Cryptic investigation

Chapter Nineteen – Reflections

Later in the evening, Rudy and Penny returned to ChalkZone through Penny's chalkboard. The place seemed oddly quiet as they stepped down through the portal, careful not to aggravate any of their injuries. Apart from the silence, however, nothing seemed amiss, and they hoped Biclops had managed to stop the dangerous drawings that had been roaming the surrounding areas since that morning.

Rudy still felt exhausted as he worked on drawing them a mode of transportation, knowing that they needed to talk to Biclops immediately and make sure that the citizens of ChalkZone would be safe from the vicious drawings that Newland had created. He would have talked to the Chalk Mine's guardian earlier, but he and Penny had first had to make an excuse for their injuries, knowing that they wouldn't have been able to hide them from their parents for long. They'd had to hide them for a little while, as well as the damage to Penny's glasses, until they convinced their parents to let them ride their bikes together. Penny had made up a story about how they'd taken their bikes to the outskirts of Plainville and during the trip, Rudy had fallen down a rocky slope somewhere near the quarry and cut his arm on the rocks. Due to the fact that, aside from the marks from Dooth's claws, there were multiple new scrapes and cuts from when he'd fallen in the mine when their car had crashed, Penny had noted that it looked like they could pass it off as being badly scraped by rocks. Luckily, although his parents had seemed a bit perplexed by how the injury had ended up so severe, they had believed the story after Penny's explanation. Penny's broken glasses and limp were easily explained as having fallen off her bike while trying to get to Rudy, and though they had been told not to go to that area again and knew they would be in some amount of trouble, they were both simply glad they had managed to explain things relatively smoothly.

Getting on the newly drawn scooter, the two of them headed quickly to the Chalk Mine. Upon arriving, they set the scooter at the Amazin' River's edge and headed toward the entrance. The sight of the damaged mountain was still shocking and distinctly unfamiliar, and Rudy made a mental note to himself to redraw the damaged walls as soon as possible after they'd made sure the Zoners were safe and checked on Snap.

Walking into the main chamber of the mine, they could still see the remains of Snap's trap hanging from the ceiling, as well as the cage Newland had imprisoned them in several hours ago. The ground was covered with the debris from the fireworks, and Rudy brushed some aside with his foot as he came to a halt. "Biclops?" he called, wondering if the giant was in the mine after all or if he was still trying to round up Newland's drawings. As they waited for a response, Rudy peered ahead and saw that the tunnel in the back of the cavern had been widened drastically, the cage containing the dragon gone. He paused to wonder where exactly they had taken it, and planned to ask Biclops when they found him.

"I don't think he's here," Penny said after they'd waited a few minutes, hesitant to venture into the tunnels after everything that had happened recently. "Maybe we should check the hotel."

Rudy nodded. They had been planning to do just that immediately after talking to Biclops, and now that he thought of it, it was possible that Biclops had gone there if he was finished dealing with all the hostile creatures. If he wasn't, then Rudy thought he ought to help him, even though he wasn't quite sure how well he'd be able to draw in a dangerous situation; after all the threats had passed, he'd noticed that the pain in his arm was a great deal worse.

They turned and left the mine, passing by the broken remains of the sign that usually hung above the entrance, and were headed toward the river when they suddenly noticed that Biclops was approaching along the river's edge.

"Biclops!" Rudy shouted, running over to him, Penny following a bit more slowly due to her leg injury. "Is everything-"

"Newland's drawings have all been rounded up," Biclops stated tiredly before Rudy could finish. "At least, as far as we know. Several Zoners are still keeping a lookout, but-"

"And the dragon?" Rudy interrupted.

"Taken to the facility I told you about before," Biclops replied, and Rudy breathed a sigh of relief.

He had told Biclops earlier, before they'd gone back to their own houses in the Real World, about how they had stopped Newland and his associates from exposing ChalkZone and taken back the stolen magic chalk. He was glad that, at last, all the terrible dangers threatening ChalkZone for the past week and a half were gone, or would soon be. All that was left to do was to wait and make sure there were no more rogue Newland drawings around. He hoped that at least some of those creatures could become harmless, as Cerberus had, but at the moment he wasn't sure what would become of them in the long run. He knew they were probably being held in a jail or some other confined area somewhere. As he thought about it, he wondered about the place the dragon was being contained, and if it would be strong enough. He decided against asking, however, knowing that Biclops wouldn't have allowed it to be taken there if it couldn't contain the creature. Though satisfied with that knowledge, he was still curious about the whole thing. "Where exactly is that place they took the dragon to?" he asked out of curiosity.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where it is, Rudy," Biclops replied, and, seeing that Rudy looked confused, he added, "It is a place that is kept secret from most Zoners, and I don't think they'd want me telling anyone else. But I promise you, it is safe."

Rudy nodded, putting the thoughts of the mysterious facility out of his mind. "And the other red chalk drawings?"

"Taken to a prison in another city," Biclops replied.

"Are you sure there aren't more roaming the tunnels?" Penny asked, sounding a bit worried.

"We rounded up several of them," the giant replied. "I do not believe there are any more, but if we find any, they will be taken to the same place as the others."

