Beyond the Studio: Shipper's Special Story

"Beyond the Studio: Shipper's Special Story" is the first full-fledged story of Jetrashipper and the adeventure experienced when the studio is destroyed by a mysterious enemy who is threatening the land of the Wikers.

## Plot

Shipper was about to start a new episode of Ask or Dare with her OCs when Nikki and Nick start talking quite differently. Before they know it, the OC co-hosts unleash powers Shipper never created them to have, capturing all the darables and smashing the studio to bits. Devestated at the loss of her studio, but determined to find out what caused them to do this, Shipper recruits her fellow Wikiers to go on a journey to solve the case. Tramping through rain or shine, in day or night, the gang's travels bring romances unlikely, dangers unspoken, and at the end of the trail, some heartbreaking losses. But who is the enemy to do such a thing as tear Shipper's world apart? Is someone in their midst the foe? Could it be Domitron, Shipper's best friend and possible match? Could it be Order, who's secrets are finally revealed? Or could it be who they last expected to be the enemy--Jetrashipper herself?!

## Characters (Key: --A--Deceased, ~A~Left Behind, =A= Mentioned)

* Shipper
* ~Domitron~
* ~Policiamalo~
* ~Order~
* ~Kirbyfan100~
* ~Jagapup~
* --Charles12310--
* --Spongebub007--
* ~Peaceable Kingdom~
* =Alex.sapre=
* --Jessefan1--
* Nikki
* Nick
* Narrator

## Chapter 1: Thoughts on the Aftermath

Shipper tossed her long hair over her back, a smile on her face. Another Ask or Dare episode successfully completed!

"Alright, that's all, everyone!" she announced to the darables, who were strung up in a few different places. Her show was based on the torture her fellow Wikiers left for them, and the hilarious twists made to them. It was pretty funny, but it was also hard work. That's why Shipper had three co-hosts: Nikki & Nick, her OCs; and soon-to-be co-host, The Order of the Command Block. Upon winning the recent "How I'm Hangin" contest, Order had more than earned the right to be a host, one that Shipper could be proud of.

"Hey, Shipper, wanna go get some coffee?" Nikki asked her boss and creator. "I hear they're giving out caramel frappes now!"

"MINE!" Nick demanded, making a beeline for the break room. Shipper sighed good-naturedly. Nothing could come between Nick and a good cup of coffee. So, she walked rather slowly to the break room, coffee not on her mind for the moment.

"Shipper? You good?" asked Nikki.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Shipper assured her OC. In reality, she was thinking about something else that had suddenly crossed her mind. True, the Ask or Dare show was a great racket, but what would happen after it faded with time? Sure, there would still be Deviantart to look to, and her watchers, but what about her Wikiers? Shipper felt she needed them just as much as they did her.

As Shipper was lost in thought, she noticed Order was passing her. Her friend was smiling big; it was clear she couldn't wait for tomorrow, as it would be her first day as co-host.

"Order? Can I ask you something?" Shipper asked. Order walked on, but nodded to show she was listening.

"When the Ask or Dare show becomes...old, will you guys still be my Wikiers? I mean, you guys are all great friends and all, but with no show to keep you entertained, what'll happen then?

"Oh, don't worry so much, homie," Order put an arm around her friend. "The show will NEVER get old!"

"You...really think so?"

"Yeah! I'm in it now! Who could POSSIBLY get bored at this point?"

"I'm serious! I'm just asking: do you guys really find me as a good friend, or is it just because I have this show?"

"That's...something I can't answer. You should--"

"So you guys only find interest in my work and not me?! Is that why you can't answer?!"

"What? No, that's not what I--"

"You know what? It was a mistake to ask you about this! Just go take 5 and leave me alone!"

Tears brimming her eyes, Shipper pushed Order out of the way and speed-walked in the opposite direction. She had never felt so hurt before in her life. And it was worse to know that even with all that she did, no one really liked her!

As the upset host walked off, a shadowed figure watched her leave, narrowing its eyes. Then, it turned to the break room, where Nikki and Nick were, and it swooshed off in that direction.

## Chapter 2: Uh, Guys?

"Heya, Order! What's up?" Nikki asked Order, handing her a coffee. The new co-host took it, looking crestfallen and sad. Both OCs seemed to take notice.

"Whoa, who's dead?" Nick jokingly asked. Did Poli find a new girlfriend or something?"

Order snorted offendedly at his joke, but told them about her argument with Shipper, including her worries over the show getting old and all.

"So why didn't you just tell her 'don't worry' and move on?" Nikki said once she had heard everything.

"I did! I even said it would never get old! But as soon as I mentioned that I can't say, she completely shut me down!"

"Shipper's a hard person to read," Nick said. "Heck, wed've never found out she was a GIRL had she not told us. But we shouldn't try to interpret it the wrong way, but listen and understand."

"I...guess you're right," Order admitted. After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly brightened up. "Hey! I know how to cheer her up!" she blurted, starting out of the break room.

"Wait! Order! Where are you--" Nikki started to say, but stopped herself when she realized Order was already gone. "Well, okay then. Glad we could fix that."

"We would make phenomenal psychiatrists," Nick said, clinking cups with Nikki. As they laughed and sipped their drinks, a shadowy figure watched them...

Order, unaware of who else was inside the break room, took out her cell phone and dialed a number up from her contacts list.

