Skips' Stress

(Scene opens with Skips working on the cart in his garage.)

Skips: (sighs after sipping a cup of tea)

Mordecai: Hey Skips, could you help us fix the pump in the fountain?

Skips: I'm kinda busy here.

Rigby: (whining) But Skips, we don't know what we're 'doin!

Skips: (sighs) Alright, I'll be right there. (skips out of his garage. Scene cuts to him fixing the fountain for Mordecai and Rigby. Benson walks to them carrying paint)

Benson: Skips, can you help me put a new can of paint on the benches?

Skips: (Sighs as he touches his arm) Yeah, sure. (walks off to do so. Cut to Skips painting the benches)

Pops : Skips, can you help me plant my chrysanthemums?

(Skips sighs and then clutches in pain as he notices some black lines)

Pops: Skips?

Skips: Sure, sure, Pops.

(Cut to Skips planting. Benson runs over to him)

Benson: Skips, what's going on with those benches?

Skips: I had to help-

(Muscle Man shows up with Hi Five Ghost.)

Muscle Man: Skps, we wrecked another gas line.

Skips: Uhh...

Mordecai & Rigby: Skips! Skips! Skips!

Skips: What? What? What?

Mordecai & Rigby: Lunch. Lunch. Lunch.

Skips: Why don't you guys go on ahead without me? I've got too much to do today.

Mordecai: Come on dude. You look like you could use some lunch.

(cut to Two Peaks Mall. Everyone is having lunch.)

Msucle Man: Ok, ok. How much money would it take for you to walk up to a shark and punch it in the face? Go!

Mordecai: (thinking) I'd do it for half a million. But only if I get to pick the shark.

Rigby: I'd do it for $500 and get me a pair of genuine leather biker boots! What about you, Skips?

Skips: Look, I don't know, guys. Can we just get back to the park? I got a lot to do today!

Rigby: Oh, oh! I got one.

(Skips groans in pain again. Cut to everyone leaving)

Benson: You should get a motorcycle before you get biker boots.

Rigby: Yeah, I'm gonna listen to the guy who doesn't drive a hog to work every day.

Muscle Man: Hey! Everybody stop leaving and come look at this! (Skips sighs) A stress test machine. I always ace these things. (places his hand on the machine) You know who else always aces these things? MY MOM! (starts the test by pressing the red button. It gives the final results)

Stress Machine: Stress Level: Moderate. Suggestion: Cut back on the late night pies.

Muscle Man: Aw, what?

All: (except Skips): Whoa!

Rigby: You should do it, Skips. You'd be all, (imitates Skips) 'Stress? Never heard of it!'

Skips: Aaah, can we just go? (Everyone encourages him to do it) Fine! If it'll get us outta here quicker, I'll do it! (sits down and starts the test by pressing the red button and then placing his hand)

Stress Machine: (beeping) Stress Level: Critical.

(The pharmacist is alerted by this just at the pharmacy.)

Pharmacist: (comes out of the pharmacy and takes the incoming stress test results out of the machine) Oh my goodness. Oh, oh no. Oh, no, no, no, no. Sir, are these your stress test results?

Skips: Uh, yeah. Why?

Pharmacist: (shows him his stress levels) I regret to inform you that your stess levels are off the charts.

Mordecai: Woah! How did that even happen?

Rigby: Yeah, Skips, what made you so stressed?

Skips: Look, I'm fine! Can we just go?

Pharmacist: No, I'm afraid you're not fine. Now, uh, may I? (takes Skips arm and reveal the black lines on it. Everyone is surprised at the sight of it) These are indicators of severe stress.

Skips: I guess I have been a little stressed out.

Pharmacist: Sir, if you fail to reduce your stress level, you will die.

Pops: But he's immortal!

Pharmacist: Who's the pharmacist here? Immortality won't save him on this one! (to Skips) I'm sorry, sir, but if you don't take immediate acton to reduce your stress levels, you will die. (Skips is now feeling uncomfortable) Now, can I interest you in any bandages or bread strips?

(Scene cuts to Skips and Benson walking to Skips's House)

Benson: I'm worried about you, Skips. I think you should take the rest of the day off.

Skips: I can't. I've got too much to do today!

Benson: No, Skips. You're taking the day off. Doctor's orders.

Skips: Fine. (goes into his house and lies down. He enters a dream.)

