Greed will consume us all

It was an astronomical anomaly! Stars one by one were going out like Christmas tree lights with astronomers only guessing why this was happening. The most popular theory being that the universe was much older than was originally thought.

But if scientists always took the consensus as fact then they would concede that old wives tales held legitimacy in their claims and by golly adding salt to pasta doesn't help it boil faster even though Lisa would repeatedly tell her father…

"Uh Lisa?" Lana interrupted.

With a sigh Lisa looked away from her telescope "I was trying to make a point." She said annoyed before a third voice jumped in.

"You lost me at 'by golly' Lis'." Lincoln said from the back porch.

Lana let out a snicker "Yeah, by golly?" She said in a mock voice. With an eye roll Lisa returned to her telescope.

"Mock me as you may, I will 'by golly' find out why this phenomenon is happening." As confidently as she said that it still got a few chuckles out of her siblings. As if fate couldn't be worse the night was windy and try as she might the tree branches kept getting into her line of sight no matter where she moved the telescope. "Oh come on!" She yelled, Lincoln letting out a shiver.

"Chilly tonight." He said.

"Doesn't feel too bad to me. You feeling anything hops?" Lana asked her frog who popped out of her hat to shake his head.

"Oh darn this weather!" Lisa let out frustrated as she backed away from her setup.

"What's the matter?" Lana asked.

"It's this confounded tree the wind keeps blowing into my field of vision."

"Want us to move your stuff again?" Lincoln asked although he wasn't happy about it, that telescope Lisa had must've weighed a ton! This would've been a perfect job for Lynn if Lisa trusted her not to break it, which she didn't.

"No it's most fine, better to wrap it up for the night right?" Lisa let out disappointed.

"Oh come on Lis' it's not that bad!" Lana proclaimed jumping onto her feet. "Little wind never hurt anything right?" She said as she walked passed her little sister.

"Actually most of the damage from tornados and hurricanes come from the violent winds." Lisa pointed out.

Lana didn't really listen to that part before she took a firm grip of the tree and started to climb. "Blah blah here I'll help you out." She happily said.

"Wait a minute, hey Lana be careful!" Lincoln yelled. This was cake for her even with the tree just slightly rustling around. Taking a hold of one of the big branches she heaved it back and held it as tight as she could.

"Lisa that helping!?" She yelled.

"Yes actually, thank you!" Lisa yelped with glee returning to her telescope. With a snicker Lana eased up, just using her weight to hold back the branch so she could relax a little and look at the sky. Everyone was talking about the stars at school to the point where Lana and Lola both found it annoying. Of course Lola was just annoyed because they were focusing on the wrong 'star' which only made it doubly annoying for Lana. Still even if it was annoying to hear all the chatter about it Lana was curious about this too. Just what was happening up there?

Across the same sky over a different land…

The sun was shining brightly under the water as it rippled. Everything that could be seen was glistening gold and radiating happiness. No surprise that everyone under this light was smiling. Even now in the royal castle, the captain of the royal guard couldn't stop a goofy smile from leaving his face.

He also was on his afternoon nap. Dozing away at his post he giggled in his sleep while he leaned on a large set of double doors. Not even stirring when footsteps began to echo down the hall.

"Patrick!" A feminine voice called out. The big heap of starfish chuckled in his sleep, dreaming of a simpler life.

On a horsie machine with unlimited quarters.

"Patrick!" The woman called out again with no prevail. She let out a grunt before starting to dash at Patrick with a foam karate glove giving a smack upside the head! He shook awake in a daze looking around for his attacker, easing up when he saw who it was.

"Oh hi Sandy!"

"Patrick what did I tell you about sleeping?" Sandy let out annoyed.

"Um to get 8 hours of it?"

"I said do it at night and not here!" Sandy let off before bringing herself back down. Priorities, she had priorities right now. "Patrick I need to see the king can you please open the door for me."

"Well how come I have to?" Patrick said lazily.

"Patrick." Sandy growled. Not a second later Patrick had the key out and opened the door.

"Right this way miss!" He nervously said as he held the door open for her. Hurrying in Sandy looked on at the large throne room, decorated in red and white life preservers with gold ribbons stringing them together.

"Your majesty! We need to talk right now!.." she announced before her eyes had time to set on the throne. The large golden throne decorated with a pineapple on top of all things was empty.

"Huh… guess he's not home." Patrick said.

Sandy was at a lost "wha-what the? Where the Sam Hill is he?"

"You think he went to go get ice cream!?" Patrick gleefully asked.

"Patrick, this is serious! You were guarding the door, don't you know where he went?"

"I thought he was in here." He said with a shrug.

"Your majesty!" Sandy called out.

"Spongebob?" Patrick called out.

Neither getting a response from their first, second, or third call. But on the fourth something echoed through the throne room. A lone meow from behind said throne. Slowly slithering into view was the King's pet snail.

"Gary?" Sandy asked as she and Patrick started to approach.

"Hey boy, do you know where Spongebob went for ice cream." The fact that Patrick was still on that really spoke volumes about his priorities. No, Gary did not know where the king was, but he did have something from him. Stuck to his shell was a letter with the king's emblem, a bubble. Inspecting it, Sandy took the letter and opened it. Reading it to herself with Patrick trying to read from over her shoulder.

That letter, was only the start to a very long journey.

Sandy shook at the end of it with Patrick looking at her confused.

"Wait I don't understand what does he mean..?"

"Patrick get the royal council here!" Sandy demanded scaring him.

"What?"

"Get Squidward and Mr. Krabs here Patrick right now!"

In a panic, he gave a quick salute "Right away ma'am!"

