So I did actually decide to write this backstory thing about Unikitty and Benny. Not much ship, just friendship. Is it strange that whenever I see the word ship used on Fanfiction, as in shipping two characters, I instantly imagine a Titanic-style ferry with those two characters on it? Or is that just me? Probably. :3 On with the story!
"Hey mom, dad!" Eight year old Princess Unikitty bounded into a large white and gold brick manor. "I'm home!" Behind her followed a slightly nervous boy, by the name of Benny. The blue-clad boy peered around in awe. His mother was an astronaut and his father a renowned spaceship engineer, contributing to their large manor, but he'd never been in the presence of royalty. Until just today. School had started six hours previously, and ended ten minutes ago. During that span, Princess Unikitty had immediately been taken a liking to by the other children, the kids showing off little creations here and there to impress her. She had laughed and complimented and gasped along with the teacher, Mr. Vitruvius, that is until the teacher had run off, explaining there was very important… business, cough cough, to attend to, leaving her and the other kids alone with a couple of the parents. She politely observed the various creations, as her parents had taught her, but as she turned her head to properly admire the entire hot dog a boy with short blonde hair was showing her, she caught a flash of bright blue through the mob. As best she could, she excused herself, and hopped over to a young boy clad in a blue spacesuit, identical to the red and white ones she had seen on a few of the others. They must all come from Space Zone, she reasoned. But then why is he all by himself? People shouldn't be alone! She stopped a few hops away from the boy, who was making whoosh sounds and directing a toy ship through the air. Suddenly, he seemed to notice the young girl. Hastily standing up, he gave a little bow.
"Hello, your Highness." At this, Unikitty burst into giggles. Benny stood there, stunned for a few seconds. Then his face twisted in confusion and slight fear. "Have… Have I offended you, your Highness?" He asked.
"What? No, I just find it funny you called me 'Your Highness.' Please, call me Unikitty. Nice to meet you!" She laughed, sparkles coming out of her horn as she bounced around him, giggling again. "What's your name?" She inquired, coming to a stop in front of him.
"B-ben. But you can call me Benny." Benny said shyly, scuffing the floor with his foot.
"Benny… I like it! What's that you got there, Benny?" She indicated the spaceship with her feet.
So the two children had talked and laughed with each other, getting to know one another. Nearing the end of the day, the princess had invited him to her parents' castle. The young spaceboy had sputtered at first, never have been invited to someone's house before, much less royalty's. But the cat-unicorn had insisted, and told him about the anti-gravity chamber. Needless to say, the spaceboy was enthralled. So this is how Benny ended up meekly looking up into the faces of King Unicorn and Queen Kitty.
"What's your name, son?" The Queen asked kindly.
"Benny, your Highness." At this, the two monarchs chuckled.
"Simply call us Mrs. and Mr. Randon, dear- at least while not in front of a crowd." The Queen ushered the two children into the large, rectangular, domed roof banquet hall, the dome made entirely of glass bricks. The King promised to join soon, but he had a mechanical bird to send.
"Your kitchen is amazing, your- I mean, Mrs. Randon." The young astronaut-to-be gazing around.
"Thank you dear. Now, please sit and tell me about yourself. A servant will bring you some milk and cookies."
They all sat and chatted, then, true to her word, one of the Queen's servants, a white wolf, came and served them the cookies. Soon after, the King joined.
"So, young Benny." The King began during a lull in the conversation. "From what I've just heard about you, you would make an excellent suitor."
The blue spaceboy's eyes widened and a fierce red blush marched up his cheeks.
"Daaaad…" Unikitty rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
"Unicorn, don't scare our guests away." The Queen scolded, nudging the laughing monarch.
"I'm sorry, son. Just an old joke. Now, in all seriousness, have you told your parents you're here?"
"Oh yeah, I don't remember you calling them." Unikitty frowned, turning to Benny. All embarrassment forgotten, the spaceboy jumped. "That's because I didn't. Oops."
"Here, you can use my phone." Unikitty shrugged over a phone, sliding across the small block.
"Thanks." Benny smiled gratefully, picking up the white block. Dialling his parents number, he waited. And waited. Rinnnng… rinnnng… rinnnng… "This number could not be reached at this moment. Please leave a message after the beep." Beeeeep. "Mom? Er, sorry I didn't come home straight away, I'm at Princess Unikitty's- my new friend's house- and I'll be back in a second, okay? Love you, bye."
