CHAPTER 3

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As soon as the afternoon hit, a blue airship appeared on the horizon.

"Ah Lazytown, it's great to be home." said Sportacus, as he saw the town appear over the mountain tops.

He steered the ship to it's usual spot, and backflipped out of the drivers seat.

"Platform down!" shouted Sportacus, causing a piece of the floor to lower out from underneath the ship. He hopped on, and pulled out his telescope.

"That's strange, nobody's outside." thought Sportacus. "I wonder where they all are."

Sportacus suddenly remembered the crystal he had just gone to pick up, and quickly put it into his chest piece.

As soon as it made contact, it started to flash like never before.

"Someone's definitely in trouble, but who, and where?" a concerned Sportacus asked out loud.

Without wasting another second, he triple flipped over to the airship door.

"Door!" he yelled, and it slid open.

He hopped out, entered a handstand and walked to the edge of the protruding platform.

After getting back onto his feet, he grabbed the rope that was coiled nearby, and looped it around his legs.

"Here I come." said Sportacus, as he pulled down his goggles over his eyes, and nose dived off of the ship.

Sportacus' free fall was drawn to a halt as the rope ran out, stopping him just before he hit the concrete. He untied his feet, and dropped to the ground.

"Alright, now where do I look?" Sportacus asked himself, as he searched frantically around town.

After checking inside of several houses, he realized that no one was inside either.

Sportacus was confused. "Where IS everyone?"

Suddenly a voice cried in terror as Sportacus ran beneath the tree-house.

"Please don't hurt me."

"Robbie?" asked Sportacus, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Stay away!" Robbie shouted, as Sportacus tried to figure out where Robbie was located.

He looked up into the window, and put his hands on his hips. "What are you up to Robbie? Where's everyone else?"

"Why are you asking me? You should know, you took them." accused Robbie.

"Me? I haven't been here since yesterday." Sportacus assured him. "Robbie, tell me what's been going on!"

"I found a mirror, then out of nowhere this crazy guy who looked like you came out of it, and kicked me out of my lair."

"This was the same guy who took the kids?" inquired Sportacus.

Robbie nodded.

Sportacus gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His evil double was back, and now everyone was in great danger.

"Alright, come on Robbie we've got some rescuing to do."

"Rescuing? Me? I'm not supposed to be rescuing anybody! I'M the bad guy." Robbie complained.

"Well if you want your lair back, you're going to have to help me out." Sportacus explained.

Robbie frowned, but knew Sportacus was right.

"Fine, but could you-.. er-.. help me down first?" an embarrassed Robbie asked.

- - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, deep down in Robbie's old lair, Scornacus was doing some one armed pushups while he guarded his prisoners. He had locked them up in one of Robbie's signature cages.

"You're not Sportacus, are you!" shouted Ziggy between the bars, his face red and stinging from earlier.

Scornacus laughed and entered a handstand. "No I'm not, but when he finally shows his face to come and rescue you, I'm going to finish him off once and for all."

"You'll never beat Sportacus!" Stingy said confidently, and rubbed the back of his head.

Scornacus hopped to his feet, headed over to a punching bag, and began to hit at it, ignoring Stingy.

"He stopped you before, and he'll do it again!" Stephanie yelled, pointing her finger.

"He only delayed the inevitable." snarled Scornacus as he hit the punching bag with all of his might, knocking it across the room. "Now if anyone even thinks about muttering another word, i'll use THEM for a punching bag."

Suddenly a shadow dropped from the ladder that lead to the surface.

"Who's that?" Ziggy asked the others.

Scornacus turned to look, and spotted a man in a business suit approaching, carrying a strange device.

The man made his way over to Scornacus, and shook his hand rigorously.

"Is that... Robbie!" a baffled Stingy asked.

Stephanie nodded. "I think it is, but what's he up to?"

"Hello there sir, I'm Robert P. Rotting." said Robbie, in a confident salesman like voice.

