Stephanie looked over at Sportacus, and smiled.
"You've been head over heels for him since the first day he showed up. When are you going to get over that stupid crush?" asked Trixie angrily.
"Trixie stop." Sportacus demanded. "You and Stephanie are friends. There's no need for this."
"I wasn't talking to you, Sportacus. I'll deal with you in a minute, when I'm through with your lover-girl here." snapped Trixie, pointing at Stephanie.
"Trixie, you're being horrible!" cried Stephanie.
"Thanks!" she laughed, leaping down from the stone wall she was on. "So who am I going to strike out first?" Trixie asked as she pulled out a baseball bat from the back of her shirt.
"Oh dear, we don't have enough players for a baseball game." the Mayor said, disappointedly.
"I don't think she's planning on playing any games, Mayor." Sportacus told him, as Trixie started swinging the bat threateningly at her side.
"I think I'll start with... her." Trixie decided, pointing at Stephanie.
"No Trixie, leave her alone!" demanded Sportacus.
"It's me you want!"
"Don't worry Sportacus, I can handle this." Stephanie assured him.
"Oh Stephanie, be careful." pleaded the Mayor.
Suddenly, the Robbie Robot rolled over to beside the Mayor, and pointed it's laser finger right at him.
"If you try to interfere Sportacus, the Mayor won't be around for the next election, I can tell you that much." Trixie taunted.
Sportacus sighed and shook his head. He couldn't believe that Trixie was acting so awful, and was pretty sure Robbie Rotten was to blame for it.
- - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, back at Robbie's tower, Robbie had just called for Stingy, who was making his way up the massive staircase for the third time today, and was about ready to collapse when he reached Robbie's room.
"Ah there you are." said Robbie, crossing his arms. "It's about time."
"What did you want Robbie?" asked Stingy in a slightly aggravated tone.
"Your ex-girlfriend is dealing with the Sporta-crew as we speak. However, there's a chance she'll mess it up. She's a good kid, but not too bright, y'know what I'm saying?" Robbie snickered.
Stingy clenched his fist.
"So if she fails-.." Robbie continued. "..I'm going to need you to take a team of my best Robbie Robots and guard the tower, got it Sticky?"
Stingy was at the end of his rope with Robbie, and couldn't hold it in any longer.
"IT'S STINGY! MY NAME IS STINGY!" he exploded. "AFTER TEN YEARS, YOU THINK YOU'D KNOW WHAT MY NAME IS!"
Robbie looked unimpressed.
"YOU TOLD ME I COULD OWN THE TOWN, BUT I DON'T! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, I'M JUST YOUR STOOGE!" Stingy screamed.
"Are you finished?" Robbie asked impatiently.
Stingy nodded, out of breath.
"Good, now get going. Take the elevator this time, it's a lot quicker." Robbie told him.
- - - - - - - - -
Back outside of the prison, Trixie was swinging away at Stephanie, but wasn't having much luck. Stephanie was too agile, and had avoided every swipe with the bat.
"Stay still will ya?" Trixie growled, frustrated beyond belief.
Sportacus laughed, aggravating Trixie even more.
"Robot, shoot the Mayor!" she ordered. "I've had enough of this!"
Before it could even respond, Sportacus thrust an arm out, knocking the Robot's finger away with his tennis racket.
Seeing this, Trixie dove at Sportacus, with the bat raised above her head.
"Sportacus, look out" Stephanie yelled, but he had already noticed, and pulled out his other racket.
Trixie swung the bat down at him, colliding with his racket. He brought the other one around and used it to twist the bat from her hands.
"Darn it." she whined, as she fell backwards to the ground.
"Have you had enough Trixie?" Sportacus asked, holding his hand out to her.
She ignored him.
"Just forget her Sportacus." suggested Stephanie with a frown. "She's rotten to the core."
Sportacus was about to respond, but noticed something heading towards them.
"What the-..?" he wondered aloud.
Stephanie walked over, and held onto him.
"What is it?" she asked, squinting to see.
