A Note from the Author: Hm, this is shorter than I expected... Most of this was written late last year, then I got stuck on fighting Robo-Pirates and didn't come back to it until now. So the majority of this chapter won't be as good as some of my more recent stuff, such as the most recent chapter of Hide-and-Seek. The high-quality stuff, the part I wrote today, starts at Murfy's dialogue and goes to the end.

There's a major issue with present tense vs. past tense in the first few paragraphs; hope you don't mind.

As always, reviews are highly appreciated and will be read thoroughly. So please review after reading.

Rayman 2: The Great Escape and Rayman 2: Revolution are (c) UbiSoft

Chapter 5: Facing Fears

The Fairy's Glade is not a glade at all, but everybody calls it one anyway. It is actually a province in the Kingdom of the Teensies that surrounds the Fairy Council, a mystical mountain that held the Heart of the World. The Fairy Glade, as it is typically called (most didn't consider it owned by the fairies, but rather the ludivs), has an odd feeling of mystique to it. I guess in actuality it is a glade, though in truth it is a forest with many small glades within it. The Fairy Glade has been renowned for its beautiful night sky and how the forest seems to turn purple and turquoise at night. Many fairy tales have been made about the Fairy Glade.

Since the arrival of the Robo-Pirates, however, the Fairy Glade has become vacant. Once full of Teensies (for the Teensie capital lay just within the Fairy Council's walls), bustling villages, and a booming resort business, the Fairy Glade now held nothing but empty forests, burned down villages, prison facilities, and a large fortress standing on the edge of a cliff. Few animals remained in the forest, apart from frogs, fish, and a few birds. Many fish, though, were chased out by piranhas, which the pirates dumped into the Iron River.

Rayman felt the remaining mystique, however, when he arrived at the end of the tunnel. He found himself at a small pond with an island at the center, connected to the mainland by a wooden bridge. The pond and the surrounding land was walled in by rocks and boulders impossible to climb. An enormous tree branch stretched out across the pond perpendicular to the tunnel. Across from Rayman, on the other side of the pond there was a bit of a hill with a wooden gate blocking off entry into the interior of the wall. To the left and right of the gate were two young Glutes, who Rayman recognized as Globox's children. They spotted Rayman and cheered. "Rayman, come over here!" one yelled across the lake. "We have something to tell you!"

Rayman sighed. "Why did it have to be a pond?" he asked himself. "Why not something less wet?" Hesitantly he inched towards the pond, closed his eyes, braced himself, and dropped into the pool. Muscles all tense, he slowly got himself across the pond and onto the other side. He breathed heavily as soon as he got on the dry grass and shook himself dry. "Rayman, are you alright?" one of the Glutes asked, hurrying over to him.

"Uh, yeah," Rayman reassured. "I'm just... Well, I'm afraid of water," he embarrassedly explained.

"Oh, is that all? You had me worried for a minute, monsieur!" the Glute laughed. "We're two of Globox's kids, if you didn't guess that already."

"Yeah, I guessed. What... What are you kids doing here? This... This is enemy territory!"

"Well, we saw Ly being taken away by some pirates. We wanted to be like Daddy and rescue Ly, so we followed those bad guys. We couldn't get far, though, 'cuz they were big meanies and shut this gate!"

"This gate goes to the fortress?" Rayman frustratedly panted. "Of... Of all the rotten... Rotten luck..."

"Are you following Ly too?" the other Glute asked, walking down to join in the conversation.

"Yes... I'm following her too... Oh come on, Rayman, get yourself together," Rayman added as a bit of encouragement. He collected himself and stood tall. "Yes, kiddies, I'm off to save Ly. Haven't you any idea how to open this gate? Any idea at all?"

"Yep," the second Glute said proudly. "There's a way. I was watching those pirates, and to close the gate they shut that big red switch over there." The Glute pointed up to a large black device against the cliff, right above the giant branch. It had a large red flipper switch pointing downwards. "As soon as the switch pointed down, the gate shut. We tried to outsmart them by using the large bouncy mushroom on the island over there, but we were too small to reach the vines underneath the branch. I'm pretty sure the branch reaches over the wall, there must be some way beyond there to get on top of that branch!"

Rayman smirked. "You're pretty smart for a kid. Thanks for the tip. I think I may just see if you're right!"

