|| And here, finally, we have chapter 4 of Sidekicks, AKA "the part where I come off of hiatus just to cancel the series a couple months later". ||
Chapter Four
Very early the following morning, Whisper Elf was fast asleep in her bed. She was still stirred from the events of the previous afternoon. Not much else had happened, mostly just panicking and a lot of reassurance from Whirlwind, who was quite obviously anxious herself. Oddly enough, Wisp hadn't heard from or seen Snappy again that day. He seemed to have mysteriously slipped away after they overheard Spyro's conversation with Sunburn, so Wisp was left with Runt and Terrabite to worry endlessly about what they'd heard. They'd turned in early in hopes that the next morning their mentors would have returned, but it was nearly three o'clock and Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt and Terrafin still remained nowhere to be found.
Although Woodburrow was quiet that night, there was a quiet tapping sound that managed to wake Wisp from her slumber. With an audible growl, surprisingly akin to a sound her master would make, she tiredly trudged over to where the tapping was coming from; the window on the other side of her room. She glanced through the glass to find the source of the noise, and suddenly found herself awake. She pulled open the window to address the person on the other side.
"Snappy?!" she quietly exclaimed.
"Shush!" the brown gremlin scolded from the ground not far below. "Go get dressed and meet me outside!"
After a moment's hesitation, Wisp nodded and closed the window, ducking back into her house. Not even a full minute later, the door opened and she came out, dressed in her normal training attire and a blue sweatshirt, though she hadn't taken the time to put her hair up. She was greeted outside not only by Snappy, but also by Runt and Terrabite, who seemed just as confused as she did. "What's going on?" she whispered.
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing, Snappy," said Runt, clearly irritated from tire.
"Can I go back to bed yet...?" Terrabite yawned.
"No," Snappy replied.
"So what's happening?" Wisp again inquired.
Snappy determinedly pounded his fist to his opposite palm, and said, "We're gonna rescue our mentors."
This startled the others.
"We are?!" Terrabite gasped.
"We are?" Runt echoed flatly.
"We are?" Wisp asked, quickly turning to Snappy, who nodded.
"Yeah," he replied. "We are."
Terrabite glanced anxiously to Runt, who looked unamused. "No," the gillman retorted, "I don't think we are. We're just kids Snappy, we're not Skylanders."
"Yeah, Spyro and the others are gonna take care of it," Terrabite added.
Snappy snorted. "Spyro? You heard what he said, he doesn't care! He'll let our mentors rot in whatever prison Kaos sees fit as long as it saves his own hide."
"That's not true!" Wisp exclaimed, probably louder than she should have. "He's just been under a lot of stress lately! You have no idea what it's like trying to lead a bunch of teenage superheroes with raging hormones."
"Neither do you!" Snappy grumbled.
"You heard what he said," Wisp continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "those bad guys gave us time, and Spyro just doesn't want to screw up again. Maybe he'll decide to meet their demands, and-"
"When's the last time a villain kept his word?!" Snappy roared, definitely louder than he should have. "It's Hero 101, never trust a bad guy! Even if Spyro does meet their stupid 'demands,' they'll just keep our mentors and stab us in the back. We don't have any time to waste, they could already be dead."
Terrabite looked down at his feet and twiddled his thumbs. "I-I don't know, guys..." he whimpered.
"Oh, I know," Runt said, "and we're not going anywhere. The Skylanders have this under control, and it's not our place to intervene."
"We are Skylanders!" Snappy growled. "If you don't believe that, then we don't need you! Isn't that right?" He looked to his side to find Wisp at a loss for words, and in front of him to see Terrabite still looking extremely unsure. "C'mon, right?"
Terrabite looked up to him, a guilty look in his sharky little eyes. "I'm... I'm not my uncle," he said quietly. "I can't fight like he can, stand up for myself, or others like he can..." Holding his arm, he looked back down in shame. "If I go, I won't do any good... You guys'd just have to drag me around after the bad guys beat me up..." He rubbed his eyes and, with a sniffle, finished, "That's why I train with him... why we train with them... I'm not a Skylander... We're not Skylanders..."