"Hello? Dom? Meet me a little way from the Ask or Dare studio! And bring Poli, Kirby, Jaga, Charles, and Sponge with you!"

\*\*\*

Shipper sat alone on the show's empty set, starting to feel bad for snapping at Order. After all, she hadn't let her finish her sentence.

*"I wasn't being very fair to her..."* Shipper thought to herself. *"I should go say sorry."*

Standing up and dusting herself a bit, Shipper started for the break room. But as she approached, she heard a scream. **Jesse's** scream. A tad concerned, she picked up her pace and found him, as well as the other darables, tied up in a net carried by Nikki's command block Ender Dragon form, with Nick on her back. Their eyes looked...different.

"Uh, guys?" Shipper asked. "I know torturing darables is fun, but we don't air the next episode until--"

"Oh, we're not airing any episodes anymore, Shipper," growled Nick, his voice sounding deeper than it should have. "Not for YOU, anyway. It's time we made our OWN show. Coming soon to the MC:SM Wiki: Ask or Dare: DO OR DIE!"

"What?!" Shipper was outraged. "What the heck was in that latte?! Nick, you KNOW that we can't KILL the darables! That's not how good hosts do!"

"WRONG," it was Nikki's turn to speak. "That's how SOFT hosts do. You're too afraid to show a little profanity, Shipper! But WE aren't! Not anymore! We're taking the darables and doing this our OWN way! No more slapstick!"

"Now, what we're doing here will be WAY more important than you and your OLD show," Nick grinned evilly. "You're simply in our way."

Before Shipper could react, Nikki blew three shadowy fireballs, one at the studio's roof and two at the main supports! With the damage done, the entire place collapsed on her, leaving her buried. Spreading a toothy grin of malice, Nikki flew off, with Nick on her back and the darables in the net.

## Chapter 3: Fallen Host, Risen Wikiers

"So...Shipper needs cheering up?" Domitron3 asked Order after she told her story.

"Yeah, and I couldn't think of anyone better than her Wikiers to help!" she replied. "Just...try not to be TOO honest at the moment. She's a bit snappy."

"Hey, what's that?" asked Spongebub, pointing to the sky, where a strip of balck cloud lingered, pointing straight from the studio.

"I dunno. I'll check it out," Charles offered, running ahead.

"Well, I'D be snappy too if someone basically said 'Yeah, you're totally right about your suspicions, we only liked you for your work,'" Kirby mentioned, not aware of what the other two had said.

"That's not what I said at all! I told her--"

"The studio is gone!" yelped Charles.

"Uh, no. That was nowhere near related to--"

"No, look! The studio is literally gone!"

The Wikiers looked up from their conversation to see what Charles had seen: the well-known Ask or Dare studio blown to smithereens! There was rubble everywhere, and no sign of Shipper, Nikki, Nick, or the darables.

"They might be hurt!" gasped Jaga. "Fan out! Find them!" At her command, the Wikiers spread out, dividing the destruction site, trying to find any trace of the hosts and their darables. At first, there was no sign of anyone. Then again, who could survive an avalanche like this? But then, Dom heard a weak moan. It was small, but he caught it. He recognized the voice, but never thought he'd hear it like this.

"Shipper! Where are you?!" he called out.

"Dom...? Over here...I can't move..."

Dom followed Shipper's instructions until he found her with a support beam flattened on top of her underneath the rest of the rubble. Knowing there was no time to call the other Wikiers, Dom started digging madly around Shipper. Desperation gave him speed, and the blocks were cleared away in no time. Careful not to hurt her anymore than she already was, Dom gently lifted Shipper out of her prison and carried her back to the Wikiers. Trying to ignore their gasps of horror, he laid her down on the softest patch of dirt he could find and sat next to her.

"Don't worry. We'll find Nikki and Nick soon," he promised. "They probably survived, given Nikki had those really cool dragon pow--"

"You won't find them here," Shipper mumbled, taking a potion of healing Poli handed to her.

"What? Did they leave? You were here on your own?"

"No...but it may as well seem like it,"

"Was this some practical joke by the darables? Because no one's laughing,"

"The darables were taken, but...Nikki and Nick sure weren't. Heck, they even enjoyed it, I'm guessing,"

"...No way...they didn't...t-they couldn't--"

"I don't know what was going on through their heads. They didn't look like themselves, but...they've captured the darables and destroyed the studio."

Everyone gasped, for they had been listening to this awful conversation. They expected Nikki and Nick, Shipper's co-hosts, OCs, and homies in general, to be the last ones to hurt her and destroy what she worked so hard to create.

"But why?! I know they wouldn't do this to their own accord--no one in their right mind would!" Spongebub insisted.

"Someone's behind this, I just know it!" Poli said. "And we're gonna find out who!"

Shipper sat up, looking around at her friends. "I don't know...whoever's doing this, if this is what they want, they've got it. Maybe we should just leave it well enough alone."

The Wikiers could hardly believe their ears. Shipper was giving up? Before the adventure had even started? "But you can't just stop!" Order pleaded. "We can fix this! We just need to--"

"Look around you, Order! Look what happened when I didn't even know what was going on! Can you imagine how much worse it'll be if we take a stand--and fail?!" Shipper was close to tears again, feeling defeated for the first time in her life. "I don't want to undergo this pain again. EVER."

"You won't have to," Dom said, stepping up to her. "Not alone, at least. Whatever happens, be it happy or heartbreaking, we'll be with you every step of the way."