As soon as he slid the phone back over and repeated his thanks, he suddenly had the strangest feeling. It was a horrible apprehension, a feeling of overwhelming foreboding, rolling over him in a black wave. The room spun as dizziness soon followed.
"Benny? Are you okay?" Unikitty peered at him nervously. Across the table, her parents shared similar expressions.
"I think-" He swallowed. "-I have to go home."
~oOo~
The cookies and milk he had eaten churned in his stomach as Benny the young astronaut stared without really looking at a ruin of bricks. The blue and white bricks lay in a shambled pile, and many were on fire. The crackling orange flames reflected off of the boy's face and his newfound friend's, Unikitty. She whimpered a little, then hopped over to Benny and rubbed his arm.
"What are you going to do?" She asked as Benny stood up. He brushed some invisible dirt off his arm and replied with a determined expression,
"I'm going to avenge them, any way I can. If it means going on an adventure with strangers, then I'll do it. I'm not just going to sit by idly. No. Now, let's go get your parents and get whoever did this." He walked over to the bricks, and stared down at them. Looking at his hands, he sighed. He'd known his parents were Master Builders, but did the same blood run in him? He'd tried for years, but never succeeded. He miserably closed his eyes. Then, he began to see the orange glow of the fires in his mind's eye. He remembered the times his father would let him work on a project with him, and his father's laugh. He remembered when his mother would tell him great stories of outer space, and the beautiful stars, like gems, she had said, that kindly looked after the astronauts in their domain. He remembered the times they had all sat in the living room at Christmas, the cool presents he'd get and running up to them for a warm hug of thanks. All of a sudden, that echo of a warmth kindled into a fire burning in his heart. The warmth flowed through his limbs, into his hands and feet, and he opened his eyes. Any way I can.
Before he knew it, his hands were moving faster than they ever had before. He saw things in specific detail, as if through a magnifying glass. Everything held a blue aura on it, and some pieces he worked with shone extra bright. They whooshed under his care coalescing into a large robot with a jetpack, weapons- a chainsaw, blasters, and a flamethrower- and two seats at the top with a helmet-like head. He jumped into the seat nearest to him.
"C'mon. I expect that whoever did this-" He raised an arm in the direction of the rest of Space Zone, the robotic arm moving with him, "-isn't going to stop here."
"...Benny, you're a Master Builder!" Unikitty looked up at him in admiration. Caught by surprise, and looking down at his piece properly for the first time, he replied,
"Y-Yeah… I guess I am!" Letting out a whoop, he moved his arm down and so brought the robot's arm down. Unikitty giggled and jumped on the hand, which was then brought up so she could jump in the co-pilot's seat. "Let's go!"
~oOo~
Smash. Crash. Pew-pew. Slam. Benny's robot pushed through a crowd of these… weird black box things with long claws that swarmed Cloud Cuckoo Land.
"Do… Do you think my parents are okay?" Unikitty asked in a trembling voice.
"Of course. Well. At least, that's what we're going to find out, but I'm sure they will be." Benny's voice held a strong tone with a gentler undertone that made Unikitty feel comforted.
"Thanks, Benny." The blue astronaut blushed a little, and turned his head slightly so his the edge of his helmet hid his face.
"Sure thing. Ah! Look!" He gasped, and turned the robot after smashing a few black boxes. In the not-so-far distance lay the castle, on top of a edge of a white cloud cliff overlooking the ocean, on fire in a couple of places, and the glass dome smashed- with a large white and black ship-car taking two struggling figures out.
"Mom! Dad! No!" Unikitty yelled, jumping out the robot… right into a swarm of the black boxes.
"Unikitty!" Benny yelled frantically, eyes searching the mass. He caught a flash of red. Then another. One more. Suddenly, a deep roar sounded, and the mass bulged, then exploded as the black boxes were sent flying away, some in pieces.
Where the center of the boxes had been, a large, red, heaving, yellow-eyed cat stood. It took Benny a minute to realize it was Unikitty.
"Woah…"
"Grr… I'll meet you there. I have to save my parents!" Unikitty roared, and bounded off towards the ship.
Benny stared after her a moment longer, then charged after her.
"Wait up!" Pounding through the streets, Benny tried not to squash the citizens that were trying their best to fight back the hordes of black boxes, and the very breakable houses. Meanwhile, Unikitty chomped her way through the swarms, paying slightly less attention to the houses in her blind rage. Luckily, the citizens had seen her like this a couple of times before, and were wise enough to leap out her way.