Suddenly Sportacus seemed to realize what it was. "We've got to get out of here now!" he exclaimed, grabbing Stephanie's hand.
He lead her and the Mayor behind the prison where they were hidden from view.
"What is going on Sportacus?" the Mayor nervously asked him.
Sportacus only replied by handing his telescope to the Mayor, who immediately looked through it.
"Hmm let's see here-.. it looks like Ziggy running, very fast-.." the Mayor observed.
"Good for him, it's been awhile since I've seen any activity in Lazytown."
"Mayor, look behind him!" Sportacus told him.
"Oh dear-.." was all the Mayor could say upon seeing the army of Robbie Robots that were chasing Ziggy.
"Where's Trixie?" Stephanie suddenly wondered, after seeing the oncoming danger in the telescope.
She looked around and noticed she was still back where they had all been standing, sulking on the ground.
Before Sportacus could stop her, she ran over to Trixie.
"Stephanie, come back!" the Mayor yelled to her.
"I have to help her." Stephanie grunted, trying to pull an unwilling Trixie.
"Leave me alone." Trixie demanded.
"Oh Sportacus, do something!" the Mayor pleaded.
"Okay, stay here Mayor." he ordered, as he hurriedly flipped over to Stephanie and Trixie. Ziggy and the robots were coming up fast.
"Sportacus, we have to move her, or she'll be run over." Stephanie desperately told him.
Sportacus nodded, and held out his hand.
"Trixie, take my hand, you've got to move." he ordered.
"Go away." she said, sulking.
Sportacus knew he couldn't talk her into coming, so he had to do something.
"Stephanie, get on my back, Trixie, you'd better hang on." he shouted.
"What are you..?" she started to ask, but Sportacus cut her off as he picked her up and held her under his left arm.
"Put me down!" Trixie demanded.
"Sportacus, help!" shouted Ziggy in desperation as he and the hundreds of robots approached uncomfortably close to him.
It seemed his request was almost immediately answered, when the Robbie Robots noticed Sportacus, and set their sights on him.
Ziggy dove behind the prison with the Mayor, while Sportacus took off running as fast as he could. He was carrying Stephanie and Trixie, and had about a hundred robots hot on his tail.
"What do I do now?" he asked himself.
- - - - - - - - -
"HAHA" shouted a delighted Robbie, stepping away from his periscope. "Trixie failed, but my loyal Robbie Robots prevailed!"
"Did you hear that?" he asked a nearby robot. "I'm a poet! I have so many talents, I don't even know about them all." he said, looking proud.
The robot looked unimpressed. Robbie frowned, and then stood up.
"Sporta-snail won't be able to run forever, and when he stops, it's goodbye and good riddance." Robbie snarled and slammed a fist on the table.
"Owww!" he moaned, holding his hand in pain.
- - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, Sportacus and his passengers were just barely staying ahead of the robot army chasing after them.
"Faster Sportacus!" Stephanie urged.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Sportacus responded, running the fastest he had ever gone.
"Why did you even bother to help me?" Trixie asked Stephanie.
"You used to be my friend once Trixie.. I couldn't just leave you, no matter how mean you were being."
"Well don't expect a thank you." Trixie scoffed.
"Oh of course not, I wouldn't dream of it." said Stephanie sarcastically.
"Ziggy must have been really active to get this many Robbie Robots after him!" Sportacus thought aloud, as he zipped past the old city hall.
"Sportacus, they're gaining on us!" Stephanie informed him.
Sportacus took a quick look behind him and saw that the robots were only a few meters away. When he turned his head forward again, there were even more Robbie Robots standing ahead of him, blocking the town exit.
"Ahhh!" Stephanie screamed. "Sportacus, stop! We're going to crash!"
"Can't stop now!" Sportacus told her. "There's only one thing to do!"
"What are you doing!" Trixie asked in alarm, as Sportacus ran full force towards them.
Stephanie couldn't watch.