"Have I got a deal for you! For only 99 dollars and 99 cents I can clean your dirty old floors with this new state of the art Suck-O-Matic 6000 vacuum cleaner. What do you say?" he asked, as he held the vacuum up for Scornacus to see.

Scornacus lowered his brow, and displayed his fangs. "I said get out, or someone's going to have to clean you off of the floor!"

"I'll start right over here how about that?" Robbie proposed, heading to the farthest corner of the lair. "Why don't you go take a walk, and i'll be done in a jiffy!"

"I said GET OUT!" hissed Scornacus, and walked furiously towards Robbie.

"Good Robbie." Sportacus whispered from the shadows. As soon as Scornacus' back was turned, Sportacus slowly crept over to the cage that was holding the kids.

Stephanie's eyes grew wide when she saw him.

Sportacus raised a finger to his lips, signaling for them to be quiet, but Ziggy didn't notice.

"It's your evil twin, he's here to get you." he said excitedly.

"I know, I'll deal with him as soon as you are all safe." said Sportacus as he lifted up the cage, allowing the kids to crawl out one by one.

"Now lets go, follow me." he said, and motioned his hand towards the exit.

- - - - - - - - -

Scornacus was holding Robbie by the collar, about to let him have it, when he heard a noise coming from the ladder.

He grinned, and knew what it was without even having to look. "Hello there Sportacus!" he said, dropping Robbie to the floor. "It's about time you came out from hiding. I believe we have some unfinished business."

Robbie quickly looked back and forth between Sportacus and Scornacus. "I don't think I can handle two Sportacuses! I have enough trouble with just one!"

"Kids, get out of here, I'll take care of this." Sportacus told them as he lifted them up to the ladder.

Scornacus began to slowly walk towards Sportacus, staring intently. "You got lucky last time Sportacus, but this time you don't have the convenience of a sewer drain to help you out."

Sportacus didn't answer until the kids were all safely outside.

"Alright, how did you get here?" he demanded. "You were destroyed along with the future world!"

Scornacus shook his head. "Time means nothing to me! I exist wherever you do! You can never escape me!"

"Why do you want to hurt me?" asked Sportacus, now face to face with his evil double.

"Because that's what I do. I despise you. Now, no more talking, it's time to finish what we started!" he growled, and brought his knee up right into Sportacus' stomach.

Sportacus kneeled over in pain, just in time for his face to meet with the front end of Scornacus' boot.

Robbie cringed, and hid himself behind the mirror as Sportacus flew backwards.

Sportacus quickly shook it off, threw out his arms, and pushed off of the ground with his hands, flipping to his feet.

He looked up just in time to see Scornacus charging at him. Sportacus took to the air, and front flipped over him, kicking his feet out as he did. Scornacus was knocked into the wall, but it didn't seem to phase him.

He grinned and shook his head as he ran towards Sportacus again. Sportacus jumped out of the way, but Scornacus was ready for it this time, and grabbed hold of Sportacus' feet.

With one giant swing, Scornacus hurled Sportacus across the room, and right into the glass displays where Robbie kept his disguises.

"Not my disguise machine!" Robbie wailed, while disguises and glass shards flew everywhere.

Sportacus was relieved to find that he wasn't as hurt as he had expected to be. The clothing had cushioned his fall slightly.

He rested for a moment, then bounded over the railing, surprising Scornacus with a mighty drop kick.

Scornacus stumbled backward, and into Robbie's favorite orange chair.

Robbie held his breath, hoping they would take the fight away from the chair, but Scornacus stood up, grabbed it and lifted it over his head.

Robbie cupped his hands together and pleaded. "Not the chair, anything but the chair."

Scornacus roared, and thrust it at Sportacus, who barely managed to avoid it.

It hit the wall, but stayed in one piece, much to Robbie's relief.

Sportacus quickly entered a running slide, kicking Scornacus' legs out from under him.He was too quick though, and managed to grab hold of Sportacus before he could get up.

The two wrestled on the ground until Scornacus got the upper hand and pinned Sportacus underneath him.