Rudy could finally feel relieved, glad that ChalkZone was now safe. The nightmare he had thought, just that morning, that he would not be able to prevent was gone. It was almost hard to believe. He and Penny quickly told Biclops goodbye, knowing that they needed to hurry and check on the hotel next, and they were soon headed swiftly toward the large building Rudy had drawn for the Zoners of ChalkZone City.

When they arrived, it was apparent that many of the Zoners who had fled the building after the incident on Monday night had returned, clearly knowing that it was safe again and, for many of them, knowing they had nowhere else to go. As they stopped their scooter in front of the massive structure, they could easily see several of them milling about outside or in the surrounding field, many looking worried or uncertain.

One of them, a black horse drawing, stopped his frantic pacing and lifted his head at the sight of them. "It's the Great Creator!" he shouted, instantly getting the attention of anyone who hadn't seen Rudy and Penny pull up by the building. At once, Zoners crowded around them, many of them asking frantic questions Rudy couldn't even begin to try to hear correctly among all the noise, let alone answer.

"Wait! Listen, everyone!" Penny cried, managing to instill silence after a few repeated shouts. "I understand you are all concerned, but rest assured that ChalkZone is safe from-"

"What about our houses?" a white rat cried. "The city's in ruin!"

"Look," Penny began, "I'm sure the rebuilding will start soon. Right now we need to make sure there aren't any more of Newland's creatures wandering the-"

"I thought you said we were safe!" a small cactus Zoner shouted, causing alarm to flicker through the crowd.

"If you stay here until we can be sure, you will be!" Rudy told them over the noise. He paused to glance over the heads of the nearest Zoners to see Cerberus sitting by the front of the building, all three heads pointed in different directions as he scanned the surrounding area for intruders. However, some of the Zoners didn't seem very reassured, and he realized that it was probably because they didn't have much of an idea of what was going on; he didn't imagine that Biclops had had time to tell anyone the whole story. "Listen!" Rudy cried, having to shout a few times before the surrounding Zoners quieted. "We'll do our best to help rebuild the city as soon as we can. As you all probably already know, the termites are gone. And the people threatening ChalkZone won't be drawing anything else like that." At these words, several of the Zoners turned to each other, most of them speaking in hushed whispers. "Biclops and some other Zoners are helping to stop the rest of Newland's drawings. Until we're sure they're all gone, you need to wait here at the hotel where it's safe."

Some of the Zoners around them looked astonished, while others reacted as if this wasn't much news to them. "How did you manage to stop them?" one asked, and Rudy knew that telling them the whole story would take time they didn't have. He and Penny had had to ride their bikes in order to make up the story about their injuries, so they hadn't been left with a large amount of time to check on ChalkZone before dinner.

"I'll explain everything later," he promised. "Or you can ask Biclops if he comes here again before I do," he added. One way or another, they'd find out the whole story soon enough.

A few more Zoners began asking questions, but luckily another, a tall stick figure, shouted loudly enough to be heard. "You heard what he said!" the Zoner cried as Rudy and Penny began backing away from the crowd. "We'll all find out everything soon enough. And for those of you who still don't think it's safe here, well, any dangerous animal that comes near here will be arrested the same as those other two!"

"Those other two?" Rudy questioned, turning toward him in surprise.

"Yes," the stick figure took a moment to say, "a big gray rat and a griffin who said they were working for-"

"That's Boorat and Dooth," Rudy replied incredulously. "What were they doing here?"

"It was this morning," said another Zoner, a black wolf. "They came by here talking about how we all needed to be ready to submit to their creators, but after they were taken away, Biclops said-"

"Wait a minute!" a third Zoner, a walking palm tree who looked like he'd just arrived in the middle of the commotion, shouted. "They said what?"

As several of them began speaking again, some of them obviously still uncertain about the whole thing, Rudy and Penny looked at each other, worried that the most vocal of the crowd would start an unnecessary panic. "Don't worry!" Rudy cried. "We stopped them. They won't be threatening ChalkZone again. That's for sure." At these words, most of the newly arrived Zoners seemed a great deal calmer, and the ones who had been more knowledgeable about the situation looked relieved as they glanced at the others. "Look, right now we need directions to the hospital that was set up nearby. Can anyone tell us where it is?"

Several Zoners immediately stepped forward or raised their hands, and for a moment there was only more confusion, until Rudy singled out one near the front of the crowd, the ant with the scooter Rudy and Penny had seen in the city when they had been searching for Snap during the time he had been kidnapped.

"I know where it is!" he stated excitedly as soon as Rudy pointed to him, raising one hand from the handles of his scooter.

"Good. Can you take us there?" Rudy asked.