In a surprised dismay, Snappy's eyes flicked between Gill Runt and Terrabite. His disappointment soon turned to rage, his ears folding and lips curling in the standard fashion of an angry feral gremlin. "Fine! If you guys don't care... then we'll go ourselves! Let's go, Whisper Elf!" He grabbed Wisp's wrist and marched towards the gates, dragging her right along with him.
"Wha-? Snappy, wait!"
Runt watched them unblinkingly as the gate closed behind them, a sour expression chiseled into his face. Terrabite held his hand out, almost regretting his decision not to accompany them, but Runt lowered it, shaking his head.
After hearing the familiar sound of flapping wings, the boys turned to see Sunburn approaching them, bags under his already red eyes. "Oh god, why are you two up this early?" he groaned. "I've got enough on my mind..."
"We're sorry, Sunburn," Runt said, elbowing Terrabite in the stomach when he opened his mouth. "We just decided to go for a walk, figured it might clear our minds."
"I heard Trigger Snappy," stated Sunburn.
Runt discreetly silenced Terrabite again and replied, "Yeah, he was here. He went back home when Wisp said she didn't want to come."
Sunburn sighed and glanced through the window of the apartment they were standing in front of. Terrabite held his breath, anxious that the phoenix would realize that their elvish friend wasn't inside. However, Wisp had rearranged her pillows under her sheets to make it seem as though she'd never left, and Sunburn was none the wiser. He shook his head. "You poor kids..." he muttered. "I understand, but don't get up before dawn again, alright?"
"Yes, sir," the kids said in unison.
Sunburn smiled a weak, fake smile. "Back to bed, then. Go on."
"Snappy, hold on!" Wisp exclaimed, following her friend through the woody growth surrounding Woodburrow. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see!" Snappy called back.
Wisp grunted, tugged her hand from Snappy's and pulled ties out of her jacket pocket and proceeded to do her hair up. "Alright, so we're supposed to go to that storage facility, right?"
"That's the plan."
She tailed Snappy all the way into a clearing. "Okay, but how are we supposed to get there if we don't even know where it is?"
"Well, I did a little research," Snappy replied. "I know the approximate... general area. Probably." Wisp gave him a sarcastic look. "Hang on." Snappy ducked out of the clearing and Wisp patiently watched the spot where he had disappeared from. A moment later, Snappy returned, dragging something with him that Wisp hadn't been expecting. Actually, she really just didn't know what to expect at this point.
"Is that Fryno's motorbike?!"
"Yup!" Snappy grinned. "He lent it to me yesterday. Guy didn't have a single problem with it."
Wisp stared at him, jaw dropped, in exasperation. "You're unbelievable."
Snappy hopped up onto the bike's seat, which he only took up half of, and patted behind him. "C'mon!"
Wisp's eyes widened. "What? No! We're not even old enough to drive!"
Snappy returned her sarcastic look from earlier. "Oh c'mon, you're seriously lecturing me about this? I did this sort of thing all the time back home!"
"Of course I'm lecturing you about this!" Wisp facepalmed. "We can't do this! We're literally breaking every law in Skylands!"
"Just get on the bike."
"No."
Snappy grumbled and slid off the bike, stomped over to Wisp and stared at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Get on the bike."
"I'm not getting on the bike, Snappy."
Snappy cracked his knuckles. "Well, then I suppose I have no other choice." He then proceeded to pick Wisp up by the waist and carry her over to the bike.
"What? What?! Put me down!" Snappy set her down on the bike seat. She blinked. "Well, I guess I've been convinced."
Snappy laughed and joined her, taking the handle bars in his paws. "Now, how does this thing work?"
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Oh no, I don't think he's joking."
