Chapter 6: The Hater

Author's Note: I love the tree scene and the forest scene from The Wizard of Oz, so I had to include them here.

Their landing was sloppy, but they all managed to reach a planet unscathed after an unfortunate encounter with a certain, cold-hearted adversary. (Sylvia, personally, had other names for her, but not many of them were appropriate for Wander's ears.)

In addition, the planet they landed on looked relatively safe. They were on a grassland. A forest with a plethora of diversity was nearby, and there was not a soul in plain sight. Therefore, everyone agreed that they all should move forward after exploring the planet for any possible, usable resources

During their short walk to the forest, however, Peepers began looking around a bit more. "Did she throw us into another galaxy?" He proposed, trying but failing to sound casual instead of fretful.

Sylvia snorted at his assumption. "Please! No one's that strong!"

Draykor nodded in agreement and pointed to another planet in the distance. "Look! That's the planet we were on." It looked like a dirt red ping pong ball from where they stood, but it was certainly better than not seeing the planet at all.

Wander was skipping gaily and following the rest of the crew when his stomach began to moan and groan. He tried to hide it, but Sylvia just gave him a small grin and stopped.

"I hear you, buddy. We all could use a bite, right guys?" Both Peepers and Draykor paused and nodded.

"You still have that basket?"

"Yep!" Wander nodded and fished for it. It took him no time at all to find it and pull it out. But just as he was about to open it, Peepers sprinted over to the trees.

"Guys! Apples!" He jumped as high as he could, but he ultimately gave up and decided to climb the tree instead.

The other three reached the trees, and Wander stowed away the basket. "Great! That means more food!"

"More food for this trip," Sylvia added.

Wander was the first to try to grab one, but the tree's branches suddenly smacked Wander's hand away.

"Ow!"

A fierce, sneering face formed from the tree's aged bark. Holes in the bark served as its eyes, and its molded eyebrows furrowed in anger. Soon, more faces formed on more trees, each glaring hatefully at the wanderers.

"How dare you!" The tree in front of them rasped in a gravelly voice. "These are my apples! You have no right to just come over here and pick it!" The tree felt Peepers on one of its branches and shook him off harshly.

Brushing himself off, Peepers glared right back at the tree. "I knew there was something fishy about this forest!"

"Sure you did," Sylvia mumbled.

"You're trees!" Peepers reasoned, though exasperatedly. "You have fruit! He's hungry! We're all hungry! Get the picture?"

"Blasphemer!" One of the trees cried.

"You arrogant little fool!" The first tree admonished. "How would you like it if someone picked an apple off of you, pipsqueak?"

"We apologize," Draykor spoke for his companions. He had never encountered sentient trees, so this was as new to him as it was to the other three. "We did not know that you would mind, much less sense - "

"Well, you do now!" The tree barked. "Now scram!"

"Well, I never!" Draykor declared, offended. "I've never encountered such rude trees before! How dare you use such a tone before a king!"

Sylvia began pushing the three guys further and further from the trees. "Come on, gang. Those apples are probably rotten anyway." She grabbed one of the apples before the trees could stop her, took a huge, juicy bite out of it, and spat it out. "Ugh! They are! Boy, that stumped me!" It was actually a decent treat, but the zbnornak felt the urge to deliberately burn wood.

"BLASPHEMY! ATTACK!" An onslaught of delicious red apples headed their way, and the four hurriedly scrambled away to safety. But as Wander was fleeing and gathering fallen apples, he heard something bizarre.

"It's bad enough that the evil overlord is a sabotaging buffoon who has invaded our planet and destroyed our cultivated fields and enslaved us!" One of the trees moaned in agony.

Curious, Wander ran back over to the trees, skillfully dodging the apples, and approached the saddened tree.

"Who? Who is this evil overlord?"

"That fool Lord Hater. He's the worst villain ever, but doesn't mean he is incapable of damaging lives and being a moron!" The tree bawled hopelessly. "So you must forgive my friends. We cannot trust anyone anymore!"

The trees abruptly stopped throwing their fruit and paused to listen to their troubled, sobbing friend. Wander nodded understandably and patted the tree comfortingly.

"I'm sorry. Maybe he'll change his ways?" But before the tree could retort, Peepers rushed over to Wander and grabbed his arm.

"Wander! I've gathered the others! We must hide deeper into the forest. Now!"

Wander pouted. "Why, Peepers? The trees are nice -" The trees whooshed around them as a gigantic ship shaped like a skull landed right beside the wooded area.

Peepers sweated and tugged Wander's arm some more. "That's why! Oh grop! It's - It's him!"

"Who?"

The hyperventilating eyeball just pushed Wander's back. "Hide in the woods! Hide!" They soon found Sylvia and Draykor and trekked further into the forest.