"Yeah!" Poli agreed. "We rise or fall: together."

Looking around at her friends again, Shipper felt her sad feeling erode. Her friends gathered around her, smiling and nodding their heads. She nodded back at them.

"Right!" she said, wiping her watery eyes. "Then why are we standing in this pile of junk? We have some darables to rescue and a pair of co-hosts to set right!" Cheering, the group ran off after the trail of smoke in the sky, ready to begin the adventure.

## Chapter 4: First Blood

The group trekked across the unmarked plain, following the smoke cloud that Nikki had left. Charles stared down at the different maps he made, trying his best to follow the landscape.

"It says here that the smoke trail she left points to Vantablack Ridge," he announced. "People say it's the darkest place in the world, and completely untrackable."

"Then Nikki must be pretty dumb to leave a trail right to it," snorted Kirby. "This might be easier than we thought!"

"I didn't make my OC to be stupid," Shipper warned him. "She may have turned, but she's still clever. She wouldn't have left that cloud unless she WANTED us to follow. They'll be expecting us." Everyone was silenced by Shipper's foreboding prediction.

"Well, then we'll be ready for whatever they have to throw at us!" Dom piped up, trying to stay positive. He succeeded, and a few of the group's faces lifted, but not very much.

"If what you say is true, Poli," Order said to her friend. "Then they must be stronger. Nikki and Nick are OCs, and they can't be changed by anyone but their creator. But Shipper wouldn't do this to herself, so someone just as powerful is controlling them, but who?"

"Well, we'll have to study that mystery later," Charles announced, pointing to a storm cloud advancing on them fast, which was covering the setting sun. "Because we've got a storm and nighttime closing in on us, and that means double the darkness, plus we won't be able to see that trail."

"We need to bed down for the night somewhere," Jaga suggested. "We won't last long in conditions like this."

Nodding in agreement, the Wikiers ran towards the nearest cover they had: a dark oak forest. Sure, it would keep them dry, but it was only darker here. Monsters would still spawn AND wouldn't burn when the sun rose.

"I see torchlight over there!" Sponge cried, pointing to a freakishly large mansion planted right in the center of the woods. "Someone lives here!"

"Let's go ask for help. Maybe they can offer us some supplies," Poli said hopefully.

The group raced for the house as the downpour began. Once inside, they rung their clothes from water and stepped further inside. The place was very big, with birch wood flooring, dark oak walls, and oak wood furniture. The designer of this manor was no one's fool, they could say that much.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Order called out. Not a sound. Getting a bit nervous, she stepped backwards and into Poli, who had done the same thing. The two jumpscared each other, getting a laugh out of their friends. Blushing furiously, Order dashed up the cobblestone staircase, hoping to find something that would distract everyone. up here, she found what looked like guest rooms with pink and purple beds. she notified everyone of her find, and they all gratefully laid down to rest.

But as soon as Shipper lay down, she didn't feel right. Something was amiss, but she couldn't figure out what, exactly. And she could've sworn, just before she closed her eyes, she heard an ill grunt...

\*\*\*

"So..." Nikki sniffed, staring out into the horizon, where the blackness met normal ground, "You think they found the trap?"

"They HAD to," Nick said. "Master put it right there where they wanted it. They even made the outdoor conditions unstable so the team was forced to go."

"And now," Nikki pulled out three different stacks of spawn eggs, "We must deliver these."

"You won't get away with this!" shouted Petra from where she and the other darables were still trapped. "Shipper may torture us with her show, but she cares about us! I don't know what's wrong with you two, but she'll fix it!"

"Stupid girl," Nick cackled. "You don't get it, do you? Only someone as powerful as her can tell us what we can be like."

"WHAT?! That's insane! Who would do something so awful!"

"\*Snort!\* Well, I'm afraid I can't explain it to someone as dull as you, so I guess seeing Master will convince you."

Nick stepped aside, letting a shadowed hooded figure step forth. For a brief moment, they lifted their hood and showed their face to the darables, arising horrified gasps from them all.

"B-But...NO! It CAN'T be--! Why would you--?! This doesn't make any sense!" Petra cried.

"It doesn't have to make sense," Nick told her. "It only has to work to our accord."

Nikki came forward with the spawn eggs, and held them out to the hooded figure. They rose their hand, and the eggs were teleported, to who knew where...

\*\*\*

"OH NOTCH! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

Shipper awoke with a start, hearing Sponge's terrified screams for aid. She whipped her head around, only to see a mob she had never seen before attacking him! It looked like a villager, but it as in a beige vestcoat, and held an iron axe high above its head, ready to strike. It gave the same ill grunt Shipper had heard right before falling asleep.

"Keep away from him!" Jaga barked angrily, throwing herself onto the illager and tossing it back. Angered, it gave a louder grunt, which acted as a battle cry, and more swarmed into the room, along with ghostly creatures with iron swords in their hands.

Dom was already up on his feet, fighting with these flying creatures. Polli and Order were back-to-back, fighting together against another villager-looking mob, which wore a gold-rimmed robe instead of a vestcoat, and he bore no axe, but summoned the floating ghosts with a wave of his hands, like some sort of mage.

"I know what these are!" Dom grunted as Shipper rushed to his aid, slashing down an axe wielder with her cuttle sword. "It's vindicators, vexes, and evokers! We must've sheltered in a woodland mansion!"

"Great!" Charles huffed, stabbing a vex biting his ear. "As if normal mobs weren't horrid enough!"