He sprinted out the throne room, leaving Sandy to reread the letter. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe the danger…

Across the same sky over a different land

The wee hours of the night were dawning with Lisa starting to burn the other end of her candle. Just narrowly pushing off sleep enough to get some final notes in.

"I think this should do it for the night." She said dotting the last period in her notes as Lincoln yawned out his approval.

"Hooray, this star gazing was making me sleepy."

"Could've sworn you were the counting sheep kind of guy Lincoln." Lana said letting go of the tree branch. Good timing too because her arms were starting to get sore. Lisa was starting to fold up her equipment with Lincoln picking up what he could.

"You need help coming down Lana?" Lincoln asked. It was no secret Lana had a slight fear of heights, but she was getting better at it.

"No thanks!" She gleefully answered. Lincoln was still going to keep his eye on her but he trusted she knew what she was doing. Heck their parents trusted her to lightly repair they're van so getting down should be easy peasy for her. As Lincoln started hauling in Lisa's telescope Lana started to climb down the branches. They were still moving from the wind so Lana was taking it slow. The leaves seemed to whistle giving her a little case of the willies, definitely something Lucy would like. Down to the lowest branch she was at the hardest part, going down the trunk, closing her eyes she wrapped her arms tightly around the tree.

"Well…" a quiet voice broke through the wind. Lana's eyes shot open, trying to find wherever it came from. The tree branches rattled catching Lana's attention, there was someone in the tree but she couldn't make out whoever it was, only a vague figure standing up there. "This'll be easy for once."

"Who the heck are...?" Before Lana could finish the figure grabbed her by her overalls. "Wha! Ah hey!" She struggled as the figure stared at her.

"Wait… what is this?" The figure said, Lana now catching on that this creeper was guy seeing him dressed in a black long coat. She banged on his hand yelling at him to let go. "You're not the one I'm looking for!" He said angrily. Before Lana could say anything else her would be abductor threw her off. She didn't even have time to scream or even really realize it was happening. She was going to hit ground, maybe snap something, maybe pass out. When she did realize it, she found herself screaming into something orange and warm. A grunt brought her back down to reality, Lincoln, she was on top of her big brother.

"Ow…"

"L-Lincoln!" Lana rolled around to look at him, he was okay but he was hurting.

"Y-you okay Lans?" He painfully let out. Her mouth almost wouldn't cooperate with her, she tried to say yes but her instincts were fighting her to call for her help.

"Lisa! Somebody! Get out here!" She yelled like it was bloody murder.

"Lana...?"

"I-I'm okay Lincoln don't worry…"

"Lana…?" He asked again but he wasn't looking at her. A set of feet landed briskly on their backyard grass, it was him. Lana shook, clinging on to Lincoln as he stared at them.

"This doesn't make sense. You both have it, how?" the guy spoke to himself, frustrated.

"What's going on...?" from the backdoor Lori came with Lisa and Lynn behind her. The guy took one look at them and gave a short gasp.

"More… how can you all be it!?" he demanded.

"Who the heck are you?" Lori asked back.

"Guys this creep tried to throw me out of the tree!" Lana exclaimed.

"He what!?" Lynn growled pushing past Lori.

"Hey, Lynn!"

"All right buster who do you think you are pushing around…?" with a wave of his hand the winds went violent like a tornado. Powerful enough to push Lynn on to her side and shut her up to her chagrin.

"What the...?" she let out as the guy stared into them.

"I don't need to listen you dumb girls yap on about nothing." The man said threateningly. The wind seemed to circle him and to everyone's surprise he was floating off the ground! Lori starred at him in shock while Lisa looked on the same, clinging on to her leg. Lana was holding onto to Lincoln like her life depended on it and he could only return the gesture as he watched this man rise to the second floor of their house.

"Kids! Kids everyone to the basement!" they vaguely heard their father call out for them but no one could yell for help, the wind was so strong that it seemed to carry away their voices. The man now hovered by the side of their house in front of the sole window to Lincoln's room. He hummed to himself as he gestured out his hand and a shine briefly showed itself from the window. If him floating wasn't enough to freak them out then what he did next would take the cake and eat it too. His hand glowed a sickly green before he punched it through the window, glass shattering and something screaming. Not like a baby or even a woman but something just something screaming, screaming in agony as whoever this was tortured it. The sky, so full of stars, began to fade to pure black as the moonlight faded. Then the worst of it happened, the ground began to crack. All around their house the earth split open like wood struck by lightning. Lana looked up for a moment to see the man back away from what was Lincoln's window and look down at her. His eyes glowed that same sick green as he flew toward her. She braced herself, holding on to her brother before she felt the man yank her off.

"Get lost!" he said flinging her next to Lynn. He grabbed Lincoln, looking at him for a moment. Lincoln looked at him hurt and confused before the man rose up with him in his grasp. Lana tried to yell out for the Lincoln but her voice only fell to the gale force winds. Thunder struck, the tree had begun to crack, and their house began to fall apart. Bits of the roof began to fly up into the sky, the fence began to yank itself out of the ground, and the remaining windows shattered. Underneath all the chaos were screams pleading for help that only fell on deaf ears. They screamed until the wind came for them, Lana feeling herself float off the ground in horror. Lisa was starting to fly too but Lori was holding onto her as hard as she could. But no one could grab Lana, Lynn tried to but she like Lana was now the storms play thing. Not long after Lori lost her grip of the house and flew with Lisa. The last thing any of them saw was their house, torn to shreds by the wind before the blackness set it. In one night they were blown away from their home

Blown across the same sky to a different land…