The Zoner nodded, and to his relief, the others gathered around them backed off so he and Penny could reach their own scooter. "It's not too far away," the ant was telling them. "Come on, I'll show you!"

ooo

It wasn't long before Rudy, Penny, and the Zoner who had volunteered to guide them arrived at the temporary hospital. Stopping the scooter at the base of a large hill near the front of the structure, Rudy thought that it reminded him of the hospital they'd set up for the Santas when, on Christmas Eve, their sleighs had crashed due to a malfunction in the machine that guided them, only the hospital he was looking at now was much, much bigger. It was a large series of connected white tent-like structures, taking up a very big area of the field it had been set up in. Rudy was relieved to see that there were lookouts stationed around the area, each of them a Zoner that looked strong enough to stop any of Newland's creatures that might still be roaming about. Rudy was a bit surprised, and alarmed, that the place needed to be so big, and as he looked closer at the entrance, he realized there was a place outside, with a white piece of tent fabric stretched over it for shade, where other Zoners were waiting. It worried him that there were so many who were in need of medical care, and he began to feel guilty that he hadn't been able to stop Newland's drawings before he and his friends had encountered the man in ChalkZone or to do anything about the earthquakes.

"Well, there it is," the ant Zoner said, sounding a bit unnerved as well as he looked at the place. "I'd better be getting back."

"That's okay," Rudy replied. "Thanks for showing us."

The ant got back on his scooter and drove off, waving at them before disappearing over the hill. Rudy and Penny set aside their own mode of transportation and approached the hospital, passing by the group of Zoners who were waiting to get in. Rudy noticed that they all had relatively minor injuries; near the front of the line there was a kitten limping on three legs, a pineapple with a torn leaf, and a human sized weasel bleeding from claw marks on his leg. Seeing this, Rudy realized that this section of the hospital must be for treating minor wounds; he wasn't sure where the ones with severe injuries, like Snap, were being held.

As he approached the opening to the first tent, he was suddenly pushed aside by one of the nurses, a relatively small stegosaurus drawing in a white coat. "What do you think you're doing?" the Zoner demanded, giving the children an annoyed look. He briefly glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, seeming distracted. "You can't just barge in here and-"

"S-sorry," Rudy stated quickly, backing away from the entrance. "We're just trying to find where-"

"You," the stegosaurus stated, no longer paying Rudy any attention as he pointed his pen at the weasel. "Go in." The Zoner gave the nurse a relieved look and limped through the tent opening. The stegosaurus then walked in himself, flinging the tent opening closed.

"Maybe there's another place we can go in," Rudy suggested as he and Penny walked away, rounding the hospital in a circle to get a better look at the other sections. "That part of the hospital must be busy if there are so many Zoners waiting..."

Rudy watched sadly as a few more joined the line waiting outside. There hadn't been any time to stop more of the creatures before they'd stumbled upon Newland, though he felt he should have been back from the cave earlier. He knew, however, that in that instance at least, he had no way of knowing that they were in such danger.

Penny gave him a worried look. "Well, there must be someone who can at least explain to us Snap's condition and-"

"Wait, there's another entrance over there," Rudy cried as they rounded one of the tents and noticed another large section of the hospital on the opposite end from where they'd arrived, this one looking more like a main entrance than the one they had first assumed was. To their relief, they could see a few Zoners walking in and out of it, and it obviously wasn't one of the places where wounds were treated. It seemed entirely possible that Snap would be somewhere there.

As soon as they walked through the entrance and into the large tent, Rudy noticed that the main room seemed smaller than he'd first thought it would be. There were a few more Zoners waiting in this area, ones with more severe injuries than the others outside, but luckily there weren't many of them. Rudy could also see that the inside of the tent narrowed further on and was lined with makeshift "rooms" that he knew had to be where the injured Zoners were. Despite the size of the place, it didn't reach the size of a normal hospital, and the room spaces looked quite small. He made a note to himself to redraw the city's hospital first as soon as the tunnels underneath and around the city were filled in and it was safe to do so.

They approached the nearest worker, a yellow flamingo-like bird, and asked where Snap was. She looked momentarily confused before recognizing Rudy and instantly understanding who he'd meant.

"Oh, of course…Great Creator," she stammered, seeming a little nervous, and led them down the makeshift hallway lined with rooms.

As they hurried along, Rudy could see into a few of the rooms, seeing Zoners with various injuries from either the termite attack or the recent group of drawings, but he didn't get a good look as he had to walk at a very brisk pace to keep up with the speedy hospital worker. He could also see a few entrances into other tents, but he wasn't sure what any of them were for. The tent fabric kept out a lot of the DayZone light, making the place look a little eerie to him.

They passed through another large opening and into a smaller hallway with more rooms. They were led to one of the first ones and were told they needed to try to make their visit quick, and then the yellow flamingo hurried off to another area, presumably with some errand or another. After she'd left, Rudy and Penny looked hesitantly at each other before approaching Snap's room.

"Snap?" Rudy whispered, creeping into the small sectioned off place in the tent while moving aside a hanging sheet of tarp. He cringed at the sight of his friend lying on his side on a hospital bed that looked rather inexpensive. Penny followed Rudy up to the side of the bed, where Snap opened his eyes in response to familiar voices.

"Rudy?" he breathed, hardly able to comprehend his surroundings for a moment. He stared at Penny, as if confused by her appearance, until he looked to relax.

"Snap...how're you doing?" Rudy asked somewhat hesitantly, frowning with delicacy.

Snap cringed but managed to utter, "I'm alive."

Rudy exhaled through his nose. "We, uh...we defeated Newland. Terry and Vinnie too. We stopped them from exposing ChalkZone. They no longer have magic chalk, and they won't threaten us anymore." He decided not to go into more detail about how they'd stopped them yet, because Snap still looked fairly dazed, but it was clear that he believed Rudy as a look of relief crossed his face.