"How did they come so suddenly?!" Poli asked breathlessly, not even pausing his fighting. "They weren't here earlier!"

"Our mystery enemy must've trapped us!" Order theorized, pressing closer to Poli's back. "That means they can generate structures too!"

"Oh, COME ON!" Sponge complained, pushing off the vindicator that tried to attack him earlier away. "How much power does this guy have?!"

"Forget it! We need to leave! NOW!" Shipper ordered her friends. They fell back and retreated, heading downstairs to reach the main entrance.

Shipper, Order, Dom, Poli, Kirby, and Charles made it safely out the mansion. Just as Sponge and Jaga were escaping, Jaga tripped and fell! An evoker was right on top of her! It summoned several snapping spikes, each one snapping shut with a deadly snap. Then, before one could close around Jaga, Sponge appeared and shoved his sword in between its jaws. They struggled to close, but couldn't right away.

"Thanks--!" Jaga started to say, but they weren't out of danger yet. the evoker was pushing his magic more than ever, and Sponge's sword was cracking. It wouldn't hold long. Sponge fumbled around his inventory, and found flint and steel, along with TNT in it. There was only one way out of this.

Small tears forming in his eyes, but a smile on his face, Sponge pushed Jaga out of the jaws. The others raced around him, but Sponge was still in there!

"Wait! Sponge! What are you--" gasped Charles, realizing what he was going to do as he pulled out the TNT.

Sponge lit the TNT and held onto it tight. "Guys..." he said to his friends. "Keep...moving. And don't let this creepy dude win." Then, the sword snapped, and the jaws closed around him.

"SPONGEBUB! NO!" everyone clamored cries of grief.

The evoker looked smug at his victory, but before he could move in on the rest of the gang, the last pair of jaws started smoldering. Before he could figure out what was happening, the jaws exploded, triggering the chain of spiky jaws to explode as well, and finally killing the evoker. Shipper and her friends were left to stare in horror at the destroyed entrance, the now-flaming mansion, and Spongebub007's inventory lying on the floor.

## Chapter 5: Swamped

The group had no choice but to move on without their friend Sponge, who had selflessly given his life, not only for Jaga, but their entire mission. They would never forget him, but they'd never move on moping over his death. They were all very sad, but they pressed on. The only one who never stopped blaming herself was Jaga.

"It was all my fault!" she sobbed soon after they had made a safe distance. "I should've never tripped. Sponge should still be here, completing our mission with us! I'm so sorry!"

The gang tried their best to comfort her. Kirby tried hardest of all. He knelt down and had heart-to-heart talks with Jaga, but she would not be moved. The only reason Kirby tried so hard, the gang theorized, was because while the rest fought their way out and retreated in the end, all he had done was stand by, hide out of fear of being injured, and he too felt he was responsible for Sponge's death.

A few days after the incident, the group came to a swamp. It was murky and damp, but the shortest way through. About halfway through, night began to fall. In the fog, the same conditions of more darkness then usual were given.

"There's a hut over there!" Charles said, pointing to the lonely house over the water. He started for the hut, but Poli took his shoulder, stopping him.

"Wait! That's a witch's hut. We shouldn't go there,"

"But maybe the witch isn't there. We've got no other--"

"Don't you remember what happened LAST time we went into a generated structure? We lost a member of our party! And we may as well have lost Jaga and Kirby too! They haven't been themselves ever since..."

"There isn't time to--"

"NO. We'll build another shelter. We can cope,"

"Boys? Hate to interrupt your argumental banter, but we got skeletons!" Order shouted, as the bony mobs advanced on them, shooting their arrows.

"Run!" yelled Shipper.

"Run where?!" yelped Order.

"Doesn't matter! Just go!

The company darted away, in no place to fight. As Shipper tried to escape, a skeleton targeted her and shot an arrow at her. Dom noticed and shoved Shipper out of the way.The arrow hit his leg instead. He let out a cry of pain and crumpled to the ground, wounded.

"DOM!" Shipper wailed, running to him. Around the pair, the skeletons closed in, ready to deal much heavier blows on the gang.

"All of you! In here! Hurry!" spoke a new voice. It was coming from inside the witch hut. The group didn't know if they could trust the person, but with Dom wounded, they had little choice. They raced inside the shelter of the hut, and what happened next, happened fast. With a single rise and sharp withdraw of his hand, flowering vines grew beneath the skeletons and dragged them underground! The last trace of them left were some white flowers with golden centers.

Amazed, Shipper and her friends could only stare at the spot where their enemies had once stood. That is, before their rescuer beckoned them inside the house.

"Thank you..." Order said hesitantly. "But...who are you? How did you do that?"

"I am called Peaceable Kingdom." the robed man answered. "I am the Mage of this swamp, and I guard my territory from any trespassers."

The gang grew nervous and each person gave themselves a bit of distance between Pece, let out some laughter. "Well, most trespassers. But I can see what you are truly here for. It's about those corrupted OCs of yours, isn't it?" he asked, turning to Shipper.

"Huh?!" the surprised host exclaimed. "How did you know--"

"The world is full of answers if you are quiet enough to listen," Pece said wisely. "Also, that dragon that flew above the swamp towards the ridge was a dead giveaway."

"You saw them?! Where'd they go?" Poli asked quickly.

"Straight to Vantablack Ridge. Where else?" Pece told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I can provide you with supplies, but they'll prove wasteful if you use them in the wrong moment, so be wise."

