DISCLAIMER: Same as chapters 1-3. I DON'T OWN LazyTown. And frankly, I'm kinda glad…it sounds like a lot of work :-/
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I feel so loved. Thanks again to Jareth-King, Kytten, AnonyMiss731, LoveTHYConan, LA Suka, Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac, Chewing Gum, and moose lips. And to the newcomers, Ranma Higurashi, The Shekinah, and authoraisarete, welcome!
A Slippery Slope
Chapter 4: The Storm Gathers
Ziggy skipped happily across the street, making sure to both ways first, and headed for the tree house. His dark red stained tongue flicked out to slurp the lollipop glued to his hand. The taste buds danced as they remembered the wonderful taste of the raspberry sucker once again. Ziggy was so incredibly energetically happy he couldn't contain the giggle that bubbled out. His cup was definitely half full today. Heck, it was overflowing it was so full. Ziggy suddenly realized that he had a responsibility to spread his good cheer, thoughout LazyTown.
Ziggy changed course and headed for Pixel's house; he always had the best toys.
Before he got very far, a cool breeze ruffled through his blonde hair, causing a shiver to crawl up his back. Ziggy looked up into the sky and saw dark storm clouds rolling in over LazyTown. He quickened the pace of his short legs and hurried to Pixel's.
oOoOo
No one had seen Sportacus all day.
True, it was still only about ten o'clock in the morning, but Sportacus was usually up at the break of dawn…or earlier.
Stephanie was beside herself with worry.
"Pixel!" she shouted through the font door of the technologically advanced wiz kid. She hoped he would be able to help her brainstorm up a few ideas on how to get a hold of Sportacus. She had already sent up a dozen letters to the airship, and he hadn't answered a single one of them.
She pounded on the impassive slab of wood. "Pixel!" she shouted his name a second time, readying her fist to bang again, when the door swung open and Pixel's surprised face entered her field of vision.
"Stephanie, what's up?"
"Pixel, I need your help…I can't find Sportacus! He hasn't answered any of the letters I've sent up to the airship this morning, and I've sent like ten!" Stephanie's eyes were wild and her pink hair was horribly frazzled.
"Whoa, whoa, alright. Come on in and we'll see what we can think—"
"Pixel! Stephanie!"
Stephanie whipped around and spotted Ziggy briskly waddling up to the pair.
"Ziggy! Have you seen Sportacus around today?"
Ziggy shook his head, panting. "No, I was just looking for someone to play with." The grin slipped from his face when he noticed his friends' somber moods. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
"Well, yeah. Stephanie's been trying to contact Sportacus all morning and he hasn't answered," Pixel looked to Stephanie and she nodded emphatically.
"Oh no!" Ziggy gasped. "We should do something!"
"We were just about to start diagramming a plan of attack when you showed up."
"Oh, okay, great! We should get some rope! And maybe a ladder, and some paint so we can make signs! And more letters—"
"Actually," Stephanie cut through Ziggy's chatter. "Could you go get Stingy and Trixie and tell them to meet us at my uncle's house?"
"Okay, sure, yeah, I will!" Ziggy scuttled off like a superhero on a mission.
oOoOo
"What? Why would you want to talk to Robbie Rotten?" Trixie exclaimed.
"Yeah, and why do you think he'll even want to help?" Stingy scoffed.
The five children stood in the kitchen of the Mayor's house. Numerous baking tools and ingredients were strewn about the countertops.
Stephanie shrugged in response to the incredulous looks of her friends.
"It might take some convincing, but I think he's the only one that can help us." She reached for a box of chocolate cake mix out of the cupboard; they continued to stare at her. "We've tried everything else!" she huffed. "He's our last chance…"
Silence. No one wanted to ask Robbie Rotten for help. He was mean…and scary. What if he did something terrible to them while Sportacus was missing? They might never be saved…
Stephanie's eyes glistened. "What if Sportacus conked his head and he's lying up there bleeding?" her soft words thinly veiled her anger at their hesitancy. "What if he's deathly ill and too weak to come down to visit the doctor?"
The four flinched at her sharp words.