"Yes," Penny added, a little enthused, "it was thanks to your bravery that we were able to conceal the dragon behind walls of that green chalk."

"Yeah, Snap..." began Rudy, blinking a few times as a smile tested his face. "You saved us all."

Snap did not seem to register at first, and just gave a small frown. He seemed at a loss for what to say until he lightly chuckled, "Heh...couldn't let you...take the fall, Bucko."

"Yeah..." Rudy allowed his gaze to fall to specific spots of his friend covered in bandages that were results of all the damage he had sustained during the ordeal involving Newland and his associates. He stared at the bandages with newfound shock, reliving the memories of how the injuries came about. Time and again Snap had been beaten as a price for keeping his friends safe. That which Rudy had seen on his skin were only some of what he had been through, as Rudy understood that at least some portion of what he had endured was internal. He clenched his teeth as he came across the bandages on his arm and mentally pictured the gashes beneath them which Snap had been cursed with, unintentionally pairing it with the tears in the flesh along his back. His mind was thrown back to that incident, and again he witnessed the pained look on Snap's face. He recalled that Newland had targeted the Zoner because of Rudy, and the fact that he had forced both Rudy and Penny to watch as their friend was torn apart.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Snap had always been there when he needed him, through thick and thin, and never put himself before his best friend. There were several times Rudy could recall when Snap had been selfless enough to put himself in harm's way in exchange for the safety of those he cared about. And yet...Rudy felt that he had completely let his friend down in turn. Snap would not have had to go through all that he did if Rudy had just handed over the chalk to Newland. He had known all along that it was his only choice in the end, and the fact that he had only prolonged Snap's suffering with his stubbornness made his heart ache.

"Snap, I'm sorry," he blurted at once, earning confused looks from both the Zoner and Penny. They waited, clearly keen for answers, before Rudy opened his eyes to continue. "It was my fault that you were so badly hurt by Dooth and Boorat and...I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me."

"Rudy...what are you saying?" Penny questioned, rather bemused by her friend's odd confession.

Snap looked nearly as bewildered. "I don't know...what you're talking about."

"I should have just given Newland the chalk!" he exclaimed, tensing his arms. "Instead I just...refused, and for that you had to suffer." He glared at the ground, too ashamed to meet the eyes of the friend he had wronged. "I'm really...sorry."

"Rudy," Penny began sternly, turning her body to face him. She tried to catch his gaze, but he was not moving. "Rudy, you have nothing to blame yourself over. It was not you who wished for a monstrosity to be unleashed upon ChalkZone, and it was not you who issued those attacks on Snap." Her eyes wandered to their friend, who frowned in turn. "That was Newland."

"I know I didn't do it," Rudy told her, mulling the thoughts over in his mind. "It's what I didn't do, and what I could have done to prevent the worst from happening..." His eyes ran up Snap's form again, and he gritted his teeth harder, once again acknowledging that he had been the cause of his pain. "I should have just given him the chalk!"

"Rudy...listen to yourself," Penny told him gently after a number of moments. "You are blaming yourself for something that you had no control over."

"Yes, I di—"

"Newland probably would have hurt Snap anyway," she reasoned, and to that, Rudy's eyes slowly rose to meet hers. "He is an evil man. He was certainly in no rush to get to the Chalk Mine, so I am guessing that he would have had the time afterwards to "toy" with Snap...and, as he would put it... "teach you a lesson.""

Rudy stared at her for a moment before returning to Snap. "Still...I'm so sorry, Snap. I never...meant for you to get hurt."

"I know...Rudy," Snap responded weakly, producing a smile despite the situation. Rudy felt himself a little surprised. "It was the red chalk dragon's fault. And that...creepazoid, Newland."

Hearing it from Snap's mouth made Rudy feel somewhat better, but the feeling in his mind remained. He felt responsible for what happened to Snap, even if not completely. When Penny noticed this, she added, "If Snap doesn't blame you, then you shouldn't blame yourself. It's over now... Mr. Newland, Miss Bouffant and Mr. Raton are back in the Real World and they don't have any magic chalk." She gestured to Snap. "Snap is safe at a hospital and will soon start to recover..." She gave a sigh, worry slotted between her features. "Please stop blaming yourself for something that is not your fault."

Rudy considered her words once more, figuring that she was right: if Snap did not blame him, then he had no cause to blame himself. He was not sure if he would be able to move past such a heavy burden so quickly, but he would make an effort to try. He allowed a weak smile to grace his face. His friend was safe here, as were the other Zoners, and the danger had passed. "I'm...just glad it's over now."

"Me too," Snap responded with a smile.

ooo

Rudy and Penny could see the ruined city as they made their way back to Penny's portal. They both knew that repairing the damage would take a while, even with Rudy's ability to use the chalk. He could redraw the most important buildings, but not until the tunnels were filled in and the damage underground was fixed. For now, the city's inhabitants would have to make do with the temporary facilities they'd set up and the hotel Rudy had drawn for them. At least the Zoners were safe now, and not even Boorat and Dooth could cause trouble anymore. There had also been no sign of either Newland's red chalk drawings or his normal ones. Rudy fully realized that for the first time in what seemed like ages, he and his friends could finally rest.