Snappy and Wisp glanced to each other, eyes wide. That wasn't either of them who'd said that, but they did recognize the voice. They directed their attention to a violet mist trailing towards them. The mist formed up to shape a body, and from it emerged...
"Trap Shadow," said Whisper Elf.
"And just what are you children doing outside of Woodburrow this late?" the Swapper inquired.
"You know exactly what we're doing," Snappy growled, "and you're not gonna stop us."
"I don't intend to," Trap Shadow assured them.
Wisp slipped off of the motorcycle seat a dashed to meet the panther, causing Snappy to groan. "Trap Shadow-sensei!" Wisp exclaimed. "Please, our mentors still haven't come back and we heard Sunburn talking to Spyro..."
"Yes, I know." The panther knelt down and rested his hand on the elf's head. "I know what's happening, and I understand your intentions."
Wisp sniffled, her ears lowering. "Please, please help us..." she pleaded woefully. "I don't... know what to..."
"Do what you think is right," Trap Shadow instructed. "It is not my place to tell you what you should or shouldn't do."
"But I don't know what's right!" Wisp cried. "Spyro says we should stay here and Snappy says we should go save them ourselves..."
"I will give you what advice I can," said Trap Shadow gently. "Righteousness is in the eye of the beholder. Authority figures are not always right, and neither are friends, but neither is necessarily wrong. Tell me, small one, what is it that you want most right now?"
Wisp hesitated for a moment, before replying, "I... want to see my Master again."
"And what do you think you need to do for that to happen?"
Her eyes darting from her feet to Trap Shadow and back, Wisp answered, "I... should go with Snappy."
"Is that what you think is right?"
Wisp nodded. "Y-Yes. That's what I think is right."
Trap Shadow smiled. "Then that is what you should do." He reached to his belt and unlatched one of the pockets. "Here, I want you to have this." From the pocket, he retrieved a brown cloth, square in shape; a bandanna, much like his own. He took Wisp's hand, much smaller than his, and set the bandanna in it. "For good luck, and safe travels."
Wisp clutched the bandanna close to her. "You really think we should do this...?" she asked.
"Only if you do," the Swapper replied.
Again, Wisp nodded. "Right... right. Thank you, Trap Shadow-sensei." She walked back to the bike and pulled herself back to the seat behind Snappy. "Are you going to help us?"
"This is not my mission," answered Trap Shadow. "I am not to accompany you."
"Well why not?" Snappy questioned.
"I just told you," Trap Shadow answered.
"But how are we supposed to win without help?" Wisp added. "We're just kids, if our mentors couldn't win..."
"Age is an excuse," said Trap Shadow flatly, "and you are not your mentors. You are not Stealth Elf," he indicated Wisp, "you are not Trigger Happy," he indicated Snappy, "and you have something that they do not."
"What's that?" Wisp asked.
Trap Shadow smiled, and replied, "Each other."
"Seriously?" Snappy pulled a face. "That's sappy."
"Precisely," the panther chuckled. "Now, you should depart before someone less forgiving discovers you here."
Wisp tied her new bandanna around her neck, the glanced down at it. "How do I look?" she inquired.
"It matches your outfit," said Snappy, who had no fashion sense whatsoever.
"Like a master of Stealth," said Trap Shadow. He ruffled Wisp's already messy hair. "Wear it proudly, child."
"I will," Wisp replied. "C'mon, Snappy, step on it!"
The gremlin smirked. "I've been waiting forever for you to say that."
And with that, he slammed down the gas pedal, and the two took off across Cloudbreak with a loud blare that almost definitely woke up Woodburrow in its entirety. Trap Shadow nodded, his arms folded, before disappearing back into his smoke. The footprints he left trailed not back to the Woodburrow gates, but rather in the same direction of the scorches left by Fryno's bike.
As the Sidekicks zoomed across the island, Wisp wrapped her arms around Snappy's waist tightly for fear of flying off. Whatever the speed limit was, they were far over it, and it didn't help that Snappy was nearly crashing into everything. "Do you happen to have any formal driving training?!" Wisp exclaimed over the obnoxiously loud motor.