Eventually, Unikitty made it to her parents where they had somehow managed to escape the ship's clutches and were miraculously fighting back with a black rifle.
"Mom! Dad!" Unikitty yelped in relief, and sank back into her normal form. However, unknown to them, a micromanager, the name Benny had heard from a man ushering his family away, and upgraded to be smarter than the rest, had been cowering behind a building, waiting for Unikitty's rage to disappear. Now was its' chance. It zoomed back from around the corner and locked the King, Queen, princess, and boy in its' sights on the balcony they were standing on. Gotcha.
"Sweetheart, you've got to get out of here! It's too dangero- Agh!" The King was cut off in his statement as a laser blast hit his back leg.
The Queen started towards him, then was grazed on her back, and toppled over.
"No!" Unikitty let out a strangled cry but was seized by a micromanager's claw.
"Get your hands off her!" Benny roared, thrusting a lever forward.
Nothing happened.
"What…?" He pushed the lever back, then forward, then repeated the process. "Why isn't it-" It was then that he became aware of a crackling and hissing sound to the back of the robot. Acting on pure instinct, he leapt out the cockpit- just in time for the robot to implode.
Benny was thrown forwards and slammed into a wall. Looking up in a dazed fashion, he saw the black and white ship-car; a flying police car, he realized, had landed. A black-clad man walked slowly towards him, like a lion stalking up to an injured gazelle, and picked him up by a fistful of his blue spacesuit. Benny could tell he was saying something, but couldn't quite make it out. But slowly, his hearing started to come back to him, albeit with a ringing.
"You hear what I said, lad? Speak!" Benny focused on the man. He wore gray shades and a black curved helmet. Numbly, he shook his head. The man growled. "I said, are you a Master Builder?" Benny stared at him. Then, a wry smile slid across his face.
"Well, gee, sir. Don't cha' think I'm a little too young for the greatness of that title?" The man slapped him across the face. Despite himself, tears sprang to the young astronaut's face.
"Don't play coy with me, boy. Now tell me-" The cop spoke in a dangerously soft tone. "-ARE YOU A MASTER BUILDER OR NOT?" He added an extra shake, causing Benny's world to spin.
"Y-yes sir." Benny replied in a small voice, a bruise starting to form across his cheek where the man had slapped him.
"Good. Thought as much." The man dropped him, and a micromanager picked him up. "In that case, I'm going to take you to Lord Business's Think Tank, where you'll serve him. But first, a little goodbye party."
The cop, so he appeared, walked over to Unikitty's fallen parents. "These are the two leaving. Say goodbye, kids."
"No!" Unikitty and Benny howled in unison.
"Be brave… sweethearts…" The Queen whispered just loud enough to hear.
"Keep her safe… Benny. You're a good kid. We love you… Uni." The King coughed. The cop seized the two royals with surprising strength, ignoring the insults Benny hurled his way and the desperate, sobbing pleas of the princess.
"Sayonara." The cop muttered. "This is what you get when you harm my own flesh and blood." And with that, he kicked them off the cliff and into the ocean, where the cop hoped they drowned. Of course, he knew a fall of that height would certainly kill someone, if not break several bones.
"NO! They can't swim!" Unikitty shrieked, struggling in the micromanager's grasp. Well, drowning works too. The cop thought, striding over to the two struggling kids.
"Now. What am I going to do with you brats? Oh ye-" His sarcastic comment was promptly cut off by the balcony shaking violently underneath them. The cop looked up in surprise once he regained his balance to see a older boy, maybe nineteen, with half a beard and a pirate suit.
"Arr… Ye wouldn't be torturing these poor kiddies, would ya? Cause I'd hate for that to be happenin'." He revealed a flashing curved sword. "Have at ye, scurvy dog!"
"A blaster versus a sword? This'll be just too easy…" The cop muttered and began firing, but the pirate let out a hearty laugh and deflected every blast.
Benny started and dropped a half-foot when the micromanagers holding him and Unikitty suddenly released their holds on the two.
He turned and saw a warrior with a sword and a horned helmet, and two sparking halves of the micromanager laid on either side of him.
"C'mon. This way." The warrior spoke with a rough nordic accent, gesturing toward some stairs.
"B-but… okay. Unikitty?"