Thinking of the city, he imagined that the repairs would start as soon as possible. Hopefully he would be able to begin redrawing buildings soon, and the Zoners could start to return to their normal lives. He was sure the citizens were already planning how to begin the repairs. Glad that he had done all he could for the moment, he turned and followed Penny back through the portal.

ooo

Looking over at where a small crowd of Zoners, steadily growing larger, was gathering, Rudy smiled as he and Penny helped a few of them to set up a large table. They were near the outskirts of ChalkZone City, near the section where the tunnels had been filled in already and the underground repaired. After the table was in the right position, Rudy began to draw more plates of food, glad that the cuts on his arm no longer hurt enough to hinder him much. It was a Saturday afternoon, and Rudy knew that he and Penny would have plenty of time to stay in ChalkZone that day. It was the perfect time for them to join the celebration.

It had only been about a week and a half since the incident with Newland and the red chalk, and Rudy was glad that, already, there had been great improvements to the damaged city. One portion of it had already been completely cleared of rubble, the damage underneath it repaired as well. This had allowed Rudy to draw back important buildings, such as the hospital and police station. In addition to that, he and Penny had spent quite a bit of time the past week working to draw new houses for all the Zoners who had been left homeless due to the termite attack. For those who hadn't lived in that section before and still wanted to live in the same area of the city that they originally had, Rudy had drawn nice apartments for them to stay in until the rest of ChalkZone City could be restored.

A few days ago, Rudy had also finally been able to make repairs to the Chalk Mine. Although he was unable to replace the damaged magic chalk, the mine otherwise looked as good as new, and there was certainly still enough chalk the dragon hadn't destroyed. After fixing the damage, he had given Biclops the book they'd found in the crystal cave, knowing that as the guardian of the mine, the section about the Chalk Mine would certainly be useful to him. Rudy had also managed to replace both his backpack and his parents' first aid kit when he and Penny had gone to a store that sold the exact same backpack and kit two days ago. Best of all, in the time that had passed since Newland's attempt to expose ChalkZone, there had been absolutely no threat from him, Raton, or Bouffant, and it was finally clear that the danger had passed. That, along with the start of the city's rebuilding, was the cause for the celebration.

As Rudy stopped to take a break from drawing preparations for the party, he glanced toward one of the early guests, a sixed winged dragonfly-like creature who had volunteered to help with setting up. Rudy remembered how this Zoner had originally been one of Newland's stray drawings created before the man had found the Magic Chalk Mine, and Rudy was glad that he, along with a few of the others, had managed to turn around and find new purposes for themselves, rather than follow the meaninglessly destructive patterns they had been created with. The insect Zoner waved to Rudy as he passed, carrying trays of drinks in three of his four hands.

The grassy outskirts near the city were covered with tables, more than enough for even all of the Zoners who lived in the city. The field where the celebration was taking place was also decorated with large numbers of balloons and streamers and all sorts of food and drink, many of which Rudy and Penny had never seen before, and realized that some of it could be specific to certain areas or types of Zoners. A large stage had also been set up at one end of the field near the city for Zoners who wanted to perform for the guests. Though Rudy knew that he and the rest of the city dwellers still had a lot of work to do, for now, they would be able to relax.

After Rudy had finished drawing, he and Penny headed away from the main celebration area and back to the vehicle Rudy had drawn earlier. Rudy was confident that Zoners could complete the last preparations without them, as they were doing quite well setting up themselves, and Rudy knew that the event would soon begin. He looked up as he approached the red truck he and Penny had used to help deliver supplies from one of the nearby towns, seeing Snap, who had come delivering with them but stayed in the vehicle until they returned, waiting for them in the back seat. After staying for over a week in the hospital, he had felt rested enough to leave during the day and accompany his friends. He was told to return during the night for regular checkups, and in case anything happened during his sleep which he might need immediate medical attention for. Rudy offered to drive him back and forth if he happened to be in ChalkZone at the time, or any other period when it was convenient. As Rudy waved to him, he scanned his friend's body, encountering the bandages again. He had blamed himself for what happened on more than one occasion, but his friends had convinced him otherwise. He knew now that pointing the finger at himself was illogical; he acknowledged that he was not to blame at all, which gave him a sense of peace.

Snap perked up as soon as he saw the other two approaching. "Is everything ready, Bucko?" he asked.

"Almost," Rudy replied. "It'll start soon. I thought before it did I could show you the new city buildings we completed while you were recovering. I know you saw some of them, but you never got a good look, right?"

"Nope," Snap responded simply, seeming happy with the idea.

"Yes," Penny agreed. "The repairs are coming along quite nicely. There has been a lot of progress even after a short time."

"Well, let's go, then," Rudy insisted with a smile, seeing Snap do the same.

Leaving the gathering group of Zoners, which was now rapidly growing much larger, the three headed off in their vehicle toward the part of the city that had been repaired. Snap felt relieved that he would finally be able to go back to his own house, as it had been in the part of the city that was now complete, so he knew he would be able to return to it and was quite eager to see it.