Rigby: (on a unicycle) Skips! Skips! Skips! Skips!

Mordecai: Skips, you gotta help us. Quick, put this on! (he and Rigby put a black and white shirt on Skips. The dark background reveals a haunted house carnival.)

Benson: (in a ringmaster costume) Skips! (Skips turns arounds and sees him.) Skips, I've got to start my show! Where's my fish?! Where's my fish?! (his hands turn into black octupus-like whips. A shark swallows him.)

(Skips hears Pops laughing at a booth.)

Pops: Skips, you must play at my booth! (Voice deepens as he turns into a black creature) Try to hit the target! (laughs)

(Skips begins to back away.)

Muscle Man: Skips! Test your strength, bro! (his hair becomes dark and wiggly) Ring the bell, Skips! Ring the bell!

(Skips notices a mallet in his hands, then see a bell in front of him. He bangs the mallet down and rings the bell. The black lines on the shirt wriggle around.)

Skips: Aaaah!

(He wakes up from the dream and finds something shocking underneeath the blanket. Scene cuts to Pops's House. Everyone and Skips, who is wearing a jacket, is waiting for Benson.)

Benson: Alright, guys. Here's what left to do today. (notices Skips) Skips, what are you doing here?

Skips: I'm working.

Benson: No, you're not. The doctor said you need to take it easy.

Skips: He was a pharmacist at a shopping mall! Trust me, I'm fine.

Benson: You sure?

Skips: Yeah. I'm fine!

Bensoon: Alright, but let me know if it's too much. (checks the schedule) Okay. So, we have the icecream social roday. Skips, you're setting up the booth, the icecream--

(Skips starts screaming in pain and rolls downs the stairs as everyone looks at him in shock. He knocks himself out cold. Screen fades out and we see his friends surrounding him. Fades out again and Benson unzips his jacket. Fades out again and we see the stress lines again. Fades out again and we see the stress leading through his heart. Screen fades for a short time.)

Rigby: Skips! Skips! Skips! Skips! Skips!

(When he comes to, Pops has just taken something off his head.)

Mordecai: Skips, are you alright?

Rigby: Yeah, what's that black gunk?! You look like you're gonna die! (Mordecai punches him) Oww!

(Benson and Pops are both helping Skips.)

Skips: It's just stress. I-I-I'm okay.

Pops: Skips, you're not okay! You can't put it off any longer. You must visit the bell!

Mordecai: Bell? What bell?

(Pops and Benson help Skips up while he winces in pain.)

Pops: There is an ancient stress bell that lies atop the Himalayan mountains. When it is rung, it relieves you of all your stress.

Benson: Then why didn't you visit the bell sooner?

Skips: It's not that simple. Ringing the bell is 5 times more dangerous than stress itself. Usually I can keep my stress under control, but I guess I let it get out of hand.

Rigby: Well, okay. You gotta ring this bell. But how do we get to the Himilayas?

Pops: Leave it to me.

(Cut to Pops opening his garage, where Carmenita is. He takes her out of the garage and opens the boot. Skips places a sword in the boot. Rigby asks, "Is that a ninja sword?" and Skips nods "Yes". Pops puts Carmenita in fly mode and he, Skips, Mordecai, Rigby and Benson start taking off to the Himalayas. Muscle Man and Fives wave goodbye to them, and they wave back. As they are flying, Skips' stress continues to envelope him. Rigby shows a mixtape entitled "Rigby's Stress Mix". He plays it, and Skips covers his ears. Mordecai slaps him, and throws the mixtape out of the car. A storm brews, and Skips stress become even worse. Benson places a watch in Skips mouth so he can calm down. The guys have arrived at the Himalayan mountains.)

Skips: There is. The ancient stress bell.

(We are shown a giant bell. Benson hops out of the car.)

Benson: Here, Skips. We'll help you up there.

(Everyone starts carrying Skips to the bell. They walk past a bunch of skeletons.)

Rigby: Woah, who are all these dead guys?

Skips: They musta lost their battles against their stress. (A skeleton splits in half. The guys get Skips onto the bell) Thanks. Now, what I'm about to tell you is really important. You have to keep your ears covered for as long as the bell is ringing.

Mordecai: Ok, Skips.

Skips: Rigby, what did I just say?

Rigby: Keep our ears covered.