"...Wait..." Jaga spoke. It was the first time she had said anything normally since Sponge's demise. "How'd you learn all these powers?"

"Stay here long enough, you can learn everything, so long as you trust yourself and drop the burden of guilt you carry."

"What do you mean?" Kirby asked, also looking interested.

"Long ago, I came here with a friend of mine, Alex.sapre. We wanted to live here, in a lovely swamp, with all it's water and gentle trees. We created a beautiful world here, but Alex began to doubt that what we had made together was not worth it, and became aggressive, killing the innocent creatures around us. I felt scared and betrayed; this was not the friend I came to live with. But then I realized, to protect the world I loved, I had to put my fears and guilt aside and let my friend know that he already had something to live for. But he refused to listen to me. He died of a witch attack later on, but I stayed here, taking care of this swamp, and defending it from those with intentions to harm it."

The entire party had nothing to say. They were speechless after such an amazing story. No one spoke for a long while, until Pece broke the silence.

"You must go now," he said. "Time is something you don't have a lot of."

"Thank you for your help, Pece," Poli said gratefully. "Come on, guys. Let's move."

But as the group turned to go, Jaga and Kirby didn't follow. "Kirby? Jaga? Come on, didn't you hear Pece?" Order asked.

"We heard him loud and clear," Jaga said. "His story...it made me think for a bit...he's right. We need time to get over what happened at the mansion. Kirby and I are staying here, to train with Peaceable Kingdom."

"What?!" Charles gaped. "But we need you! If it's because you feel useless--"

"Listen, everyone," Kirby spoke now. "It's not about any of you. It's about us. We need to get this awful feeling off our backs. We'll keep being useless if we keep grieving over Sponge. Here, we can be at peace. We can calm ourselves, and perhaps be more ready to help."

"Shipper!" Charles turned to her. "Tell them they're being silly!"

But Shipper didn't say anything. She turned to Kirby and Jaga, who nodded, their eyes no longer clouded with grief, but were filled with steely determination. That's when she knew they knew what they were talking about.

"O...Okay. Stay. But...be safe. And...keep in mind that Sponge's death was never in vain. Saving you both was worth everything."

Smiling and waving farewells, Shipper and her friends walked out of the swamp and continued on. Shipper turned her head and watched as the swamp hut got farther and farther away, until it was out of sight.

## Chapter 6: Lava Hops

"How many more losses can we take before we're out of people completely?" Poli groaned as the remaining party members kept going. "To sum it up, we have one dead, two left behind, and one wounded!"

"That doesn't mean I'm necessarily gone," Dom said, limping along defiantly. "I'm fine--RGH!" he stumbled as his leg acted up again. "OW!"

"Maybe we should camp for a few hours," Shipper suggested, concerned for her friend. "We could use some rest."

"In the middle of the day?" Order looked up at the sun high in the sky.

"By the time we have proper supplies for a camp, it'll be dark. Let's just bed down in our OWN shelter, where it's guaranteed that we can't loose anyone else,"

"...Fine."

\*\*\*

A few hours later, the gang had a few wool tents set up with a campfire and a few logs to sit on. No one spoke, but listened to the sounds of the night. Charles studied the maps Pece had given them which showed what obstacles were left on the way to Vantablack Ridge, Order and Poli were roasting steak over the fire, and Shipper was tending Dom's leg.

"Shipper, for the last time, it's just an arrow wound. I'm fine," Dom tried to convince her, but Shipper wasn't buying.

"No, you're not. The skeleton hit an artery. I need to repair it before it causes more damage," she insisted. "But...if you had just let it happen, maybe you wouldn't have to be fussed over."

"Then YOU'D be the one like this! And there was no way I was gonna let you get hurt. You've been through enough,"

"Didn't your remember what I said back at the studio? I don't want to undergo any heartbreaks, and you won't help by fatally taking one for me,"

Both went red when Shipper realized her mistake. "I-I mean--no! That's not what I meant to say! You're my friend, so I can't have you ending up like Sponge, and--"

"Oh-hoh!" Order chuckled in amusement at her flustered friend. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important, because here's your steak!" she announced, holding it out.

"Oh yeah?" Shipper countered. "Don't think I missed you and Poli making goo-goo eyes at each other over at the fire!"

Order blushed madly and served Shipper's steak to her rather roughly after that confrontational statement.

"Worth it," Shipper laughed, peeling the thrown steak off her face. It felt good to laugh again after so much tragedy.

"Hello!" a new voice broke in suddenly. Startled, the gang leapt to their feet. There, they saw a girl who looked remarkably like Order.

"I'm Jessefan1!" the newcomer announced. "I'm a wanderer of these parts, and I need your help!"

"Help?" Charles asked. "With what?"

"There's been a flooding at the Lava Hops Spring! The trees are burning everywhere, and it's going to spread here if you don't do something fast!"

"What?!" Shipper gasped.

"So much for a break," Dom sighed, getting up and starting to gather his stuff.

"Hurry! Let's go!" Poli said, already following Jessefan.

"Don't get too clingy, bud," Order muttered under her breath. "She may look like me, but she's not me."

\*\*\*

"Oh my Notch..."

"Wow, I'm...that's bad,"

"I know, right? It was too late for my house,"

The group was now staring at the giant pool of lava which had grown considerably. It was being fed by a lava stream coming out of the mountain behind the spring, the cause of the flooding.