"So, ya fix all the houses yet?" Snap asked, resting his good arm on the side of the truck as he peered out at the newly constructed buildings.

"Most of them," Rudy replied. "Only part of the city is safe enough for that, but most of the Zoners didn't mind having their houses drawn or built in a new place. The others will stay in one of the hotels until the rest is rebuilt."

Snap shrugged, knowing that his house had been in the area that was now reconstructed, and thus he understood that it would be there waiting for him, and continued to look at the newly built section of the city as they passed by.

Rudy was glad that at least now the Zoners could await the rest of the repairs in comfort as well as safety. There was also plenty of food being brought in from other towns and cities, so no one needed to worry about supplies while most of the city was still in such a poor state. He had no doubt that, with all the Zoners helping, the rest of the city's renovation would move smoothly and quickly. As he looked at Snap, he could tell that his friend was impressed with what they had managed to fix so far.

As they skirted the city's edge and began approaching the shore of the Wait N' Sea, Snap grew a puzzled frown. "Uh, Rudy?" he began, turning away from the buildings to look at his creator. "You did draw back my house yet, didn't you? It wasn't where it used to be and I didn't see it back-"

"Yeah, I did," Rudy quickly interjected. He said no more, and gave a small smirk as he noticed his friend's look.

Snap still stared at him in puzzlement, minor annoyance etching itself into his features. Rudy gave a chuckle as they passed some buildings by the Wait N' Sea.

After passing a few more, a large building began to come into view. "Oh…what's that?" Rudy began, his voice not at all serious.

Snap could not figure out why his friend was speaking in such a manner until he laid eyes upon the building himself, noting that it was far larger than anything he had ever lived in. It was virtually a mansion, with interesting designs on the walls and a navy blue roof that was fashioned in a particularly elegant but fun manner. Surprisingly large wheels sprouted at its base, making Snap realize that it was mobile. He was impressed with the architecture from the outside, and could only wonder what the inside was like. "Nice house," he commented, switching back to Rudy.

Rudy grew a light frown, his peculiar smile still on his face, before he seemed to realize something. "Snap…that's your house."

"Wait…what?" the blue Zoner exclaimed.

"I drew it for you!" Rudy laughed gleefully, and immediately Snap's shock transformed into joy and delight.

"For me? Aw, you shouldn't have, Bucko!" Snap analyzed the building from where he was, leaning forward between the front seats as best he could without applying pressure to the injured places on his body. "Wow, Rudy! This is great!" he cried in amazement. When they pulled over, he got out of the truck along with the others and used his crutch to assist him in limping toward the house in order to further examine it. He was clearly pleased with it from a distance, and seeing it up close made him want to bounce about in excitement. His current state prevented such action, of course, but his repeated shouts of enthusiasm and merriment were enough to tell Rudy and Penny what Snap was feeling.

"You see," Rudy began, standing beside Snap and pointing to large wheel-like structures around the house's base, "I drew this house so you could move it. Anywhere you like. That way you won't have to keep moving to new houses," he added with a chuckle.

"We thought that would be a good idea," Penny added.

"Good idea? That's a great idea!" Snap cried in response, unable to keep his eyes off his new abode.

"If you want me to add anything," said Rudy, "just let me know! It'll be easy."

"Really? Thanks, Bucko!" he grinned. "Hmm…well, in that case, I think what this place needs is-"

Snap did not get to finish before a horn sounded, followed by a familiar voice calling to the trio. They all looked up to see half of Rapsheeba sticking out of the sunroof of a moving vehicle only a little while away, coming toward them. "Hey there, guys!" she called, and Snap beamed at her. "Snap, my man! You're out of the hospital! That's great."

"It's only temporary," he quickly told her, and then gestured to the house behind him. "Take a look at what Rudy drew for me!"

Rapsheeba nodded numerous times, clearly impressed with the establishment. "That's one nice crib you got there, Snap!" Snap grinned again and Rapsheeba turned her attention to Rudy. "Rudy, the celebration is about to start! You better get down there soon."

"Oh, well, I can finish this later," Rudy told Snap as he hurried back to the car.

"I guess my upgrades can wait," Snap reasoned, understanding that the party was of higher significance for the moment. He and Penny followed Rudy back to the truck and Rapsheeba sunk into her car through the sunroof.

They drove back to the celebration, noting the many guests who had already arrived. They were swarming the tables and surrounding equipment, interacting with one another and looking to be enjoying themselves. Rudy was a little surprised by the sheer number of Zoners – of all shapes, sizes and colors – but was happy to see that so many people had turned up.

After they exited their vehicle, they made the decision to wait around the tables until the celebration formally started. Rudy thought it would give Snap a good head start on the food, as he knew how many kinds there were and that they were supposed to be extremely delicious. On their way, Cerberus popped into view, which only made Rudy's smile brighten. "Cerberus!" he began upon spotting him, noting that the oversized dog's three heads flicked to him immediately. His great tail began to beat furiously at the sight of Rudy and his friends, snapping any sticks that were unfortunate enough to rest in its path.

