Chapter 14:  Shane

Roger and Gracie sped back through the little tunnel, passing Hailey glued to the wall in the sticky white goo, just like Elizabeth.  She seemed alright, although she was pretty annoyed that she allowed herself to get stuck.

For a second time that day, when Roger and Grace climbed out of the tunnel from Marissa’s cavern, they mouths fell wide open.  The scene was horrible.  Dylan’s head swayed to and from, destroying the gardens with ease.  Soldiers continued to stream out of the ceiling tunnel.  The Pretty Flowers were overwhelmed.  Flashes of different colors flew all over the cavern, sometimes hitting soldiers, causing them to become temporarily paralyzed.  There were also many Pretty Flowers laying on the ground, their light glowing a bit dimmer than normal. 

“This looks bad,” said Gracie.

“What do we do?” asked Roger.  

“It’s time to take our final stand,” said a voice above them.  They looked up and saw a bright white light.  Marissa was floating above them.  A part of her shimmery white wings were now streaked with red.  She raised her arms in the air and shot a glowing white cloud in the air.  Then Marissa collapsed onto the ground beside Gracie.  The cloud slowly floated down upon Roger, covering his body.  When it disappeared, there stood Roger, covered in a bright white suit of armor.  A shiny sword was held in his right hand, and a brilliant diamond shield was held in his left.

“Uh, hey,” said the shield to Roger.  “How’s it going?”

“You can talk?” Roger was floored.

“Uh, yeah,” replied the shield.  “My name’s Shane the Shield.  I’ll, like, be your guide for today’s battle.  Rule number one:  Don’t get killed.  Rule number two:  Don’t get me scratched.”

“Does the sword talk?” asked Roger.  He looked into the shiny hilt of the sword.  “Hello in there!” he shouted.

“Uh, sorry, you only get me,” Shane said.  “Now let’s go slice some snake!”

While Gracie stayed back with Marissa, Roger and Shane rushed on towards Dylan the Diabolical Demon and King Byers.  As soon as King Byers, who was standing on the ground surveying his future victory, saw a fully-armored Roger coming toward them, he jumped onto the back of Dylan.

“Dylan, attack!”

“With pleasure,” hissed the mutant millipede.  He whipped his forked tongue out at Roger, hitting the middle of Shane the Shield.  Roger flung his sword around and sliced the end off Dylan’s tongue.  

“Argggh!” yelled the snake.  A razor-sharp claw grazed Roger’s arm, knocking the sword out of his hand and across the cave.  A second claw swung dangerously close to Roger’s head as he ducked out of the way.  

“Like, quick!” shouted Shane.  “Throw me, like, into his mouth!”

Roger heaved Shane through the air towards Dylan’s gigantic mouth.  Shane spun in the air like a Frisbee…and hit ‘CLANK’ against Dylan’s fangs.  He fell to the ground in front of the snake.  

Roger had no weapons and no shield to battle with.  He had lost.

King Byers stood triumphantly on Dylan’s scales.  “Ha!” he shouted.  “I am victorious!  No one can defeat me!  Endless homework for everyone!  Quizzes and tests and…whoa!”

King Byers fell as something amazing happened.  All of the Pretty Flowers had given up their fight with the soldiers and had begun to circle the head of the snake.  Dylan thrashed and spun, but soon he was overcome by the rainbow of spinning lights.  He fell and landed on Shane the Shield.  Somehow Dylan the Demon was sucked into the shield’s diamond center, like a slurping spaghetti noodle!

King Byers had a crazed look in his eye.  Perhaps he was going crazy because of the swarming Pretty Flowers.  Maybe he was tired of all of the no-name papers.  Perhaps he was going insane from all of the coffee he drank.  In any event, he lunged toward Roger.  “I can’t stand pretty flowers!” he yelled.

A bright pink light shot past Roger’s ear and hit King Byers.  Suddenly King Byers was not so old and hairy anymore.  He fell into Roger’s arms as a little baby!

“Goo goo gaa gaa,” cooed the baby Byers.

Samantha the Pink stood on Roger’s shoulders.  “It’s a good thing I was here,” she said.  “Isn’t he precious?”

“Pee ewe,” said Roger.  “It smells like precious King Byers made a royal treasure in his diaper.”