Suddenly, when they were much too close for comfort, Sportacus leapt into the air. He landed on a Robbie Robot, and proceeded to hop across their heads until he reached the end of them. He then jumped to the ground, and continued running.
"You're crazy!" Trixie shouted, her heart pounding like a drum.
Stephanie opened her eyes, and saw that they had made it.
"You did it!" she cried excitedly and gave Sportacus a quick kiss on the cheek.
The Robbie Robots weren't so lucky and crashed right into the ones blocking the way.
"Where are we going?" asked Trixie furiously.
"There." Sportacus said, pointing at the tower ahead of them. "That's where Robbie is right?"
"You're even crazier than I thought! You'll never get inside, let alone to Robbie!" Trixie complained.
"Trixie, put a sock in it!" shouted Stephanie from behind Sportacus.
"I don't see anyone around." observed Sportacus as he neared the tower.
"That's strange." said Stephanie suspiciously.
Sportacus skid to a halt, looking around for any sign of danger.
When there was none to be found, Sportacus let go of Trixie, and knelt down so Stephanie could hop off of his back.
Then suddenly out of nowhere, Robbie Robots stormed out from behind the tower.
"Uh oh." Sportacus muttered, backing up.
"How many of these things are there?" Stephanie wondered aloud.
Sportacus grabbed Stephanie, and turned around to run, but stopped when he saw the robots from earlier catching up with them. They joined the ones at the tower and formed a circle, sealing him in.
"There's nowhere to run now Sportacus!" Trixie taunted.
"What are we going to do?" asked Stephanie.
Sportacus tried to think of something-.. anything they could do, but was at a complete loss. They couldn't fight back, and they couldn't run. Surrender looked like the only option, until the robots raised their arms and pointed their glowing laser fingers right at them.
Sportacus held Stephanie tight. "I love you Stephanie." he told her, and closed his eyes, preparing to be hit by hundreds of laser blasts.
"STOP!" a voice suddenly shouted, echoing across the city.
All of the Robbie Robots backed up, lowered their arms and seemed to shut down.
"What's going on?" Sportacus wondered in surprise, as he opened his eyes.
"Stingy!" Trixie yelled, noticing him standing on the balcony above the front entrance.
"Tell the robots to attack, Stingy!" demanded Trixie.
"No!" Stingy argued. "I won't do it."
Sportacus and Stephanie looked at each other, unsure of what was going on.
"Why not?" Trixie asked.
Stingy took a breath. "I made a big mistake giving Robbie the password to that Zap-it gun-.. and everyone else has had to suffer for it. I wanted to own the town, I wanted it to be called Stingytown, but I never wanted it to be like this! I'm sorry Sportacus." apologized Stingy, not expecting to be forgiven.
Sportacus just nodded.
"I want to try and make up for what I've done." Stingy continued. "Robbie promised me a lot of things and never gave me them. He's been using me Sportacus, and I want him gone as much as you do. That's why I stopped all the robots, and that's why I'm letting you in here." he explained, throwing a key to Sportacus.
"Thank you Stingy." Stephanie said with a weak smile.
Stingy leapt off of the balcony, and walked to Trixie, who was at a loss for words.
"Trixie, I didn't want to break up with you, you know. Robbie forced me to." clarified Stingy, taking her hand.
"He did?" Trixie asked, a look of relief forming on her face.
Just then Ziggy and the Mayor arrived, squeezing their way through the lifeless Robbie Robots.
"Oh thank goodness you are alright!" the Mayor sighed, full of relief.
"What happened here, Sportacus?" Ziggy inquired.
"I'll tell you later, Ziggy. Right now we've got a town to save." Sportacus said, raising a finger into the air.
"Yeah!" cheered Ziggy and Stephanie together.
"Mayor, I think it would be best if you head back to city hall. You'll be safest there." Sportacus suggested.
"I was about to say that myself actually." said the Mayor. "Stephanie please be careful."
"I will, Uncle." she promised as she hugged him.
Sportacus turned to Stingy and Trixie, who had just finished hugging as well.
"Thank you Stingy, for your help."