"Alright, let's go, guys!" Shipper ordered. "Get those buckets Pece gave us and start scooping, but BE CAREFUL."

"Wait!" Charles said. "Shouldn't we head up to the stream and clog it? Then we wouldn't take forever!"

"Out of the question. The cliff face is too sheer, and the stream's too big. You could fall or burn to a crisp,"

"But we'll never finish the job if we let it flow!"

"We'll just have to be faster, then,"

Charles gave Shipper a dark look, but didn't argue anymore. They raced down the slope, buckets out.

"Look!" cried Jessefan, pointing to what looked like a dog on an island, whimpering and trying to avoid being burnt. "There's an animal in distress over there! I need to go save it!" With that, she ran towards the dog, hopping onto a small overhang which looked unstable, and reached for the dog.

Shipper squinted at the dog, and it no longer looked afraid. It looked...almost sinister. Then, the dog evaporated into black smoke, and that's when she realized what it really was.

"Jessefan, NO! It's a trap! Get back!" she screamed, but it was too late. The outcropping's base crumbled, and their new ally tumbled into the lava, screeching pain as she was scalded, right before her inventory dropped and was fried to a crisp. The gang stared in horror.

"Wait...where's Charles?!" Poli suddenly realized their friend wasn't with them. The rest looked around frantically. He wasn't anywhere near them.

"Look! Up there!" Dom yelled, pointing to the cliff face. Charles was there, standing on a half-burnt tree, a pick in his hand. He was trying to block the stream!

"We gotta get there, fast!" Order cried, already hopping over stepping stones to get to him, her friends in no hesitation to copy.

Charles was pressing his ear against the cliff wall, listening. He heard the running of water. "Of course!" he said. "If I release the water stream, it'll cool everything!" What Charles didn't realize was that the tree he was standing on was burning away even more.

"We're not gonna make it!" Shipper gasped. "CHARLES! WATCH OUT!"

It was too late to help him. The tree burned completely, and Charles had nothing to stand on. He plummeted mercilessly towards the lava.

"NO!" shrieked Shipper. She tried to run forward, but Dom held her back.

"Don't! There's nowhere to go!" he warned her, and it was true. The lava had sank the stepping stones in front of them, and now they were stranded on one as the lava slowly rose.

Charles looked down and saw his friends trapped. He looked up at the stone he had been mining. It only needed one more hit...

In a last resort, Charles threw his pick at the stone. It glanced off it, and suddenly, a waterfall poured out, turning the lava to cobblestone. However, his luck had run out, and Charles fell into the lava still below, sharing Jessefan's fate. His stuff, though, was luckier. When it dropped, the waterfall turned the lava pool into stone, giving it a platform to rest on forever. As for his friends, the cobblestone granted them safe passage to the other side. But all of them hardly moved, having watched another beloved friend act heroically and sacrifice himself just as Sponge did.

## Chapter 7: Order's Secret

Shipper felt weak and wobbly as she stared at the new campfire they had made after a few days of trekking. Too many deaths and losses had happened in front of her. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Who would be next to die? Poli? Order? DOM? She didn't want to think about it.

"Shipper?" Dom's soft voice broke into her gloomy thoughts. "You...okay?" She looked up at him, numb to his tone.

"I...I'm sorry," she finally broke down, tears streaming down her face. "I should've done something to save everyone. I wish I could go back and--" she was interrupted suddenly when pulled her in and hugged her.

"You've...been through a lot, haven't you?" he sighed, equally sad. "It's okay. Remember what I said: we're with you all the way."

Shipper felt a surge of emotion course through her. Her friends, at least those who remained, didn't blame her for Sponge and Charles' death and Jaga and Kirby's abandonment.

"Poli, I...I need to tell you something," Order's voice broke the two friends apart. "Something I haven't told anyone." Shipper tipped her head in curiosity, and gestured Dom to follow her. They peeked behind the tents, unseen, where Poli and Order were standing.

"Order? What is it?" Poli asked her gently.

"I...MIGHT know who's behind this. Shipper's destruction, Nikki and Nick's mind control, everyone's deaths...there's only one person capable of it."

"What? Who?!" Poli was more interested now. As were Dom and Shipper, Shipper especially. Order KNEW who had been crushing her world to bits--and she hadn't told her?!

"This whole adventure...it's like a story, right?"

"A pretty depressing story, I'll tell you that,"

"Well...every story has to be told by someone,"

"Order...what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that...Narrator is our target. He's been sending me messages, and...telling me everything,"

"WHAT?!"

Shipper didn't even care that she had given herself and Dom away. Order's own co-host and homie had been doing this?!

"S-Shipper!" Order stammered. "How-How much did you hear?!"

"Narrator? HE did this? And he's been messaging you about what he's doing?! Why wouldn't you tell me?! Are...Are you working with him?"

"No! Shipper, I would NEVER do that to you!"

"Then why has Narrator been sending you all these messages? Why would he do this?!"

"I don't know! It all started after Jaga and Kirby left! He's been giving me all these dark warnings and I had no idea what they meant until it was too late!"

"Oh, come on! Why would he warn us about what obstacles he puts in our way?!"

"Maybe he's toying with us...we're playing his game and he doesn't even know it!"

"GIRLS!" Poli's sharp voice cut through the argument. "It doesn't matter why he sent Order all those messages. We know who's behind this, we know where he is, and now we can figure out how to take him down. Okay?"

