Chapter Text
Stephanie rushed to Sportacus’s side, shaking him as their friends shouts of concern rung through the air. The black oozing candy apple fell from his grasp as he collapsed into a sugar crash and Stephanie picked it up, showing everyone.
“It’s candy inside!” She shouted over their protests.
“What did you do Ziggy?!” Trixie turned to the youngest of the kids, as he had helped Sportacus pick out the apples in the first place.
“It’s not my fault! I just collected them!” Ziggy protested.
“I believe you,” Stephanie told him, clutching the apple. “I think I know who did this.”
“Who?!” They chorused as she gripped the apple white knuckled in her little hand.
“Robbie Rotten!” She decried and threw the apple so hard into the wall that it splattered into goo.
“Of course!” Pixel said.
“Makes sense!” Stingy agreed as well.
“Only Robbie would do such a thing!” Stephanie announced as if working up a mob.
“I would not!” Robbie shouted from his lair, scandalized as the children grew agitated around their tallest friend. Stephanie’s eyes were aflame when she glared down the barrel of the periscope, urging them on with propaganda. The others didn’t seem to notice when she broke into a smile again, slipping on the little pink mask before they’d notice. The hair on the back of his neck rose.
“Everybody get an apple,” she sneered. “I think Robbie needs to start eating healthy.”
As he scrambled to put away the periscope and think about what to do, the children above ran to the closest tree and began to kick, raining the firm red sportscandy onto the ground with their combined strength. Trixie began grinning herself when she tossed an apple back and forth as she rarely got the chance to be so mischievous.
“I-I don’t like this,” Pixel said finally, brows knit together as he looked at the heavy fruit. Trixie elbowed him.
“Shut up, Pixel! This is for the greater good!” She admonished, not wanting this opportunity taken away.
“Is there a problem?” Stephanie asked from over Pixel’s shoulder and he jumped, stumbling away.
“No, no…” Pixel admitted. Under her watchful eye he gathered a few more apples and he smiled to satiate her, his weak grimace paling in comparison to her.
“Great! Now let’s get a move on!” She marched them out of the sports field, Ziggy lingering behind as he looked at Sportacus, who lay on the soft grass all out of sorts. Pausing, he ran back, putting an apple in his hero’s hand.
“We’ll be back soon, Sportacus!” He assured him quietly, not knowing if he could hear.
“Ziggy, come on!” Stingy’s voice carried over the wall and Ziggy huffed and puffed trying to catch up.
It was minutes before they reached the billboard, looking up at Robbie who stood in the doorway with crossed arms, staring down a small army of children.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” He demanded and Stephanie lifted one of the fruits, offering it to him.
“Robbie, would you please eat a little sportscandy?” She said, eyes all big like puppydog’s and the sweetest sounding voice you ever did hear. He looked like he could retch just thinking about it, face all twisted and scrunched.
“Never! That, ugh, apple is the last thing I would ever eat!” He scowled down at the girl and her brothers-in-arms, who looked at her for orders.
“Then it very well might be. Everybody ready?!” She extended her arm back, the others doing the same and Robbie’s eyes went wide. “Fire!”
Robbie barely closed the door for one of the apples to crunch and splatter onto the front, scaring the daylights out of him. The kids had gone mad! Stephanie surely had figured out he’d done something, something that made her want to fight back.
He quickly went to the open hatch but when he went to get in the top nearly smashed his fingers, falling shut with an echoey boom that gave hint to the depths below. He fell from the ladder in his effort to avoid getting hurt, so when he stood and tried the top he was confused and frustrated to find he couldn’t lift the thing. The loud, repetitive THWOK of the occasional apple miffed him and he went to confront his attackers.
Climbing up the back of the billboard he peered over the top at them, glaring at their happy-go-lucky leader. She seemed to be enjoying this a little too much, the rest of the group simply determined in their pretend heroism. This had to stop. Now.
“Stop that!” He yelled at them, gathering his courage to stick his head out. “Stop throwing apples at my house!”
“You should’ve thought of that before you hurt my friend!” Stingy yelled, the others audibly agreeing.
“I did no such thing! Pinky is the liar here!” Robbie accused as he climbed into view and the whole group joined in her outcry.
“I did not! If you didn’t hate sportscandy so much, maybe you wouldn’t be a villain! Why don’t you TRY SOME!”
With a wicked baseball pitch, the apple landed right on target. He heard the impact as a thwok and a crunch to his teeth and nose as he lost balance and tumbled from the billboard. Falling gracelessly toward the steps below the children watched in horror, all except Stephanie who’s eyes were dinner plates in victorious anticipation.
On his way down, Robbie noted the brief irony that his fall hadn’t been his own choice in the end, despite the many nights atop the perch from where he’d been dethroned. Bracing for impact, he was shocked and confused when he was bodyslammed. Hardly the sensation he’d been expecting, a tangle of messy limbs as Sportacus crumpled to the ground beneath him and his weight with strong arms gripping him for dear life.
He blinked as his head was put back on straight, recognizing now the blue blur that had just saved him for the millionth time. The elf also seemed to be confused and dazed, clearly not fully recovered from the apple that seemed to poison him but having been called by his crystal he must’ve acted on instinct.
The cheers of the children seemed to come into focus, altogether too loud as they swarmed them both, dragging Sportacus up and brushing him off. Robbie retched at the smell of apple that felt like it was everywhere and he wiped his face off on his sleeve, yelping when he touched a particularly tender part, prompting Sportacus’s concern for him once more. The stronger man helped him to his dazed feet.
“Are you alright?” He asked, looking at him with sharp eyes full of worry.
“Of course I’m not alright, Sportadork, they nearly killed me!” Robbie scowled and wrenched his hand out of the other man’s grasp.
“Not on purpose!” Stephanie insisted, standing a few feet away from the rest with a carefully painted expression of remorse. “He poisoned you first! We were just trying to help!”
The kids all tried to back her up, corroborating her story.
“That was still very dangerous!” Sportacus reprimanded and instead of regret, white hot anger seemed to burst from her, eyes like daggers into Robbie as her focus shifted.
“What does it matter! He still tried to hurt you! I’m just a kid, but he should know better!” The tantrum surprised them both but all Robbie could feel was a wash of shame when his friend turned his sad eyes on him.
“I, I, Sportacus, she’s lying, I didn’t, we, we…!” His defense fell flat and Sportacus looked betrayed.
“I thought we were in this together Robbie but I guess I was wrong. You’re the same as always.” Sportacus gave him a weak smirk. “Now what, do you want me to leave town forever?”
“W-what, no, I, I just…” He looked to the dirt at his feet and the scuffs on his shoes and clothes from their hard landing. Rubbing his arm, he sighed, “No, but I’d like to…” Turning tail, he skulked back to the door.
“Robbie, wait!” Sportacus took a step to follow but the door slammed, making the billboard shake and a tiny hand grabbed his own. The distant creak and even more distant echoes meant that Robbie was already down the chute and with some resignation he looked down at the small pink girl and her friends.
“Sorry we caused so much trouble Sportacus,” Stephanie apologized sweetly.
“We just wanted to help! To be heroes!” Ziggy explained, looking disappointed in himself.
“It’s okay kids. Why don’t we go back to the park for now?” He offered and they agreed dejectedly, shuffling away as he glanced back at the lair.
“Do you want some sportscandy?” Ziggy offered the last apple to Sportacus and he hesitated before shaking his head.
“No thank you, Ziggy, not right now…” He followed them slowly back to the park, thinking quietly.