Understanding that Cerberus could not abandon his post – no matter how much he seemed to want to – Rudy and Penny approached him with open arms. Cerberus leapt at Rudy and the boy called for him to stop before he was accidentally crushed, and although the great Zoner understood and made an effort not to step on him, one of his great heads began wildly licking his face. Unfortunately this included the rest of Rudy's body as well, and he was quickly drenched in slobber.

"Cer-Cerberus!" he laughed, wiping the gooey saliva off his body. "Stop, please!" Cerberus happily obeyed and sat back, his large tail sweeping the ground and anything on it.

"Good boy!" Penny praised, stroking his head. "You are doing so well as a guard dog."

"I suppose the police force assigned you to guard all these Zoners for the celebration in case one of Newland's animals happened to be roaming around?" Rudy questioned, having drawn a towel for himself. The dog creature let loose a thunderous bark of affirmation, which Rudy smiled at and nodded. When he had finished wiping himself down, he folded up the towel and placed it on the ground near a table close by. "Anyway, have fun guarding!" he told Cerberus, who closed his six eyes in glee.

After another short while, the celebration area was quite crowded, and a band had already begun playing on stage. The band members consisted of clams, and the vocalist, who was smartly-dressed, currently sang a song about his family. Rudy chuckled a bit at this and faced back to the table, which they had returned to after seeing Cerberus.

Seeing and smelling the marvelous arrangement of food in front of him made Rudy wish he was able to taste some of it. He was almost tempted to try some, but he knew it would only taste like chalk, and that was certainly enough for him to discard that idea instantly. Snap was certainly enjoying the food though, which made Rudy happy enough to see, even knowing he was not able to do the same. Occasionally he spotted Zoners he personally knew, but it was so crowded that it was hard to keep track of anyone as they moved from table to table. He shrugged, figuring that they would not have been able to hear him over the volume of the band combined with the countless conversations happening around him anyway.

"Well, it certainly seems like everything is going back to normal," Penny stated contentedly as she watched the performing band on the stage a little ways away from where they were sitting.

Rudy nodded, remarking that he was glad there hadn't been a great deal of trouble from the drawings that had been terrorizing the citizens when Newland first erased them. "Even if some do turn up, we have Cerberus to help fend them off."

"Are you gonna perform on stage?" Snap asked Rapsheeba.

"O' course! I wouldn't miss a chance to perform," she replied, saying it as if the answer was expected. "Though I'm waiting until after the Clamtastic Family performs."

Although Snap was excited that she was a scheduled act for the celebration, he found himself a bit dismayed at the fact that he wouldn't be able to help her with the performance in any way; he couldn't even help set up while his arm was in a sling and he needed his usable one to operate his crutch. It made him feel somewhat useless. "I wish I could have helped," he muttered with a sigh.

Rapsheeba only gave him a look of amused perplexity. "Are you serious?" She held her mouth open in a grin before she chuckled again. "You just helped save the whole of ChalkZone! If that's not helpful, then I dunno what is." At these words, Snap felt himself brighten a little. When he did not look entirely convinced, Rapsheeba continued, "I wouldn't be standin' here if you weren't as noble as you are." He released his frown and suddenly felt a little silly.

"I guess you're right!" he exclaimed in triumph.

"Besides, I got the rest of the crew to help set up," Rapsheeba informed him, eradicating the last of his doubt.

"I think I want to start workin' on my comic again," Rudy told Penny. "Once we get more of the city fixed, I mean. I came up with a better way to start it and I'm confident about it this time round. I really don't think Newland knew what he was talking about," he added with a small laugh.

Penny shared his amusement. "Not at all."

Rudy wasn't paying much attention when the band's songs finished, as he had been talking to his friends during the majority of their performance. The surrounding noise of chatter and mirth distracted him from noticing at first, but when he did, he wondered if it was Rapsheeba's turn.

Suddenly a celadon rectangular Zoner approached him, excitement coating his simplistic face. "Rudy!" shouted Blocky, whom Rudy found himself beaming at.

"Blocky!" he responded in turn, happy to see him but a little perplexed as he noticed his overly excited state. "What's going on?"

"They want you up on stage!" Blocky exclaimed, his voice filled with jollity. "To thank you for saving ChalkZone!"

"Huh? I…well…okay," he stammered as several Zoners crowded around the table at once, grinning at him and encouraging him to accept the gratitude. Two husky dog Zoners, one black and white and the other silver and white, nudged him to his feet, each wearing excited expressions. He left his equally surprised friends as he was led up to the stage which was now empty except for several banners relating to Clamtastic Family, and a few remaining props, which were hurriedly taken off the platform as he approached. It was then that he noticed that Biclops was standing nearby, smiling at him.

Once he had been taken up on the stage, Rudy truly noticed just how many Zoners were there. It had to be the entirety of ChalkZone City that was gathered in the fields, and he suddenly felt a spike of stage fright lodge itself into his body. Everyone was looking at him admirably, and he fully realized that, before he had managed to stop the termites, they had probably believed that there was no way to exterminate them and had been fearing for not only their individual lives, but the entirety of ChalkZone. Every speck of their hope had rested on his shoulders, and they entrusted all the faith they could muster to him. He had vowed to himself not to let them down every day as he strived to think of a new tactic, a new way to keep the world he loved safe from harm, and he had stayed true to that promise. With the help of his trusted and brave friends, he had succeeded and the citizens of ChalkZone were thankful that their belief in him did not go to waste.