After a minute or so of silent walking, Wander broke the silence. "Are we playing hide and seek? Because if we are, I don't think this is how it all works. We shouldn't all be hiding unless there's a designated seeker -"

"Shush!" Peepers hissed, trying to clear his mind of any worry and failing miserably. His eye widened when they heard a sudden rumble.

"The ship's coming closer," Draykor whispered. They all halted to listen.

Sylvia, however, did not stay daunted for long and urged everyone else to keep going. But when she started looking around, she began feeling a little tense. It was almost as if someone was lurking behind the trees, watching them, waiting to jump.

"Is it just me or is this forest kind of creepy?" She asked jokingly, attempting to lighten the mood. But Peepers just rolled his eye.

"It's just you - " They all shook when they heard the pattering of numerous tiny feet and began to speed walk.

"M-Maybe it's a little, um, unsettling." Peepers finally admitted.

"Quite." Draykor nodded, staying close to his friends.

Wander suddenly squealed happily, making everyone around him wince. "I know what'll cheer everyone up!" He rummaged through his hat for his banjo and began to play. Somehow, his music did ease some of the tension, and the group kept moving.

But then, the sound of tiny feet grew louder, and a soft, insidious chant started. Peepers froze in his tracks when he saw familiar eyes blinking back at him.

Draykor was the first to raise his ears. "Did you heat that?"

Sylvia stopped to listen and she, too, heard the creepy mantra. "Yeah... But I can't make out what they're saying." Peepers was too terrified to move or speak.

Wander tried to translate, but it did not sound right. "Date Kate... She's willlin'? Maybe there's a pep rally nearby?" The chanting grew louder, and they could all see the blinking eyes.

"A pep rally..." Peepers whispered fearfully. "Wouldn't be all around us...A-And getting terribly closer to us." And then, all they saw was green and all they heard was thunder as they were knocked off their feet.

"WHO HAS SO BRAZENLY LANDED ON MY PLANET? MY TERRITORY?!" A tall, furious skeleton dressed in a blood red and black robe came into view, with thousands upon thousands of his monocular minions (who looked exactly like Peepers) behind him. Yellow lightning bolts struck out from the side of his robed head, and his bright green sclera focused on the four.

But what Peepers remembered and feared the most about this intimidating figure were his bony hands. They crackled and borne green lightning, ready to strike and electrocute their victim.

This wicked leader was infamously known and remembered across the galaxy as Lord Hater, the greedy and selfish planetary conqueror, accompanied by his army of watchdogs.

Sylvia and Draykor, taken off guard by the sudden attack, watched thunderstruck as Wander crawled on all fours, backing away from the looming menace. Peepers would have tried to intervene, but his poor body hit a tree during the blast. He was so disoriented that he could barely sit up.

Meanwhile, Wander, for the first time in a while, was really scared. He recalled the counterpart Lord Hater from his galaxy, but that Hater never attacked him so quickly. Plus, no one expected his clamorous arrival, and it caught the nomadic alien off guard.

"You shall pay for your foolishness," Hater seethed. Wander blinked. What had he done? What had any of his friends done? "You shall suffer the full wrath of..." He paused for dramatic effect, arms raised up to the sky. "LORD HATER!" His army of eyeballs immediately chanted "Hate's great! Best villain" thereafter.

Hater was inches from grabbing Wander when Sylvia stood up. "Hey! Leave him alone!"

The overlord simply snapped his fingers, and the zbornak was surround by a throng of watchdogs. Undaunted, Sylvia cracked her knuckles and began mercilessly punching the helpless watchdogs who were in her way.

"You're pushing it, zbornak." Hater turned his attention to Peepers, who had recovered from his dizzy spell but was quivering incessantly. "Peepers..." His green eyes narrowed to slits. "Meandering with hobos, hmm?" Hater then regarded Draykor condescendingly, who remained on the ground. "And you! Has the king finally lost his marbles?" He chortled darkly, and his army followed mechanically.

"Fight me, any of you four cowards! For I am the greatest villain in the galaxy!" Right after the boasting left Hater's mouth, Wander wrapped his lanky arms around Hater's torso.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Wander complimented sincerely, but Hater only shoved him away.

"Get off of me!"

Sylvia was still fighting the watchdogs when she saw Hater push Wander. And with a ferocious growl, she knocked the rest down like bowling pins, raised her fist, and socked Hater across the face.

"Don't touch him!"

Wander, Peepers, Draykor, and all the watchdogs froze as the villain's jaw trembled and he released a raucous wail. Then, Hater plopped down on his bottom, hugged his knees to his chest, and hid his pitiful countenance.

Wander gasped and wagged his finger at Sylvia. "Sylvia, how could you? You made him cry!"

"Because he hurt you!"