"Coming." The unicorn-cat looked shaken, but still gave a weak, flickering smile. A man in a suit and bowtie stood with a strange cylindrical object. The two and their saviors creep-ran to the stairs, and climbed down.
"Who are you?" Benny whispered to the two strangers.
"I'm Dovahkiin, and this is the Doctor."
"Don't worry. We're here to help." The Doctor said, flashing a grin.
"Thanks for saving us."
"Anytime. Jim-" Dovahkiin started, then noticed the puzzled expressions of the two kids. "-the pirate guy, is going to hopefully scare off Bad Cop."
"Ah… But why are they doing this?" Unikitty asked, trembling. The Doctor began to answer when an ominous cracking sound emanated from somewhere far below them.
"Oh no. An ominous cracking sound appears to have emanated far below us." The Doctor stated. "That can't be good. Run!" All of a sudden, a massive crevice opened up between the four, splitting the two adults from the kids. They flew back from each other, the Doctor and Dovahkiin flying back onto a falling section of the kitchen.
"Bowties are kewl! Always remember that!" The Doctor yelled through cupped claws as the section they landed on fell to the ocean.
"Bowties are kewl… what? Ah! Never mind, let's go!" Benny said, ushering Unikitty out into the hallway, and then out the main doors. "Woah!"
He skidded, and stopped a few feet out of the doors.
"Agh! What's wrong… Oh." The kids looked out across the landscape, and watched as the last of the ground and ceiling, broken up into islands, fell into the rolling ocean. The only island left was the one they were standing on, which was at least thirty feet long, and twenty feet wide. The entrance hall to the castle, half the banquet hall, and a few hallways and rooms still stood.
Several Master Builders, groaning, picked themselves off the ground. Among them was a panda guy, a turtle ninja, Jim, and a wizard. No micromanagers and no sign of Bad Cop, either. Unikitty walked cautiously up to the edge, and peered over. She choked back a sob as she saw a plethora of bricks scattered across the waves.
Benny came up to her and stroked her fur, a bit nervously at first, but relaxing when she started to purr slightly.
"It's okay. Um… I have an idea." He said.
"Really?" Unikitty watched him with hopeful eyes.
"Sure thing. Let's see here…" Gotta come up with a idea. Benny looked around, and gasped. Some rope and bricks lay in a rubble. "Look! We can use the rope to make a pulley!" He whizzed around the bricks, forming them into a pillar with a small hook at the end. He attached the rope, and to one end, a medium sized crate. "We can get the pieces out of the water, and get those guys-" He turned to the other Master Builders, who were watching with interest. "-and rebuild Cloud Cuckoo Land!"
For a few moments, Unikitty looked up at him in admiration, eyes shining with fresh hope. Then her face fell, and she looked downcast.
"But do you think we can do it? We're just kids." She muttered. Benny looked over at her. He walked over, and knelt down in front of her. She raised her eyes to meet his, and saw them full of determination.
"Yes. We are. We're only eight. Our parents are gone. But we can do it. I believe. Belief is the foundation of dreams, and dreams are the frame of our success. So I believe. Do you?"
Unikitty watched him. Benny gazed at her back. Slowly, he saw her eyes fill with the same determination he had felt when he saw the ruin of his parents' manor. The same fire. The same knowledge that things would turn out alright.
"Yes. I believe. I do. I really do!" She giggled, and jumped happily in the air. Benny stood up, and he and the other Master Builders watched as she carefully, but with increasing speed, took down the bricks of the castle, and started to build a rounded structure. The structure increased in height, eventually raising up in a dome. It was made mostly of pinkish bricks, with the exception of two round eyes, a nose, belly fur, and a mouth. She finished the head and started moving her head around as if in a trance, rainbows moving about her horn. Bricks flew up and arranged themselves in ears on the side. She leapt down, and bounded over to the ragtag group. "I did it! I really did it Benny, I'm a Master Builder! Yay!"
"Yeah! That was awesome Unikitty! What do you call it?" He motioned to the structure.
"I call it… The Dog. And all the Master Builders can come here, and build whatever they want, with no rules, no government, no big meanies who want to destroy it."
"That sounds cool! But… if there's no government, what will you do here?"
"I'll still be princess, silly. I'll say there's no rules, and there won't be. But someone's gotta watch over them and lead them and stuff."