"Define 'formal'!" Snappy replied, and his friend groaned.
"We're gonna die!" Wisp cried. "This is where my life ends! On a motorcycle with a complete and utter moron at the wheel!"
"Hey, I know what I'm doing!" said Snappy defensively. "It's just a motorcycle! I've driven greeble airships and came out in one piece!"
"Did you happen to total said airships?!"
"Well, that's not the point...!"
Wisp roared her dissatisfaction. "That's it! I'm so done! I'm not talking to you until we're off of this thing!"
Snappy sighed and rolled his eyes, then had to veer around a tree as he had taken his sights off the road for a moment. "Alright, whatever! Suit yourself!"
The next minute passed without conversation. There was a small amount of screaming for one's life, but no actual talking. It didn't take long for Snappy to tire of the situation and turn his attention to the bike's radio. He turned the dial and K-Troll came on, playing Chill Bill's theme. Snappy's muzzle scrunched up and he turned the dial again.
"What the actual heck are you doing?!" Wisp questioned.
"I thought you said you weren't going to talk to me!" Snappy retorted.
Wisp ignored this. "Are you seriously turning on the radio?! It's not even five o'clock yet!"
"We're on a blaring motorcycle, what difference will it make?!"
Wisp paused. "Fair point."
Snappy turned the dial again, and it landed on a news station. "... In other news, reportedly another criminal attempt in western Skylands has been foiled by the unnamed 'highway hero' who has been sighted driving fire-based vehicle ..."
Wisp groaned. "Ugh, boring! Doesn't this thing have any decent music stations?!"
Snappy turned the dial a couple more times. Most of the channels were just static or crappy pop tunes with two instruments in the background. However, after a number of attempts, they heard a tune that the recognized.
"I got class like a 57 cadillac
"Got all the drive but a whole lot of boom in the back
"You look like you can handle whats under my hood
"You keep saying that you will boy I wish you would ..."
The Sidekicks grinned. "Hey, I know this one!" Wisp exclaimed.
"I love this one!" Snappy added.
"So if you feel me let me know, know, know
"Come on now what you waiting for, for, for
"My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode
"So start me up and watch me go, go, go, go ..."
"Hey, check this out!" said Snappy, immediately causing Wisp to dread what would happen next. The bike then hurled off of a slanted ledge and somewhere around thirty feet in the air. Snappy leaned the bike so to do a three-sixty in midair, and Wisp screeched. They only barely stuck the landing.
"Got you where you wanna go if you know what I mean
"Got a ride that smoother than a limousine
"Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?
"If you can baby boy then we can go all night ..."
"Snappy!" Wisp thundered, "So help me if we make it out of this alive I'm gonna frickin' murder you!"
Snappy only laughed in response. "Oh, stop! We're gonna be fine!"
"Stop showing off your suicidal skills and maybe I'll believe you!"
"Alright, okay, don't get your ponytail in a twist!"
"Cos I'm 0 to 60 in three point five
"Baby you got the keys-
"Now shut up and drive
"(drive, drive, drive)
"Shut up and drive
"(drive, drive, drive) ..."
"Just take us to the storage whatever and stop trying to to get us killed!" said Wisp.
"Okay, I hear ya!" Snappy made a sharp turn to the left. "The island isn't that big, we should be there pretty soon...!"
"We'd better be!"
"So if you feel it let me know, know, know
"Come on now what you're waiting for, for, for
"My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode
"So start me up and watch me go, go, go ..."
Snappy perked. "Oh, hey...! I think it's just up ahead!" he exclaimed.
"Thank Eon!" Wisp groaned.
The bike swerved around a tree and flew down two sets of tree stumps, effectively allowing Wisp to question one last time how she hadn't thrown up yet.
"Shut up and drive, drive, drive
"Shut up and drive, drive, drive
"Drive, drive, drive ..."