"No, he didn't. He only shoved me." Wander turned to Hater and softly patted his back. "There... It's okay, buddy." He reached into his hat and pulled out a box of tissues. He gave one tissue to Hater, who took it gratefully and blew noisily into it.

"I'm sorry she hit you. And Sylvia's sorry, too. Aren't you, Syl?" The zbornak just grunted.

Draykor, after brushing himself off, joined Wander and Sylvia. Only, he kept his scornful look on Hater, who hadn't bothered to look up. "He deserved that hit," the king asserted, "for being so discourteous, arrogant, and cowardly. What kind of a villain cries in front of his army and his victims?"

Hater finally looked up, staring at anything but anyone. "I - I'm no villain." He admitted in a voice so soft that everyone had to strain their ears to hear him. "I just pretend to be one. Nobody loves me! I'm an unemployed skeleton with only eyeballs for friends!" He glanced at Peepers, who was no longer afraid. "I fired Peepers..." My only true friend... "Because villainy was causing me to cut eyes and paychecks. And it still is!" His soldiers fidgeted nervously at that.

"No one takes me seriously!" He finally raised his voice and rose. "I want to be a real villain! But I - I didn't even make it on the Top 10 list!" And I'm so darn scared of everything, he confessed mentally.

Although he firmly believed in good overpowering evil with love, Wander couldn't stand to see anyone, even the most terrible menace, unhappy. So, Wander automatically wrapped his arms around Hater again. Only this time, Hater only shut his eyes and accepted the embrace.

"I'm so, so sorry, Hater." Wander gently took one of Hater's gloved hands. "Why don't you come with us? We're off to see the wizard! Maybe he can give you the title you deserve - "

"Um, Wander?" Sylvia ushered for Wander to come closer to her. "A word." They, with Peepers and Draykor, huddled in a tight circle, far enough from Hater and his minions.

"We cannot and will not take him with us," Sylvia whispered. But Wander shook his head.

"But Sylvia! He's miserable! Look at him!"

"I agree with our lady friend," Draykor whispered. "He's a dastardly, insolent - "

"He has an army under his command," Peepers mentioned, talking more to himself than the group. He was mulling over the idea, setting past feelings aside, because Peepers knew Hater could be a valuable asset.

Sylvia looked at Peepers in disbelief. "We can't take all of them!"

Draykor, however, began to look persuaded. "What about his ship?"

Peepers popped out of the huddle. "How's your ship... sir?" It's been a while since I called him that, Peepers thought bitterly.

"Dead battery."

"Well, there's that. But he can ditch the army. He's good at ditching. And since he's attempted to conquer so many planets, he should know the galaxy more than any of us!"

"But you worked with him," Sylvia argued. "So shouldn't you know, too?"

"Good point, but three eyes are better than one."

Draykor hummed in agreement. "And he is powerful."

"And handsome..." Wander mused dreamily with a goofy grin. Sylvia gagged beside Wander and knocked on his head, just to make sure it was still functioning properly.

"And he can protect us from Dominator," Peepers whispered confidently. "He's just as powerful as her."

"And he seems to be a good hugger!"

Sylvia did not know which was more disturbing: the fact that her companions were thinking about letting a planetary conqueror join them and get his wish, or the fact that her best friend was staring at Hater like he actually was the greatest in the galaxy. And that seemed to make Hater feel better.

For her sanity, Sylvia focused on the former. "Are we seriously considering helping him? Wander, he's a bad guy!"

Wander finally gave her some attention. "I know, but we gotta help him! How would you feel if you had no purpose? Villainy is his! And, he's not a destroyer! He's a conqueror." He turned to Hater. "Right, Hatey?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever... But don't call me that!"

"Please, Sylvia." Wander was on his knees and puckering his pouting lips. "Please?" Sylvia tried to look away, but she knew resistance was futile.

Darn eyes, she thought with a small smile. Too flarbin' cute.

"Sigh... Alright. He can come. But if he hits anyone innocent, he hits the road."

Wander smiled hugely and bounced over to Hater, who was waiting for the verdict. "Hater, buddy! Come with us! The wizard will give you what you want!"

Peepers nodded briskly. "That's right, sir! And he's gonna make me taller and stronger." Some of his former co-workers glared at him with envy.

"And he's going to find me somebody to love," Draykor announced wistfully.

Hater snorted at their wishes, but his mind was made up; for far too long he craved the idea of being adulated for his pure evilness. "Fine." He gave Peepers a steely glare. "But don't think I'm going to rehire you, Peepers!"

The little eyeball just sighed tiredly. "I figured you wouldn't." Another awkward silence ensued until Wander remembered their forgotten picnic lunch.

"Who wants a picnic lunch? Any takers? Any? Any?"

A friendly soldier named Wesley emerged from the crowd. "I do!" Unfortunately, all he could taste after that was green lightning.