"That would be bad," Trixie stated meekly.
"Yeah," Ziggy sniffed, wiping at his eyes.
"We'll help you talk to Robbie, Stephanie," Stingy humbly offered.
"It's the least we can do in return for all the times he's helped us out," Pixel agreed.
"Okay, great," Stephanie brightened. "We should bake a cake for Robbie first. At least it'll help us get our feet in the door…"
The sounds of clinking kitchenware and utensils filled the room as they worked in silence, each thinking about what life would be like if Sportacus never showed his face again. Things would return to the way things were B.S…Before Sportacus and Stephanie. When no one played outside together, when everyone stayed indoors and mostly played by themselves.
Before long, Ziggy looked up questioningly at Stephanie. "Why would we want our feet in the door?"
oOoOo
"Be careful!"
The cake was so large it took Stephanie, Stingy, Trixie and Pixel to get it all the way from the Mayor's house to the cow billboard on the outskirts of LazyTown. Ziggy was helping direct them.
The big purple and white painted cow stared down at the group from its perch on the huge sign. It felt almost as if the cow was slightly miffed about the invasion of privacy. But that was silly…
"How did you know where Robbie lived anyway, Stephanie?" Stingy looked around the cake at Stephanie and it wobbled precariously.
She took a few moments to answer, waiting until the tower of chocolate had settled once again.
"Remember that day, when Sportacus saved Robbie from the top of this billboard? Well, I saw him go behind it later that day and I followed him."
"Oo," Trixie grinned. "That's pretty sneaky of you, Pinkie."
"I was only curious," Stephanie shrugged, and then gasped as the cake swayed. As they rounded the corner, the hatch to Robbie's hideout came into view. "Okay, Ziggy, go knock on that for us, would you?"
Ziggy nodded, and started for the door, then stopped suddenly.
"Oh! I forgot to put the lollipops on the cake!" He searched through his pockets before producing a few bright candies. They looked like little red planets, shot with swirls of blue.
"What kind are those, Ziggy?" Pixel asked.
"And are you sure they're not mine?" Stingy accused.
"They're raspberry. Aren't they pretty?" Ziggy giggled. "And I'm sure they're not yours, Stingy, my mom just got them for me today."
"And they're Robbie's now, anyway. If he'll have them." Stephanie looked pointedly at Stingy and he grumbled under his breath. "My candy… Always taking my things… No one ever shares with me…"
After placing the suckers in the exact right spots on the cake, Ziggy scurried to the hatch and knocked loudly.
They all waited tensely for a few seconds, but there was no answer.
"Knock again, Ziggy," Stephanie whispered.
This time after Ziggy knocked, a small sign popped up out of a hidden tube in the ground at the base of the hatch. It read: "No knocking. Must ring doorbell if expecting an answer." An arrow pointed to a big purple button on the side of the entrance.
Ziggy pressed it, and a few moments later the intercom above crackled to life.
"Yes? What is it?" Robbie's irritated voice blasted out at them.
"Robbie? Is that you?" Ziggy shouted.
"Yes, who else would it be? And there's no need to shout, I'm right here. Who are you?"
"Um, this is Ziggy. Pixel, Trixie, Stingy, and Stephanie are all here too. We were wondering if you could help us rescue Sportacus?"
"Rescue Sportacus? That blowhard? Why would I want to do something like that?"
"Well um…" Ziggy stuttered. "Because he might be in trouble, and we didn't know who else to ask and—"
"We brought cake," Trixie stepped in, cutting Ziggy's chatter short.
Robbie fell silent. "Cake?"
"Yes, Robbie, and you can have it all if you agree to help us," Stephanie spoke into the intercom.
"All of it?" Stingy asked quietly. Stephanie glared at him.
"It's a double trouble, chocolate gooey yummy cake," Trixie said sweetly.
"Yeah! We heard that was your favorite!" Ziggy said excitedly.
The intercom fell silent and soon the sound of Robbie's footsteps climbing up the ladder could be heard echoing up the chamber.
The hatch lid creaked open and Robbie tumbled out, fork in hand.
"Alright, where's this cake?"
oOoOo