"He's still much to strong for me." thought Sportacus as he struggled to get free. "There must be another way to beat him."

"Say goodbye Sportacus!" growled Scornacus as he raised his fist, ready to lay the final blow.

Sportacus looked around frantically, and spotted Robbie behind the mirror.

"That's it! The mirror! His weakness has to be the mirror!"

"Robbie, break the mirror!" Sportacus suddenly shouted.

Robbie's heart skipped a beat.

"What? Me?" he asked, dumbfounded.

A look of fear suddenly took over the cocky grin on Scornacus' face.

"No, I won't let you!" he barked, stood up, and was about to step towards Robbie, but Sportacus grabbed his leg.

"Robbie do it!" yelled Sportacus, as Scornacus struggled to get loose.

Robbie reached a trembling hand into his toolbox, and pulled out his trusty metal hammer.

He looked at Sportacus, who was wide eyed with hope, then at Scornacus who looked like he was about ready to tear Robbie to pieces.

Robbie knew what he had to do, so he wound up, closed his eyes and swung the hammer as hard as he could at the mirror.

The mirror literally exploded into thousands of pieces, and lit the entire underground lair in a blinding red light.

Scornacus shook violently, and began to crack just like the mirror. Sportacus and Robbie had to shield their eyes from the light that was shooting out of him.

"NO! I HATE YOU!" screamed Scornacus as he realized what was happening to him. Just like the mirror, he suddenly shattered in a huge explosion of light, destroyed once and for all.

- - - - - - - - -

"You did it Robbie!" Sportacus said excitedly as he rushed over to him.

"I did?" asked Robbie. He removed his hands from his eyes and looked around. "Hey, I did!"

Sportacus patted Robbie on the back, and took a look around.

"You're a hero Robbie!"

"Oh, it was nothing." Robbie said bashfully.

Suddenly Robbie realized what he was doing, and shoved Sportacus' arm away, frowning.

"Hey just a minute here, I'm not a hero, I'm a villain. If anyone finds out about this, i'll be the laughing stock of Lazytown."

Sportacus smiled and shook his head.

"Robbie, I won't tell anyone I promise."

"Good or you'll regret it Sportaspat. Now get out of my house!"

"Okay Robbie, but are you sure you don't want me to help you clean up this mess?"

"No, I don't need anymore help. Ever!" Robbie muttered, and crossed his arms.

"Alright, well thanks again Robbie!" Sportacus waved and climbed up the ladder.

"Thanks again Robbie." mimicked Robbie as he made a face at Sportacus.

- - - - - - - - -

As Sportacus emerged from Robbie's lair, Stephanie, Ziggy, Stingy and the Mayor rushed over to him.

"Sportacus! Are you alright?" Stephanie asked desperately.

"I'm fine, and I'm sorry you all had to go through that." he told them.

"It's not your fault Sportacus, it was mine for bringing home that mirror." said the Mayor, taking the blame. "It was nothing but trouble."

Sportacus shook his head. "Sometimes things happen that aren't anybody's fault. The important thing is that everyone is alright."

Stephanie nodded, and smiled. "You're right, and you know what? I think this calls for a celebration!"

"Yeah!" shouted everyone together, and they hurried off to the town square.

- - - - - - - - -

As they did their favorite dance, Robbie was pacing in his lair.

"I guess I WAS pretty heroic today." he finally said after some thought. "Sportacus is lucky I'm a bad-guy, or I'd be showing him up all the time."

Robbie began to look through the giant mess on his floor, and spotted his robot dog. He flicked the switch but it wouldn't work.

"Well, at least I won't have to walk him for awhile." he snickered, and tossed it over his shoulder.

Robbie then dragged his chair across the room to where it was supposed to be, and wiped his brow.

"Whew, I'm glad they didn't wreck everything." Robbie said as he dusted off his favorite chair.

He sighed and sat down, ready to catch up on some much needed lazing around, when suddenly the chair fell to pieces, sending Robbie tumbling to the floor.

The End