Chapter 2

"You know what's funny and somewhat ironic?"

"Hmm?"

"I'd expect Po to get stuck in a hole," Crane admitted, tilting his head slightly at the tiny hole and at the familiar tiny feet sticking out of said-hole. "Not Mantis. Anyone but Mantis, really..."

It was currently night time in the Valley of Peace. The Dragon Warrior and the rest of the Furious Five surrounded the hole, which Mantis was still stuck in. They tried to help... Well, Po and Viper tried to, anyway... Crane and Monkey simply could not even look at the poor bug without cracking a smile or breaking into full-on laughter, and Tigress was just annoyed; her amusement faded hours ago.

Mantis had calmed down a bit from his earlier panicking, but was still terrified nonetheless... He just tried not to scream or freak out at the fact that, no matter how hard they pushed or pulled, he was not budging from the hole. The only thing he could do to calm his racing nerves, was to start singing. "Can you feel the love tonight?"

"Oh Gods..." Tigress moaned, rolling her eyes in an annoyed fashion. "Anything but that stupidly annoying song..."

In turn, Mantis rolled his eyes. "Okay..." there was a long moment of silence as he tried to think of another song to sing. "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared-"

"NOT THAT SONG EITHER!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh..." Mantis shifted a bit, trying to get into a more comfortable position. The hole seemed to grow tighter and tighter around the lower half of his body with each passing hour... And he had been there for quite some time. Suddenly, Mantis began to blare out, "I'LL MAKE A MAN, OUT OF YOOOOU-"

"SHUT UP MANTIS!" Tigress, Crane, Monkey, Viper and even sweet, sometimes naive Po all yelled in unison.

From inside the hole, Mantis pouted. "You guys are no fun..."

"Maybe because we're stuck out here trying to think of a way to get you out!" Tigress replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well maybe because this was all your brilliant idea!" Mantis retorted.

Under Shifu's orders, the rest of the five, mainly Tigress, had to get Mantis out of the hole before morning, otherwise they'd all be punished for a month. They tried everything possible: Pushing, pulling... Nothing seemed to work. Mantis would not, and could not budge from the hole. The hole simply refused to let him go from it's tight grasp.

"I was having my own personal fun at payback because you are such a pain in my ass!"

"Well thank you!"

"THAT WAS NOT A COMPLIMENT!"

"Okay, okay..." Po jumped in front of Tigress before she decided to go over to the stuck bug and do something drastic. "Let's just all calm down, and be happy... Happy and calm..."

There was a long moment of silence once more.

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," Mantis began to sing. "The medicine go down, medicine go down."

Tigress immediately turned to leave, heading back inside. She stomped on the ground as she angrily stormed away.

"Ooh!" Viper brightened up noticeably. "I love that song!" She immediately began to sing along.

"I'm leaving." Crane shook his head, turning to leave the same way Tigress did.

"Ditto," Po and Monkey replied, quickly following after Tigress and Crane.

Viper however, stayed behind, sitting beside the hole where Mantis' legs stuck out of. "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," they sang, "In a most delightful way!"

How and when Mantis finally got out of the hole, is a mystery for all to wonder...

Or just another story to tell, for another day.

A/N: I got this idea during class. I know the songs Mantis sings are from Disney and Disney was obviously not around in ancient China... But I thought it'd be funny.

How he ends up getting out of the hole, is up for you to decide. Let's hope he ever got out...