Both girls stared at him for a moment, then looked at each other and briefly nodded. Then, they all started to pack up and get ready to leave. Vantablack Ridge wasn't far now.

"Wait, wait..." Dom said, halting the group. "Something's wrong here."

"Are you kidding? Nothing could be clearer now," Poli objected. "Did you not hear my amazing speech?"

"Your 'amazing speech' was missing an important detail, blockhead. What about Nikki and Nick? Only a creator could control what OCs do, and *Narrator is an OC!"*

Everyone froze. Dom had a point. Narrator couldn't be the one behind this. He didn't have the power to control other OCs.

"Then why did he send me those messages?" Order wondered aloud.

\*\*\*

"Perfect...I think you fooled her well,"

"This game of your Master's can't last forever,"

"It can, and it will,"

Narrator hung his head, away from the writing parchment, which Nick supervised. He couldn't believe he was doing this, against his own will. He was being controlled by this mysterious person too, but, since his brain was too small to begin with, he still retained his personality, and he hated what he was doing to Order and her friends.

The cloaked figure entered the room and whispered something to Nick.

"What? But Master, why--"

"..."

"It doesn't make sense then! We framed him perfectly! What's the point?!"

"..."

"WHAT?! NO! It simply can't happen! You can't just let them--"

"..."

"Well...if you wish. But I don't understand,"

"Understand what?" Narrator had been listening to this silent conversation.

"Looks like your dumb wish will come true," Nick said dully. "This whole thing might just end...if Shipper can endure what's more to come...

## Chapter 8: Singled Out

This was it. Vantablack Ridge. Shipper knew this was a dangerous place, but that didn't mean it was a sight to see. And as luck would have it, a tall castle made of nether brick was right outside, built into a huge mountain of obsidian. The only way across was a rickety bridge, made of suspended gravel, which looked very unstable.

"Great. That thing is just screaming, 'Hey! Why don't we take another life?!'" Poli groaned.

"We have to do this. We promised Shipper we'd be there for her no matter what. We're NOT turning around." Dom insisted.

"I never said we would. But it's dangerous!"

"So what? Everything we've faced is dangerous! But we're all fine!"

"We may be, but not everyone is..."

"Then let's make sure their deaths aren't in vain."

Taking a deep breath, the group stepped onto the first gravel bit and started to cross. The lava lake below popped and bubbled roughly, as if it was calling the survivors over to their doom.But nothing to bad happened. Order almost fell when a plank beneath her broke, but Poli's steady hand caught her before disaster could strike.

"Shipper! Up here!" called a new voice. Shipper looked up, and couldn't believe her eyes! It was Jesse, Petra, and Lukas, all leaning out a window with prison bars. The darables were safe!

"Hold on, you guys! I'm on my way!" she promised, speeding up her step. "Let's go! We've almost made it!"

Then, halfway across, the real trouble began. Out of thin air, creeper eggs fell onto the bridge and spawned! There were a ton of them, and they looked angry.

"Creepers?! On an unstable bridge?!" Order yipped. "That's it! It's clear our journey ends here!"

"No! We can do this!" Shipper protested. "Fight, guys!"

And fight they did. They slashed and kicked and even punched their way through the zombies. For a moment, they thought they'd make it. But then, Shipper's sword came down on a large creeper. She killed it, but the sword had reached its end. It broke in two, then disappeared in a cloud of white mist.

"I lost my sword!" Dom yelped.

"Me too!" Order echoed.

"There goes mine!" Poli wailed. "We're trapped!"

The creepers closed in on the group, from both sides, pulsing white. It was over...

No! A golden flower grew underneath the leading creeper. Confused, it stopped advancing and bent down to examine it. The flower grew bigger and swallowed the creeper!

Then it got even weirder. Tiny pink ball-shaped creatures were appearing out from behind the creepers and eating them up as well! And if that wasn't weird enough, tawny-colored puppies were also arriving at the battle scene and fighting like wolves. All of them looked so familiar...then it hit Shipper.

"Pece? Kirby? Jaga?!" she cried. There, past the falling creepers, she saw them! They had come to help her!

"Thought you could use some backup!" Kirby called, grinning.

"Shipper! Watch out for the--" Dom gasped, but it was too late. A straying creeper blew up, casting Shipper in one direction, and her friends to the other. The good news was that she landed safely on the other side. The bad news was that the gravel bridge was fallling, and taking Dom, Order, and Poli with it!

"NO!" Shipper screamed, and peeked over the cliff edge, expecting the worst, but Pece had saved her friends, creating large golden flower platforms and rising them to safety.

"Wait, wait! We need to go on the other side!" Order protested as Jaga and Kirby pulled her and the others to the safety of the opposite side of Shipper. "Shipper's all alone!"

"This is her journey to complete!" Jaga told her. "I get it now! We were only there to help her along the way! We had a good run, but this is Shipper's story to finish! And now, she needs to figure out the truth on her own."

"Truth?! What truth?!" Poli demanded. But Jaga didn't answer.

"Come back!" Shipper shouted over! "Please! I can't do this by myself! I'm just a host!"

"You have more control than you think, Shipper!" Pece yelled back. "Finish your tale!"

"Finish my--? Wait! What do you mean?!"

But the rest of the bridge collapsed, throwing up a shower of dust. When it cleared, all of her friends were gone.