"Ah." Benny paused. Then a broad grin spread across his face. "Okay guys!" He called to the other Master Builders. "We have to rebuild Cloud Cuckoo land. With all of us working, we'll get it done in no time! Here's the plan: go crazy! Get the pieces using the pulley, then build whatever you want! Buildings and stores would be helpful, but other than that, create whatever you want. Now, are you with us?" The Master Builders cheered, and Benny and Unikitty grinned at each other. "Then let's get building!"
~oOo~
It had seemed impossible, a task not ever to be completed. It had taken them exactly two weeks and a day. The work had been arduous and a little boring, but they had done it. They had rebuilt Cloud Cuckoo Land. From just the little island they had started out with, they had created now a land that stretched far enough for mist to cover the ends of the land. Colorful creations and buildings dotted the landscape. More were being built now, as a steady influx of Master Builders flowed into this paradise, this haven for them.
There had been a few problems, though. The panda and wizard argued over which was better- a chocolate store or a candy store. A few other Master Builders had joined the argument, and Benny and Unikitty had to break it up before it got too serious.
"Adults are silly." Unikitty had rolled her eyes and giggled, skipping away to build something or the other, Benny joining in. They ran off, laughing, when they bumped into someone and fell backwards, the person doing the same.
"Careful." The stranger said. The voice was feminine and child-like, and she wore a black hoodie. She stood up and brushed herself off, watching Benny help Unikitty up.
"Sorry. We didn't see you there, um…" Unikitty said, squinting at the person.
"Wyldstyle." The girl said, and shrugged back her hood. She looked maybe a couple of years older than Benny and Unikitty, and seemed a little troubled.
"Nice to meet you!" Unikitty sang, jumping up. "I'm Princess Unikitty. This is Benny." Said spaceboy leaned forward and shook her hand.
"Pleasure to meet you. Say, are you a DJ?" Wyldstyle looked a little annoyed at this.
"No." She paused. "Hey, is this the place Master Builders talk about? The safe place for them?"
"Sure is!" Unikitty replied cheerfully. "Wait. Master Builders talk about this place?"
"Well, yeah. They say it was blown to pieces, but two kids built it back single-handedly… wait… are you two those kids?"
"Yep. I know that's not entirely true, though. Some other Master Builders helped." Benny said, marveling at the fact they were being talked about across the Universe.
"Wow. Still impressive, to build back an entire world. It's a huge act, respectful especially since you're basically rebelling against Lord Business himself. You're either very brave or very stupid." Wyldstyle said, nodding slightly.
"Who's Lord Business?" Unikitty asked, confused. Wyldstyle stared at her.
"You don't know?" When the two other children shook their heads, Wyldstyle led them to a bench in front of an ice cream parlor shaped like a squid. "Well, here's the story."
She explained to them how Business had risen to power, put walls between the worlds, blinded a wizard called Vitruvius who had spoken of a prophecy- at which Benny and Unikitty had exclaimed, thinking of their teacher,- thrown the Universe into temporary chaos, destruction, and rebellion; which he quickly organized and put down; sent out the police after any Master Builder they could get their claws on, and, finally, described the importance of keeping Cloud Cuckoo Land out from under the eye of Lord Business, Bad Cop, and the micromanagers.
"If you don't, they'll come after you, blow this place up again, and most likely won't let you escape again." She finished, looking at each of them in the eye.
"Okay. We promise we'll keep this place a secret." The two littler kids swore.
"Good." Wyldstyle seemed relieved, leaning back. "Have you said your inaugural speech yet?" She asked, addressing Unikitty.
"No." Unikitty frowned. "What's that?" Wyldstyle sat up a little straighter.
"No? Well, you might need to sometime soon. Tomorrow would be best. An inaugural speech, or address, is when a leader announces their intentions for their place of rule. If you don't, someone else might take the throne. For instance, a man with a brown cloak, crossbow, and motorcycle helmet. Named Sir Jeff."
"How specific." Benny said thoughtfully.
"I know. Weird. I just had a random hunch, and I just said it." They all sat in silence for a few moments, then a motorcycle came revving up. A man with a brown cloak, crossbow, and motorcycle helmet sat in the seat. He parked, then walked up to them.
"Hello. My name is Sir Jeff. Are you the princess of this land?" He asked Unikitty. Before Wyldstyle could stop her, Unikitty replied,
"Well, no, not yet. I haven't done my inaugust-aral speech yet. Or something like that."