"Super," the Glute exclaimed. "We'll be waiting!"

"Yeah, we'll be waiting!" the first Glute chimed in.

Rayman waved good-bye and leaped from the hill. At this altitude, he decided that by spinning his hair like a helicopter he could parachute down all the way to the island in the middle of the pond. He rolled in the air and swished his head around. They almost immediately rotated into a helicopter and Rayman slowly descended onto the island. It was a strange ability, helicopter hair. He had learned it from Betilla in the Band Land country. Oh how he missed Betilla... The Baby Globox's idea was a great success, and the bouncy mushroom sprung Rayman right up into an overhanging branch. He grabbed the vines hanging from it to avoid hitting his head, and started crossing the underside of the branch towards an outcropping ledge underneath the switch. He dropped onto the ledge, just nearly missing it, and tip-toed into a nearby tunnel.

The tunnel brought him out on the other side of the boulder wall, deep in the woods. A river, presumably the same one that fed the glade's pond, flowed from here into another tunnel. Rayman cringed as he looked at a sign sticking out from the water. A big picture of a piranha was plastered onto it; that was the universal sign for piranha-infested waters. He peered into the water, and just barely got out of the way before a piranha came leaping out of the water to catch him. There was a tunnel above the river leading back through the boulder wall, and Rayman guessed it was the path to the switch as well. Looking across the river, he could see ledges sticking out of the wall like stepping stones, which could allow him to climb up to the tunnel.

Fortunately, Rayman didn't have to swim across the river. Giant green lilypads floated on the water's surface. Rayman cautiously poked one along the water's edge with his foot. It seemed sturdy enough. Taking a deep breath, Rayman stepped onto the lilypad. It bounced in the water slightly under his weight, but didn't sink. "So far so good," Rayman muttered under his breath. He hopped onto another lilypad, floating in the middle of the river. He began moving across the lilypad to jump onto a third. Suddenly a large piranha jumped out of the water and over the lilypad, almost nailing Rayman in his side. It splashed into the water and turned around, but Rayman took this brief pause in its movements to run across the lilypad and jump onto the third one, which harbored itself along one of the wall ledges. Rayman paused to take a quick look back. He had escaped the clutches of the Robo-Pirates, and yet he now found himself on the attack once again. The other side of the river, the one he had come from, was the path to safety. And the side he now stood at was the path to revolution.

At the top of the boulder wall, Rayman briskly walked through the tunnel and back out into the clearing where he had met the Glutes. He stood atop the very branch he had used to get to the river, and against the wall was the red switch. He didn't even need to get close to it; just shooting a Magic Fist was enough to flip the switch. As soon as the switch was flipped, the gate near the Glutes opened.

After making his way down to the gate, Rayman thanked Globox's children for their help and ran into the tunnel the gate had sealed. He didn't wander far before the ground became muddy and slippery. Rayman lost his balance and slid down a muddy slope, all the way down until he reached ordinary grass and dirt. A bit dazed, Rayman got himself up and tried in vain to brush the mud off of himself.

By now the blue sky had become orange, and the planet's two suns began their final hours before sinking beyond the horizon. In the fading light Rayman looked out upon a small oil refinery. "That shouldn't be there," he murmured to himself with disgust. The refinery was poorly built and appeared to have been put together recently. Pirate-made, two large pumps on its roof spewed oil and sludge into the Iron River. "No wonder there are so many piranhas," Rayman remarked, taking note of the Piranha Sign nearby. "They're the only things that could be capable of living in such filth!" Above the refinery's pumps, Rayman spotted a hole leading into the Glade's forest and out of the clearing. The refinery appeared to be abandoned, so Rayman crossed a bridge and entered. Very quickly (for which Rayman was glad; the refinery smelled terrible) Rayman found a door leading onto a veranda he could use to access the hoke. He jumped onto one pump, and then the next, and then hurried into the forest; as terrible as the refinery was, it would have to wait.

-

After a few hours crossing the forest, Rayman turned a corner and stopped in his tracks. He had arrived at the top of a cliff, overlooking miles of forest, mountains, and swamp down below. Two full moons shone against millions of stars in the dark night sky. Their light cast onto a large wooden fortress at the edge of the cliff, which in turn cast a menacing shadow on the rest of the clifftop. Rayman shuddered, but it wasn't the cold wind that made him do so. The fortress, he knew, was holding Ly captive. He could only guess as to what terrible things the Robo-Pirates were doing to her inside. Hopefully, he thought, they weren't doing to her what they did to Betilla.