## Chapter 9: Who's Behind It?

Shipper decided that she just couldn't stand there forever, so she walked into the dark castle. Inside, it was pitch-black obsidian and nether brick. Then, she saw a hooded figure step into the scene, in between two tiki torches. They didn't say a word, only stood and waited. Shipper stayed quiet for a second. Here they were. The person who killed her friends and took her show away from her. She was about to find out who it was.

"Well..." Shipper said, her voice faltering a bit. She swallowed to control it, then spoke again. "I'm here. Now, answer me: who are you? Why did you do this to me?" No answer.

Shipper narrowed her eyes, and spoke again, her voice clearer now. "Hey! I'm talking to you! I'm here now! You threw everything you had at me, and you lost! Now, tell me who you are!" Much to her surprise, for the first time ever, the hooded person spoke.

"Just as strong and determined and full of energy as I made you..." the figure spoke. "You did well."

"Did well?! What do you mean?!" Shipper was yelling now.

"You've come all this way to stop me, haven't you?" the figure asked.

"W-What?"

"Answer me. Have you?"

"Y-Yeah, but I--"

"Then you're wrong. I'm not your enemy."

"Are you kidding me?! I KNOW you've been controlling my OCs! Without my consent, on top of that! You should know how it works here! No one can control an OC unless--"

"Unless they are the person that creates it? Yes, I am aware of the rules of the fandom."

Shipper froze. A thought had crossed her mind. The person had a point. But...that would mean--

"W-Wait...am I...are you...?"

The figure lifted their hood, and a bright light began to shine from where their face should be. Shipper squinted through and saw...the real world. It was like looking out a window, one that broke from her world and viewed into another. On the other side of this "window" sat another person: Me.

"Hello, Female Jetrashipper," I said, smiling down on my character. "Nice to see you at last."

"Y-You're...you're my...OUR..." Shipper stammered. I just smiled.

"Your creator and real-life version," I finished. "Yes."

"YOU"RE behind this mess?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a MESS. More like an...adventure."

"You're kidding, right? The death of my friends? The lies? The tragedy? Some adventure!"

"Well, now you've come to the end of it,"

"How have you been controlling me?" Shipper asked. "I'm a creator!"

"No." I answered back. "Not here. In this tale, you are a female representation of me, living a story I created. The only reason you could control Nikki and Nick is because I made you that way."

"Wait!" Shipper said. "Explain to me: why would you do this to me? Why would *I* do this to myself?"

I was quiet for a moment. After awhile, I spoke up again, my voice more serious. "Do you recall what you were worrying about at the beginning of all this?"

"You mean the show flopping and what happens to my Wikiers after? You know about that?" Shipper was shocked.

"I WROTE that part, Ships. Of course I know. But anyways, I wanted to test you. Show you how much your fans really care for you. They'd DIE for you, because they'renot just your fans. They're your friends."

Shipper thought about what I had said for a long while. It all made sense now, what Pece had said back there. This whole thing was a story I had written, to show her how much the Wikiers meant to her, and how much they cared, both for her and Ask or Dare. And now, the conflict had been resolved. It was over.

"So...what happens now?" Shipper asked me once more. I chuckled and looked down on her.

"Now, I make the part where I give you back your deceased friends, and fix everything," I answered. "But...it's more like YOU fixed everything. You did come find me after all."

"Will I ever see you again?" Shipper sure was full of questions.

"Maybe. Perhaps we could work together. And...one day I'll trust our Wikiers enough to reveal my true identity."

"You think so?"

"Yup. Till then, Shipper! Laters!"

I then typed these very words down onto my screen, and then, the hooded puppet I was using glowed even brighter. Shipper shielded her eyes and couldn't see anything. When the light faded, she removed her arms, and was startled to see herself sitting back in her studio, with everyone around her, looking amazed. And when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Dom, Order, Poli, Kirby, Jaga, Pece, Jessefan, Sponge, Charles, Nikki, Nick, and all the darables! The entire gang was here!

"You did it, Shipper!" cheered Nick. "You stopped the bad guy and saved the day!"

"Huh? No, I didn't," I insisted. "There is no bad guy!"

"Oh, don't be modest!" Sponge huffed. "You saved us! Now, everything is back to normal!"

Shipper turned to look at her once-dead Wikier. He was right. Everything WAS back the way it was. Better, she now was comforted knowing her Wikiers would stand with her, even after the show was over. She had never felt so proud and happy in her life. She looked around at everyone that stood in the room with her, the adventure she had experienced fresh in her mind. It really had gone beyond what she knew.

## Special Message to All my Wikiers

*Thank you all for showing me support for my Ask or Dare show. I feel fully confident that even after it loses its popularity, you all will still be my friends, ready to make me smile when I'm down and to make me laugh when I feel grumpy. And I'd do the same for any of you, for you guys mean a lot to me. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I hope this story gave you the same hope it did me while I wrote this. The confidence that tells you that even if what you create and share with the world doesn't get far, the people you meet will. Thank you for reading this. Till then, fellow Wikiers! Laters!*

## Trivia

* Due to the popular theory that Shipper is a girl, the real Shipper made the character who stars in this story a girl. However, this doesn't confirm their gender, as Shipper is a boy in "Tales of the Host: The Tale of Shipper."
* This story also hints at the ships, "Plorder" and "Dometra," upon being so popular among the Wikiers.
* Certain elements in the story refer to Camila Cuevas' Undertale animation, "Glitchtale." (Ex: Vantablack Ridge = Vantablack - Gaster's Theme)