At the last moment, just as they had almost made it all the way to their destination, Snappy slipped up. The back tire made contact with a stump that it had nearly made past, and it sent the kids and their ride tumbling forward and into a mess on the dirt ground.
"Shut up and drive ..."
Snappy grumbled and pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his fur. "Ooh, so close..." He carefully licked a scrape on his elbow as his partner regained her composure.
"Oh, we're alive..." Wisp said distantly. "We are alive we are alive... thank you thank you thank you..."
"Are you okay?" Snappy called.
"Yeh!" Wisp laughed inanely. "Yeh, I'm fine! Still breathing! Stillll living!" She slowly and groggily stumbled over to Snappy and tugged his chest fur. "The next time you do something that incredibly moronic, I will personally take joy in making you suffer."
Snappy blinked. "Are you sure you aren't related to Stealth Elf?"
Wisp shoved him into the dirt.
Once the elf had accomplished sanity, they turned their attention to the building before them. The storage facility was built into a hill, as many of Woodburrow's builds were. There was a large set of wooden double doors, but other than that, there wasn't much of anything. Snappy tugged the door handles. "Locked," he said grimly.
Wisp scratched her chin. She observed the area around them. The bike was busted, so ramming through the doors was out of the question. "There must be another way in..." She licked her fingers and held them up. No breeze. She then looked around the base of the facility. Snappy watched curiously from a distance. Wisp licked her fingers again and held them near the ground. Snappy watched her move forward a bit, then clear away some leaves from a particular location. "Over here!" she said. There was an air vent built into the ground.
"Well that's convenient," said Snappy.
"Woodburrow isn't known for its good building design," said Wisp.
The grate was nailed in. Snappy was easily able to pry them up with his claws. Once this was done, they pulled off the grate and slipped into the most horribly constructed air duct in the history of air ducts ever.
"Where are we going?" Wisp queried.
"I guess we just go until we find what we're looking for."
And they did. They wandered the winding air system for a solid ten minutes, with the only source of light coming from other grates. They were never completely sure where they were or where they were going, and they saw the same grate three times, but eventually they found their way to a new location. A much more interesting location.
Wisp held her hand back to prevent Snappy from progressing. "Did you hear that?" she asked.
Snappy perked his ears. There were voices coming from up ahead. The two exchanged glances and nodded, then proceeded forward.
"...should have called by now..." echoed an unfamiliar voice.
"...shouldn't believe a word he says..." came another.
There was light shining through a grate up ahead. The Sidekicks approached it. They could hear the conversation clearly now.
"...can't believe I've allowed myself to be degraded to Kaos's errand boy," said the second voice through a heavy British accent.
"On the bright side," replied the first, "you did still get to fight Skylanders."
"Yeah!" said another a new voice, which just sounded like the first voice raising his pitch. "And who doesn't love fighting pesky Skylanders? I know I do!"
There was a sound that sounded like a smack. "What have I told you about that bloody puppet?!" the Englishman growled. "Put it away and keep it away!"
"Rude!" the first voice exclaimed.
Wisp glanced through the grate to get a better look at Kaos's minions. She saw something she wasn't expecting. She didn't like what she saw.
"As soon as this is over," the Englishman said, "I'm going back to Kaos's bloody castle and showin' him who's really in charge..." He gnashed a set of dagger-like teeth, glared with lazer-like eyes. "...because it sure as hell ain't him."
"Wolfgang," Whisper Elf gasped.
|| And, cliffhanger that will never be resolved. Sorry about that.
Anyway, that was Skylanders Short Stories, I guess. Wow, this is... actually kind of bittersweet. I can't believe the original Skylanders Short Stories is freaking dead. I mean, yes, it still lives on in the reboot, but my writing is so much different now than it was back then, it's practically a completely different series. Oh, well. The past is in the past, right? Besides, even if it does hold nostalgic value for me, the original Skylanders Short Stories series is complete trash and I'm not proud of it.
I suppose we'll round this out in the last bout of credits. ||