Skips: For as long as the bell rings. Good. Now go! Go! Get out of here! Far away!

Rigby: Good luck, Skips! (Pops, Benson, Mordecai and Rigby run away from the bell and cover their ears. Skips then rings the bell, producing a long, loud sound. He screams as the stress exits his body and transforms into a stress monster that looks like Skips.) Cool. (Skips grunts and charges at the monster, but it grabs hims. Rigby spots the ninja sword.) Skips, you forgot your ninja sword! (runs to grab the sword)

Mordecai: Rigby, no! (uncovers his ears and grabs Rigby)

(Pops and Benson uncover their ears and grab Rigby also.)

Benson: Cover your ears!

(Rigby is still trying to get to the sword, but he screams as his stress exits his body and the four of them float into the sky.)

Skips: No!

(The stress exit the four of them, who fall back down, and goes into Skips' stress, causing it to squirm around and form 4 more stress heads; one of Rigby, one of Pops, one of Benson and of of Mordecai.)

Mordecai: What the heck?!

Rigby: I gotta get the ninja sword! (grabs the sword, then runs to Skips) Skips! (throws the sword to Skips, who sees and swiftly catches it. Skips whips it out of the case and start fighting the stress.)

Skips: Let me handle this! (screams as he charges at the stress, but is thrown away by its tentacles. He rolls and slices them off, but is soon grabbed by the tentacles again. The stress monster throws him into a statue, and grabs him by the neck)

Rigby: We gotta help him!

Benson: Yeah! Let's get this thing!

(They all scream and charge. They start grabbing weapons left behind behind by the skeletons, and start going at their own stress head. Mordecai screams at he runs to his stress head, but he is whacked by its tentacles. Pops' stress head grabs him.)

Benson: Leave Pops alone! (bangs his weapon on the head, only to be grabbed into the head.)

(Rigby pokes his weapon at his stress head, but is whacked away.)

Pops: It's too powerful!

Skips: (slicing a tentacle) We gotta cut off all of its heads!

(All the stress head roar. Mordecai gets up.)

Mordecai: Time to de-stress. (starts dodging the tentacles as he runs towward the stress head. He finally cut it off, causing it to vanish.)

(Pops runs back toward his stress head, cuts off it tentacles and finally slices it off. Benson is caught by the tantacle of his stress head, and screams as he heads towards it.)

Rigby: (running to the stress head with his weapon) Hold on!

Benson: No, no, no! Rigby, don't! (Rigby throws his weapon at the tentacle, disabling it. Benson screams as he falls. He grabs his weapon and hits the stress head) Thanks!

Rigby: No problem. (shields himself from a tentacle, and screams as he slices his stress head down, causing it to vanish.)

(Benson is caght by the tentacles again, as Pops runs to him.)

Pops: Benson, take these! (throws tiny axes at Benson, who throws them at his stress head's eyeballs, causing it to explode)

(Everyone except Skips is taken aback from the vibration. They watch Skips as he is fighting his stress head. Skips continues using his ninja sword and chops at the tentacles. He leaps up on top as the head dodges, and lunges the sword into it. The head pop back up and the monsters uses its tentacles to grab the sword and throw it aside.)

Everyone: Skips! (they are knocked aside by a tentacle)

(The monster has Skips in his grip, but he breaks out and runs down the monster, who is clinging onto him. He jumps down and sees a spear on the ground. He grabs it and turns around to stab it in the monster, going straight through it and causing it to completely vanish. Skips pants heavily. Everyone comes and cheers for him.)

Mordecai: We're sorry we made you so stressed out, Skips.

Skips: Ah, forget it. And thanks for helping me out back there.

Benson: This isn't goign to happen again. We could all stand to do more of our own work without bothering you for help.

Skips: I enjoy helping my friends, but, uh, that might not be such a bad idea.

(They all head back to Carmenita.)

Pops: Oh my.

Mordecai: What's wrong?

(We see the weapons jammed into a tire.)

Pops: We've got a flat tire.

Skips: I'll take care of it! (opens the boot, but notices the guys staring at him. He back away as they try to fix it.)

Pops: Here's the tire iron.

Mordecai: I'll grab the jack.

Rigby: I got the spare

Benson: Oh, let me help you with that.

(Skips smiles.)

(End of Skips' Stress)