//------------------------------// // 8. Disco Inferno (1-4), part 1 // Story: Spike // by Garino //------------------------------// Cemetery, 2:00 AM As our two heroes left the area of bouncing fruit (or are tomatoes vegetables? I never could figure that out) and back to the hub, the video tape appeared before them. It now had a set of letters on the side, reading: RXZFKHVP "Passwords," Larry muttered. "I preferred it when they just recorded everything for you instead of making you remember." "What happened?" Spike asked. "Some idiot went and busted the original recorder," Larry replied. "Since then, it's been do it yourself recording." There was a moment of silence. "...anyway, on to the next area!" "You got it!" Spike said enthusiastically. He pulled out the remote, hit the power button, and followed the light to the next coffin TV. You know the drill by now. ___________________________________________________________________________ Instead of being in a graveyard, the two were in an underground catacomb. One that had apparently not been traversed in a long time. "Ok, will someone PLEASE call the maids?" Larry asked aloud. Spike didn't even have time to ask where in Celestia's name that line came from when a fireball shot at his feet. He looked around for the source, but all he saw was a candle on the other side. He would've dismissed it as just that, had it not become the upper half of a demon and fired another fireball at him. Spike dodged the second shot and swung his tail at the flame. He missed, though, and received the third shot right in the chest. He rolled to the side to avoid any other attacks, when Larry waved his hand and pointed down a pit. "Grab on to the side and climb down here! There might be something we can use to extinguish that flame!" the apparition announced. Struggling, Spike ran over to the pit and dug his claws into the side. Thankfully, the candle monster couldn't fire his fireball well enough to hit Spike where he hung. Easing down the pit, both of them heard Jeff's chainsaw revving up. When they looked, however, the humanoid looked different. Instead of the white masked, red shirted, blue jean killer they were used to seeing, he had on a red mask, a green shirt, and matching pants. In their favor, thankfully, he didn't notice the dragon above him. And Spike capitalized on that fact. He let go of the wall and landed tail-first on the enemy's head. The beast fell over, as if dead. Spike turned his back to find anything to help with his fire problem when the revving began again. He was about to turn around when Larry yelled, "Don't turn, just RUN!" Spike followed orders, running until a de-rez pool cut him off. He looked for something, ANYTHING to get him to the other side. To his greatest relief, the ceiling was close enough for him to jump up and dig his claws into. He crawled to the other side of the pool and dropped onto the ledge. Turning, he saw the recolored Jeff, alive and kicking. But how?!? Spike thought. My tail connected with his head! It should have defeated him! Even worse, the new Jeff did something neither Spike nor Larry had seen any enemy do thus far. He jumped. Right across the de-rez pool and onto the ledge, right in front of Spike. This is where one would get worried. If you thought you had lost someone who was pursuing you and they wound up catching up, how would you feel? Yeah, Spike wasn't feeling too hot, either. Jeff, instead of slicing the purple dragon in half, elected to punch him, launching him all the way across the impromptu arena. Spike was losing consciousness. One more hit like that, and he'd be meeting the reapers again. A light flickered in front of him, shining on a blue gem. "A sapphire...these always made awesome desserts," Spike mumbled. Without even thinking, he gnawed on the gem. Just as tasty as before. With a hint of cold. Cold...wait, if the ruby granted him fire, would the sapphire...? Spike fought with his body, standing up, despite its cries of not wanting to move. He turned to the humanoid maniac, took in a deep breath, and exhaled. Just as he thought, a lump of ice shot out of his mouth and stopped his enemy cold. (Yes, the pun was intended) He tail-whipped the new sculpture, which shattered and sent Jeff away in a burst of static. "I...I don't even..." Larry's brain quit functioning. He wasn't used to an enemy that survived more than one shot. Yeah, there were some enemies, but none in the cemetery. "You ok there? You're not the one fighting them, y'know," Spike reminded him. "Yeah, but...it still doesn't make it easier, especially since I've never seen him like that." "So Jeff ju-" "No. We don't call this one Jeff. He reminds me of...Rick." "Rick?" "Yeah. Looks like I'll have to tell you more about my world. But for now, how about we ice the flame?" Spike rolled his right arm in response. If this was what he was in for, he was in for one long area. ______________________________________________________________ Ice makes an awesome breath attack, Spike thought. He could stop any enemies and destroy them before they knew what hit them. Even better, some made a nice platform so he didn't have to waste energy climbing up a wall. That was actually a nice benefit, because he could've sworn his claws were getting dull. Upon crossing another de-rez pool, Larry noticed something unusual. There were two fly coins above the pool, but no way to get them without dropping into it. If memory served him right... "Hey, Spike. You're probably gonna hate me for this suggestion, but get those coins," Larry said. Spike raised an eyebrow. "What," he stated flatly. "Yeah. Jump in and grab the coins." "Didn't you tell me that jumping into de-rez pools is a no-no? Amethysts aren't really easy to come by." "Trust me on this. You will NOT die this time, and it will get you 3 more of those gems. And if it doesn't...um...what could I do if I'm wrong?" "Rest in peace?" "Fair enough. But if I'm right, you have to admit it." Spike sighed. He went through a mental checklist of the dumbest things he'd ever done in his life. And this is about to top every single one of those things combined, he thought. He swung his arms and silently counted. One. Two. THREE! He jumped into the pool and grabbed the two coins. However, nothing happened to him. He wasn't back in Gary's home. He wasn't still swimming in the pool. Somehow, he was on solid ground. "Follow the sound of my voice," Larry said. Spike did just that. He walked when told to walk. He jumped when commanded. He even shot an ice ball above him to eliminate a Candle Demon waiting to get the drop on him. With one final jump, Spike could finally see the cemetery again. And, just as Larry had promised, there were 3 amethysts: one on each side of him and one where the Candle Demon resided a moment ago. He took all three of them and placed them in a pocket. When he turned to continue, he came face-to-face with a grinning ghost. "Well? What do you say?" he asked, with a bit of a jerkish tone. "Alright, I'll admit it. You were right. Again."