In the story I'm not sure if they can loose fur or not, so bear with me.

Disclaimer: you can guess…

The Horrible Truth

Chapter 5: The Hero's Trial

Sparx's Fist Rocket landed on the Citadel of Bone. Surprisingly enough the journey had been smooth, no attacks or any other type of threat. Sparx jumped from the control base of his rocket and looked around, no guards….no nothing.

Sparx ran to the entrance, hiding in the shadows. If anything the Skeleton King was probably trying to pull a sneak attack. Expecting something to jump out at him at every turn Sparx took caution as he run through the halls, like an endless maze.

Soon enough after a few minutes of running Sparx remembered he should have called he team when he got there. Sighing Sparx looked around before turning on his communicator.

"Sparx, did you get there safely?" Antauri questioned.

"Well hello to you to" Sparx muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, there's not a single formless around!" Sparx said to his black friend.

"How curious" Antauri said a trace of confusion hitting his voice.

"Yeah I know, anyways I'll tell you if anything happens, Sparx out." Sparx said.

"Confirmed, Antauri out." Antauri concluded.

Sparx switched off his communicator and walked down the hall, his pace slower than before. He had walked for a while before something caught the corner of his eye. It was a small patch of yellow fur, of the very female he was searching for. Sparx looked around for footprints, there were none. But instead there were long lines surrounded by two pairs of giant circles, known only as formless prints trailing into the darkness.

So Nova hadn't walked, she had been dragged. Sparx walked close to the lines and prints, not wanting to loose their trail. His head was focused on the floor, letting his feet steer him. Of course if he had been looking where he was going he wouldn't have walked straight into a door.

Sparx mumbled something about 'doors moving into his way' before pulling himself up of the dusty floor. He stared at the door; it had a pattern bearing a skull, similar to the Skeleton King's with five different snakes' curled round it.

Sparx couldn't help but stare at it; he had been in the Citadel countless times before, so why had he never seen this door before. Sparx wiped the dust from the door before coughing a little.

"Ever heard of spring cleaning?" Sparx questioned before looking more closely at the door.

Each snake was a different colour. The first was Blue, the next Green, after that was a Black snake followed by a Yellow and Red. Funny that's the colours of the hyper force. Sparx pondered before noticing letters on the neck of the blue snake. He pushed away more of the dust to reveal the three words:

The Riddle Room

Sparx let curiosity get to him as he pushed the dust off the other four snakes. Each had a small sentence engraved onto them.

The green said: The Guessing Game

The Black: From Within

The Yellow: The Rainbow Road

And finally the red: Swimming In Nightmares

The skull's eyes stared down at Sparx as he continued to wonder over the statue. The dust had got up his nose as he sneezed. More dust was scattered of the picture. The dust settled and more writing was visible it read:

The Hero's Trial.

One will have to save his lady, but only by completing the task set down by his superiors and their leader.

Sparx was getting freaked out. The snakes were in the hyper force's colours and the writing at the bottom, well he was saving a lady, maybe not his lady although that sounded good.

Sparx stopped fantasizing and snapped back to reality. Why had he never seen this door before and why was Nova brought to it? Nova! Sparx had totally forgotten about trying to save her.

Sparx looked around wildly his eyes scanning the door for a way in. have you tried pushing it? A voice in his head asked him. Great now voices are telling me what to do! Sparx thought before placing his hands on the door. Here goes nothing….literally.

Sparx pushed against the door before it flew open. Why is it always the simple way that works? Sparx thought rubbing his head from where he fell over from the force. This room seemed bright compared to the others inside the Skeleton King's citadel.

Sparx remained on the floor as he let his eyes adjust to the light. The silence which filled the room was shattered though, by a voice he knew all to well.

"Sparx!" It cried. Sparx stood up. And began to look for the source of the voice.

"Sparx could you be any slower! Over here!" It yelled. Sparx followed the sound of the voice until his eyes met a coat of yellow.

"Nova!" He called. It was indeed Nova but her condition made him upset. Her fur was stained red in patches and she was covered in cuts and bruises. Here wrists, ankles, neck and tail were tied to a chunk of the wall, cut from the rest and placed on a podium.

Sparx began to run towards her when he was about five footsteps away the podium began to raise. When it was close to the ceiling of the room it jerked to a halt.

"Can't you control this thing any better?" Nova shouted at none it particular.

"Tch what do you expect from the old bone bag, five star hotel?" Sparx called to his companion.

"I see you have had your little reunion then." Boomed a voice, the voice that filled Sparx's and Nova's hearts with anger and hate. It was the Skeleton King himself. Another podium lifted from the centre on the room, but this one didn't contain any friend of Sparx's.

"Let her go!" Sparx yelled running to the podium.

"Sparx! Behind you!" Nova called. Sparx come to a skidding stop and span on his heels only to be hit round the face by a formless.

"Spa..." Nova was gagged before she could finish.

"So you wanna play huh?" Sparx said changing his hands to magnets, not noticing his friend's cry.

"Attack and her end will be quick" The Skeleton King said, his podium and throne now level with Nova. He held out his staff to face her, the end glittering as it collected magic.

"Ok, just don't hurt her…" Sparx le his magnets fade away, to be replaced with his normal hands.

The Skeleton King sat in his throne and glared down at Sparx, who was glaring right back.

"Good, now I have a proposition to make, if you want your girlfriend back you must complete the five tasks set down by me and the Vera-Mystics." The Skeleton King grinned, knowing all to well that Sparx's 'heroism' would make him accept.

The Door! What it said is happening now! Sparx's mind put two and two together.

"Fine. Lets get the trials started" Sparx said before a door at the other end of the room, and the Skeleton King's and Nova's podium vanished.

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So What do you think? Please R&R