As the wind picked up, he noticed a Robo-Pirate guard watching from the top of the fort. It hadn't seen him yet, but if Rayman were to get any closer it would surely sound the alarm. Getting into the fortress would be even trickier than avoiding the guard. Rayman was at a loss as to what he should do. He couldn't find any other way into the fortress. The only way in was via the front door.

Memories soon returned to him. He had seen a front door just like this one. It was at one of the Robo-Pirate Fortresses in Band Land. He had tried so hard to get in; if it weren't for Globox and Betilla, he probably wouldn't have made it in at all. He remembered what happened when they broke in. Millions of Robo-Pirates were waiting for them. It had been a trap; Admiral Razorbeard himself had planned it. He remembered how they seized Betilla. How they took her away, ignoring her screams as they electrocuted her into submission. He remembered all too much. The governor of Band Land, held at point blank. Betilla's final pleas for help before finally being knocked out. The destruction of the Buddhist Sanctuary at Gong Heights, all who lived there dying in a burning inferno. He remembered how much of a failure his whole attempt was.

How ironic it was, then, that he'd yet again find himself trying to figure out how to get into a Robo-Pirate Fortress so soon. This time, though, he wasn't going to have any help. He'd have to do it alone.

Rayman was beginning to lose all hope for getting into the fortress when he noticed a small pile of wooden boards on the ground near the fortress. They were patched together, as if covering up some hole. It wasn't much, but it was Rayman's only hope. He took a deep breath, and ran out into the open. The Robo-Pirate saw him almost immediately and began lobbing flaming kegs of gunpowder from the top of the fortress. The first one hit the ground dangerously close to Rayman; he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the explosion. "Looks like this guy's a good shot," Rayman huffed as he continued to run. "But that'll only make this easier, I hope." Rayman stopped running. He stood atop the pile of wooden boards and waited. The Robo-Pirate reacted just as he had predicted; it launched a barrel straight at him. Rayman dove away from the pile as the keg impacted with the boards and decimated them. Where the boards had been there now was a hole in the ground. Rayman had nowhere else to go, so he closed his eyes and jumped into it.

-

Rayman didn't have far to drop. Within seconds he landed on cold stone pavement, a small bit of solid ground in what looked to be a sewer system. It was a small, dark room, with a river of green, polluted water flowing through one grate to the other, dividing the room. The water smelled terrible, making the entire room smell like the interior of a compost heap. The river was too wide to jump across, but Rayman located a few barrels floating in the water that he could use as stepping stones. He jumped from barrel to barrel, all the way across to the other side of the river. Looking up, Rayman saw that there was indeed a balcony of the fortress above him, beside two ducts dropping more barrels into the water. The only way up was a sturdy spiderweb. Rayman took a deep breath and climbed up the web, hoping a barrel wouldn't hit him and knock him into the water.

Successfully arriving at the top of the chamber, Rayman was delighted to find a doorway leading into the fortress. Peeking inside, the coast looked clear, except for a single Robo-Pirate sleeping at the top of another balcony. Behind the pirate was a large red switch, and underneath the balcony was a staircase leading downstairs. The staircase was blocked by an electric wall, which Rayman guessed was being operated by the switch. The only way to go without waking the snoring robot was to the left.

Sneaking his way through the halls, Rayman discovered a staircase leading up to the same floor as the sleeping Robo-Pirate. Cautiously, he crept up the stairs. Every sound the wooden steps made caused him to cringe. It would be bad news if that sleeping Robo-Pirate went on the alert. At the top of the stairs was a small galley, with pots and pans hanging from the ceiling and an old-fashioned stove sitting in a corner. Rayman was about to creep into a nearby room when a familiar Greenbottle flew out from behind one of the pans. The limbless hero was about to greet his comrade when Murfy quickly put his hand over Rayman's mouth.

"Shh, Rayman!" Murfy whispered. "Try to be careful; there's some Robo-Pirates on patrol very nearby. I've been waiting for you. I'll explain how I got here later; right now, I have to prepare you to battle those pirates. You remember the training we did with the scarecrow?" Rayman nodded carefully. "Well, fighting these pirates will be just like fighting that scarecrow, except these guys shoot back."