Stingy nodded, and watched as Sportacus, Stephanie and Ziggy headed into the Tower.
"Let's get out of here Trixie. I think we outwore our welcome a long time ago." announced Stingy, and took one last look at the town. They then got up and walked away, leaving Lazytown forever.
- - - - - - - - -
"Welcome to my Tower of Terror, Sportacus" greeted a voice over the intercom, as Sportacus, Stephanie and Ziggy stood at the bottom floor of the tower.
"Robbie! Where are you?" hollered Sportacus.
"I'm at the top of the tower, but you'll never make it." Robbie taunted.
"Oh yes we will, and you're going to wish you never messed with Lazytown!" Stephanie shouted back, walking angrily towards the stairs in front of them.
Suddenly an arrow flew across the room, just barely missing her face.
"You might want to watch where you step around here. We wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face now... would we? Hahaha!" Robbie laughed.
"Stephanie, are you alright?" Sportacus asked, running to her.
Stephanie nodded. "Sportacus, do you really love me?" she inquired out of nowhere.
Sportacus was taken off guard, and looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with her. He remembered he had blurted it out earlier.
"Please tell me-.." she begged, pulling his head up again.
"This is not the place for this Stephanie, we have to stop Robbie first." he told her, avoiding the question.
She nodded in understanding, though obviously disappointed that her question wasn't answered.
"What are we waiting for guys?" Ziggy wondered as he ran up to them. "Let's go get him!"
Stephanie and Sportacus agreed, and the three of them carefully made their way up a small flight of stairs. They arrived at one very large door.
"Well, I guess we'd better open it." Sportacus decided, after they had stared at it for several minutes.
He quickly pulled it open, and jumped back expecting something to come flying at him.
"It looks safe enough." he told the others, and started to walk through the open door.
After a few steps, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way. He dropped into what appeared to be a trap door, and disappeared into the darkness below.
"Sportacus!" Stephanie screamed, and ran to where he had fallen.
She knelt down, looking for the opening, but couldn't find it. It was as though it had sealed back up.
"Where do you think he went?" Ziggy asked her, as he helped her back up.
"I don't know Ziggy-.." she said. "..but we have to find him."
"Knowing Sportacus, he's probably on his way out of there right now." Ziggy confidently told her.
Stephanie cracked a smile. "Yeah you're probably right." she agreed, and started to walk forward. "He'll probably find us first."
They reached another staircase, and followed it up for a short time, until it stopped at a long hallway with a door on each side.
"Just great, there's two ways to go." Ziggy griped.
"Well that works out well, there's two of us." Stephanie pointed out.
"You want to split up!" shrieked Ziggy, clearly dismayed.
"Ziggy, we can cover more of the tower this way, plus there's a better chance that one of us will run into Sportacus." she pointed out.
"Okay, I just hope I don't run into anything, like.. a monster!" Ziggy whispered timidly.
Stephanie laughed. "Ziggy, just watch out for traps, and you'll be fine." she assured him.
Ziggy swallowed hard, and entered the door nearest to him.
Stephanie was still smiling as she opened her door. "Still the same old Ziggy."
She found herself in a small room with only a ladder leading upwards.
"I guess I'd better start climbing!" she decided, and reached for the first bar.
- - - - - - - - -
Down at the bottom of the tower, Sportacus removed his hat and gave it a squeeze, expelling all of the water it had absorbed. He had fallen into an underground tunnel system filled with raging water rapids. Fortunately among all of his other talents, Sportacus was an excellent swimmer, and had managed to reach dry ground quite effortlessly.
"Robbie has got to do better than this if he wants to stop me."
He slid his hat back on and began to walk in the dimly lit corridor, water splashing around inside of his boots.
"Now how do I get out of here?" he asked himself, as he noticed that the tunnel split into several different directions.
Sportacus stood there for a moment trying to decide, when he noticed a shimmer of light coming from the left tunnel.
"I guess that's the way I'm going." Sportacus decided, and headed towards the light.
