Chapter 4: Within You

"This is ridiculous," Robbie complained, following the sounds of girlish giggling through yet another passageway. "How am I supposed to rescue the stupid girl if she won't stay put?" He came to the end of the hallway and pushed open the doors in the wall there.

Stairs. Everywhere. It made him feel dizzy, even as he stepped into the room and the doors closed behind him. Stairs went every way, blended and clashed against each other in no sane way.

"How you've turned my world, you precious thing," a voice crooned. Robbie's blood froze in his veins even as his heart sped up. No, anything but this again…

"You starve and near exhaust me…"

He turned, trying to identify where the voice was coming from, but this room from Hell echoed- it sounded like it was from everywhere, and for all he knew, it could be.

"Everything I've done, I've done for you…"

He gasped and whirled around, feeling the breath on his neck. Sportacus (or this twisted, dark version of him) was just behind him, and the smirk on the elf's face faded when their eyes met. Sportacus turned away and stalked to the edge of a platform between sets of stairs. He gazed out into the open air.

"I move the stars for no one."

He stepped off the edge and Robbie flinched backwards, not expecting it. He looked around frantically. He had to find Stephanie, right? That was the game. If he won it, everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?

'Please,' he thought. 'Don't let there be any masked dancers.'

"You've run so long, you've run so far!"

The voice echoed from everywhere again. Robbie paced back and forth across the platform, unsure. Which way to go? Which stairs to take? Where was that damn girl anyway?

"Your eyes can be so cruel!"

He ran straight into Sportacus again, who appeared out of nowhere in front of him. Robbie backpedaled away from him.

"Just as I can be so cruel…"

Cruel? What sort of messed up world was this, where Sportacus was cruel? The elf held out a hand and a bright red apple appeared there, balanced in his fingertips. He looked pointedly at Robbie, then turn and threw it. Robbie had to watch, as the apple arched through the air and landed in the delighted hands of Stephanie, who grinned happily, adoringly.

"Hey!" Robbie shouted, picking a staircase that seemed to lead to her general direction. "Hey, Pinky!"

She giggled and flashed him a smile, and wandered leisurely up another flight of stairs, tossing the apple up and down in her hands.

"Oh, I do believe in you," Sportacus continued, watching. "Yes, I do… live without the sunlight… love without your heartbeat…" He looked across a stone archway, sideways, as Robbie panted for air as he raced after Stephanie, who laughed merrily and enjoyed her game. Sportacus almost felt something stretch in his heart, watching Robbie get more and more frantic, calling the girl by her given name and crawling up the staircases as fast as he could, trying to get to her. The man was tired, he could see that. Limbs shook violently, blood was thin and leaving his face. Robbie called out for Stephanie again and she glanced back over her shoulder at him and grinned impishly. Sportacus continued watching Robbie, something regretful coming over his face.

"I… I… can't live… within you."

Robbie fell from a platform and into open space.

Everything fell apart.

When he landed, it was lightly on his feet, though he was trembling. Stephanie was nowhere to be found.

'I need to get out of here.'

From the shadows, Sportacus stepped into view again, and Robbie felt a chill go down his back. He looked serious, and that was never a good thing.

"G-give me the kid," Robbie stuttered. Sportacus looked briefly as if he wanted to smirk, but stayed serious, and prowled forward.

That was the only word Robbie could think to describe the movement. Prowling.

"I have been generous, up until now," Sportacus commented. "But I can be cruel." Robbie bristled, half in fear.

"Generous?" he hissed, glaring down the sports elf. "What have you done that's generous? You fed me poisoned cupcakes!"

"Everything!" Sportacus shouted. Robbie flinched, though he kept his eyes on the elf as he was circled slowly. "Everything that you wanted, I have done." Robbie opened his mouth to protest, but Sportacus kept going.

"Didn't you want this?" the elf grinned, and Robbie felt like curling in on himself. It was not a nice grin. "Did you not wish for this? 'Oh, I wish that stupid Stephanie girl would go away! Then the town would be lazy again!' Isn't that what you wished?"

"But that's-"

"Don't you dare say it was otherwise!" he yelled again. Robbie was silenced. "You wanted her gone, and I've granted your wish. What's said is said, and you can't take it back!"

"I didn't mean it," Robbie whispered. "Not if that's what the price was." He thought back to Pixel's ruined form in the trash heap, and Trixie's blatant disregard for life, from sheer ignorance of consequence. No, that hadn't been what he wanted.

"You asked that the child disappear, and I made it so," Sportacus continued, circling him like a shark, or a hawk. "You cower before me- I am frightening. I reordered time… I turned the world upside down, and I did it all for you!"

Robbie's head was spinning. He had never asked for this. He had forgotten what was supposed to be reality and what wasn't. His legs felt weak.

"I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me…" Sportacus finished softly, and stilled, looking sadly at Robbie. "Isn't that generous?"

Robbie was silent for a moment.

"Am I supposed to be grateful?" he ground out finally, advancing on Sportacus. It made a thrill go through him, to see the sports elf retreat before him. "Am I supposed to rejoice now, now that everything in this messed up little world is still what you want, that you're still in it? Is that supposed to make me happy? Are you supposed to make me happy, spouting love songs and making wishes come true? Is that what's supposed to happen? Well I'm not grateful! I never wanted it! Put her back Sportacus, put everything back the way it's supposed to be! Wishes are how this place runs, is that it? I wished her away, and that's why you did it?"

Sportacus stopped abruptly and his eyes went wide.

"Stop!" he cried. Robbie paused. "Robbie, look at what I'm offering you…" he motioned vaguely. "You wanted a world in perpetual laziness, a world where you could sleep forever and dream of whatever you wished. You can't tell me you don't want it. You can't tell me that when we danced, you felt an ounce shame or regret or indecision, because I know better than that Robbie. I know what you want. It's what I'm offering you… your dreams."

Robbie didn't speak.

"I ask for so little," Sportacus continued. "Just let me rule you. And you can have everything that you want." Robbie retreated a step, and a light lit in the blue eyes of the king. "Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."

Robbie was struck with the odd image of Sportacus in shackles, spoon-feeding him cake.

He got the distinct idea that they did not share the same idea of 'slave'. Robbie's eyes softened slightly, and he looked at the blue elf, who had his hand stretched out beseechingly.

Robbie smiled regretfully at him and shook his head.

"I wish everything was back to the way it's supposed to be, Sportakook."

The elf looked sadly at him, as if the world were falling apart and they on opposite ends of it… abruptly, that was true. Pieces crumbled, Robbie's vision tunneled, and everything became indistinct.

AN:

It is very different from the movie's climax. Because Robbie isn't Sarah, see? He wouldn't know the words. I used the next best thing: wishes. It's different... but I like it. Their confrontation is about what Robbie really wants and what he says he wants. It's my theme. I think it was part of the theme in the original movie too.

In reality, if it was being in character, Robbie would have snapped up the chance of Sportacus being his slave. But that couldn't happen here, or the entire story falls apart.

I'm sorry it took so long to get out! School is kicking my ass. There's a short epilogue after this. I'll get it out sometime tomorrow, hopefully. Though tomorrow is hellishly busy. Geh.

Ah, also, there's an AWESOME story by my good friend Kamikalo, called "Creme de la Crem". You have to look for it under the M rating. To give a quick summary without giving things away... there's a dark elf that comes to town and decides that Robbie is being mistreated (in his words "my poor little kitten") and seduces the HELL out of him. Meanwhile Sportacus is having a fit because HE wants Robbie. So yes. Elf rivalry over a human. You know you want to read it.

Hope you guys liked the chapter, and sorry it took awhile to get out. Review please!