"Alright; I'm going in," Rayman announced. He began to cross the galley when Murfy flew in front of him, blocking his way.

"Just be careful, alright? Don't forget, they've defeated you before. If they get you again, they'll probably skip prison and move right on to execution."

"Last time was a fluke. I'm prepared this time."

"So you think. Just remember, Robo-Pirates aren't just dumb robots; they learn and adapt to your fighting style. Whatever they did to catch you last time they'll be twice as skilled at this time around. But the guys in here are low ranking infantry, so you should be okay... If you use your common sense."

"Alright, Murfy, but if you don't move I'll never get to them!"

"Oh, right..." Murfy fluttered out of the way and Rayman approached a door leading out of the galley. "I'll meet you outside the fortress," the Greenbottle called before his friend left.

Rayman had entered a sort of lounge. Across the room he could see a small hallway; at the other end slept the Robo-Pirate he had seen before. The switch lingered temptingly behind it, calling Rayman towards it with a crimson light. But he was smarter than that, and didn't like the emptiness of the room. It didn't seem right. He began to cross it with his fists held high in the air, ready to launch a Magic Fist at the first sign of movement.

Suddenly, a Robo-Pirate dressed in a green uniform jumped out from behind a couch and pointed his blaster-like hand at Rayman's head. The nozzle in the blaster lit a brilliant orange for a brief moment before a swirling ball of fire launched out of the pistol and hurtled towards Rayman's giant nose. It spun in the air, going in a straight line between the pirate and Rayman. Rayman threw himself to the floor and rolled out of the way; behind him, the blast shattered a vase. A voice that sounded like two rusty iron bars being rubbed against each other echoed from the grating in the robot's head. "HALT, INTRUDER!" it commanded, its words monotonous and artificial. When Rayman pulled his hand back for a Magic Fist, the Robo-Pirate launched another ball of fire from its pistol. It missed, but only barely; the blast grazed the side of Rayman's torso.

"You'll pay for that," Rayman growled. From his white glove he threw a small white orb of light at the Robo-Pirate; the impact caused its parts to rattle and shake. It fired another blast in retaliation, but Rayman was prepared this time and jumped over it. He threw another Magic Fist at the pirate. This time, the bolts and screws holding the Robo-Pirate together were knocked loose and the pirate collapsed in a heap of scrap metal.

Unfortunately, the battle woke up the Robo-Pirate by the switch. It was almost identical to the first, except it wore a purple uniform instead of a green one, marked with a single golden badge. Rayman was able to guess that the purple Robo-Pirate was a rank higher than the green one. The purple Robo-Pirate charged into the room and fired a ball of fire at Rayman. "That isn't going to get you anywhere, buddy," Rayman chuckled defiantly as he jumped over it. "Your friend here already found that out." He threw a Magic Fist at the Robo-Pirate, which caused its parts to jiggle slightly; not as much as the green one's, but jiggle all the same.

"DIE, INTRUDER!" the Robo-Pirate snarled as soon as it had its focus again. It pointed its blaster at Rayman, who instinctively prepared to jump. Just as the pirate fired, however, it leaped into the air. Rayman didn't catch his mistake soon enough, and jumped to avoid the blast. He was hit square in the chest and was knocked back into a wall.

"What in Polokus' name just happened?" he moaned. "I didn't know they could jump!" Murfy's words echoed in his head. Robo-Pirates aren't just dumb robots; they learn and adapt to your fighting style. "Oh boy... This is going to be a bit trickier than I thought."

The Robo-Pirate stood above Rayman with its blaster pointed straight at Rayman's forehead. "RISE, INTRUDER!" it ordered. Rayman slowly got himself up and rose his hands. "ANY LAST WORDS?" Rayman nodded.

"Yeah... This!" He slammed his hand onto the top of the Robo-Pirate's, denting it and causing the pirate to fall to the floor. "Hope I hit his motherboard," Rayman mumbled. "Otherwise things are going to get rough pretty soon..." He stumbled over the two collapsed Robo-Pirates and crossed the hall to the switch. With both hands he pulled the huge red flipper down, and he could hear the electric grid deactivating around the passageway below. Taking a deep breath, he jumped over the railing and onto the floor below, then ran down the newly-accessible staircase. "Don't worry Ly," he whispered under his breath, "I'm coming."