Rudy wasn't sure what he had been brought there to do or say, but before he could wonder for long, a Zoner Rudy didn't recognize grabbed the microphone. The stick figure Zoner, who Rudy figured was a ChalkZone City inhabitant, tossed his long, shaggy hair back and pulled up his jeans, which looked to be falling down at the hips. "Okay, all you dudes and dudettes! Listen up, because today, what I have to say represents all of us ChalkZone citizens!" the stick figure yelled, enthusiasm in his casual, deep voice. "We're here today to celebrate someone who's always helped us out in the past." He looked to Rudy and gave him a thumbs-up, which Rudy returned half-heartedly. "He's one cool dude. And this is one really cool celebration. And, y' know, it's cool that we're not all dead. Those super deadly termites were, like, destroying our city… They tore up our homes and wrecked what we spent several lifetimes building. They wanted to destroy us too, and they almost did. But they were stopped. Then those other creators invaded our homeland and threatened everybody here…" He singled out audience members as he pointed dramatically, holding the microphone on its stand with his other hand. "You…and you. And yes, little lady, even you. But there was someone who wasn't going to stand for that. So those phony creators were stopped and they are no longer a threat to us. And you know what? We owe that to this little dude here. Rudy Tabootie…our Great Creator!" He swung outwards, holding an arm out to signal to Rudy.

Roars of approval erupted from the crowd, with accompanying shouts and hoots of joy. The Zoners cheered, several whistles and positive messages being thrown his way in the process.

Rudy stood in shock, overwhelmed by the appreciation that the Zoners were sharing with him. They had often praised him whenever he managed to save them from a threat, but he had never been in the presence of such a large number who were so grateful to him. Once again he acknowledged the sheer magnitude of what he and his friends had managed to do. It wasn't even just these Zoners, the city dwellers, whom they had saved, but the whole of ChalkZone as well—the citizens and the land itself. They had not only preserved the world's secret, but had managed to put a permanent stop to the destruction Newland and his partners had brought about as well.

Suddenly snapping out of his momentary trance, Rudy reached for the microphone being held by the stick figure who had made the announcement, who was still clapping for him. "W-wait a minute!" he cried, and after a moment the applause and cheers died down, and he could see the Zoners closest to the stage looking at him curiously. "I appreciate all this, but…it wasn't just me!" he called, his voice ringing through the silence. "My friends…Penny and Snap…well, they helped just as much, and I think you should be thanking them just as much as me. Believe me, they deserve the same amount of gratitude as I do. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten very far. And without either of them…I wouldn't be standing here now." He vividly remembered the times when both Penny and Snap had saved his life during their adventures, as well as the fact that there had been no way he would have been able to stop the dragon on his own. Their emotional support had been greatly valued as well, which Rudy had certainly needed on multiple occasions.

The crowd exploded with just as much applause and supportive hoots as Penny came up, Rapsheeba helping Snap along the way. Penny was a little bewildered at first before she breathed out her nervousness and broke into a smile, feeling the influx of support she was getting from those around her. While Snap made his way up, Rudy decided to use the microphone again.

"I would also like to say a big thank-you to Biclops, whose help we couldn't have gone without. So…give it up for him too!" In response, the Zoners only increased their volume and Rudy waved to the mine's guardian, signaling for him to come onto the stage. Biclops obliged and stood beside Rudy. Rudy handed him the microphone and the guardian began to make a speech.

While Biclops explained the premise of Rudy's adventure and the shortened story of how the boy and his friends managed to complete their quest and succeed, Rudy scuttled to the edge of the stage and waited until Snap arrived. "Come on!" he whispered, and collectively, he, Rapsheeba and Penny helped their friend onto the stage. When they approached Biclops again, who was still talking, the crowd resumed their cheering. Biclops gave a chuckle in the middle of his speech, turning to the three as Snap lifted the arm not in his sling while his armpit held the crutch in place, and broke out into a wide grin.

Rapsheeba took the microphone from Biclops and gave a quick speech of her own before she mentioned that she had written a song for the occasion which was dedicated to Rudy, Penny and Snap and their success at saving ChalkZone. The trio was ecstatic with the news of a song written in their name, and were all invited to the first row of the crowd to watch their friend perform.

"Well, guys..." Rudy began as they watched on, all smiling at one another as the crowd continued to cheer. He kept his eyes on Penny and Snap, happy to find himself suspended in a state of blissfulness. His friends were with him, ChalkZone was safe, and he could not be happier with the turnout. "We did it. We really did it. We saved ChalkZone and returned the peace."

"Yeah," Penny responded, her grin almost too wide for her face.

"We certainly did," added Snap with a smirk.

"It really did seem hopeless for a while," Rudy stated, thinking back to the times during their quest to stop Newland when it had seemed like they had completely run out of options. "But you guys always helped me pull through. So, thanks."

"You're welcome, Bucko!" Snap replied with a grin, and Penny nodded happily.

"The three of us..." Rudy began, keeping his friends' attention. His smile broadened. "We're heroes."

The End

(Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the story and that you will enjoy the next one!)