"Ah! So I still have time to claim my own on this chaotic land of Skittles and rainbows! Goody!"
"Not quite." Wyldstyle stood up. "Her parents were the King and Queen. She's next in line."
"Hmph… Ah! You have forgotten one specific detail, knave! Her parents are deceased! No one rules here! Therefore, this place could be anything. A monarchy, democracy, theocracy, communism, despotism- any of them! And anyone could be a leader, they simply have to seize control! Ahahaha!"
This guy's mad. Wyldstyle thought, thinking furiously. "You come from Middle Zealand, don't you Sir Jeff? And you're a knight, correct?"
"Of course, young knave." The insane knight looked astonished as he flipped up the visor of his helmet. Wyldstyle had a idea, but because of the factor of his insanity, she wasn't too sure if it would work.
"Then would you accept an honorable challenge?" She asked, an inquiring look on her young face. The knight hesitated, looking almost confused. Then a broad smile stretched across his features.
"Of course! Present your challenge, and by my honor, I shall accept."
"I challenge you to... a joust for the throne." The knight doubled up laughing at her. "What's so funny? I thought your honor forces you to accept."
"Of… of course it does." The madman replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "It's just I wouldn't fight such a pitiful girl such as yourself. Honor says no-no."
Rage boiled deep within Wyldstyle, a urge to knock this guy's lights out so hard, no electrician could fix it. A crowd had started to gather, watching the spectacle, and she sensed Unikitty and Benny tense up behind her, seemingly knowing what might happen.
Instead, however, she forced herself to take deep, calming breaths, swallowing her anger, and replied coolly, "Well, if girls aren't allowed to fight, I can hardly see you doing so."
Before the mirthful-turned-shocked-turned-angry knight could reply, "What I'm saying is that it seems that you're too cowardly to fight a girl. But oh well." The knight puffed up like a pufferfish.
"Is that so?" He asked through clenched teeth. Then he stopped, struggling internally, and forced a smile, deflating slightly. "Well, cowardly I may be, but my honor still denies it. So, what man shall fight me for the throne?" Wyldstyle cursed inside her head, a very unchildlike word echoing through her thinking brain. It was her turn to hesitate.
"I will."
Wyldstyle turned to Benny in disbelief, a determined expression etched on his face.
"Don't be stupid!" She hissed. Benny squared his shoulders as best a Lego person could, looked up at her straight in the eyes, and answered,
"I'm not. I'm being respectable." To this, the preteen had no answer. He stepped around her and up to a bewildered Sir Jeff. "I, the young astronaut Benny, will fight you, Sir Jeff, tomorrow at noon in the name of Princess Unikitty for the throne." He said it in a loud, firm voice, loud enough for the crowd to hear, who gasped and muttered among themselves.
The knight looked him up and down. "Well. You are a man, to present yourself with such courage." Behind Benny, Wyldstyle clenched and unclenched her jaw. "Alright, boy. I'll fight you. Tomorrow at noon? Alright then. Noon it is!" And with that, he clambered onto his motorcycle, flipped down his visor, and sped away. Benny stared after him, then sighed and turned around.
"...Benny? You'd do this for me?" Unikitty asked nervously. She'd hate to see her friend hurt; she knew a joust could be quite painful, as her parents had taken her to numerous tournaments in Middle Zealand. As she spoke, the crowd began to disperse.
"I would do anything for you." Benny replied, smiling softly. He then realized what he had said, and turned deep red. "That is… I mean… Er-"
Wyldstyle watched this little moment between the two and smiled.
"You would? Aw, thanks Benny! You're the best." She embraced him as best she could, purring. Benny hugged her back, closing his eyes. After a few moments, they broke away, and Unikitty continued, "You two can stay in my house that I built, if you want. I have a couple spare rooms." Benny glanced at Wyldstyle. She raised both eyebrows at him, and he turned back to the princess.
"Sure thing."
"Yay! I have a ton of ice cream in my freezer. Oh, and popsicles, too! And…" She dragged him away, an amused Wyldstyle shaking her head and following.
~oOo~
Benny opened his eyes to the pumping sound of dance music, laughter, and people. Light streamed through his high window in the guest bedroom, which was blue bricks, his favorite color, decorated with a white bed, chest of drawers, bedside table, mini-fridge, carpet, and bookshelf. An adjacent room contained a bathroom with shower.
He lay there for a few minutes, thinking about the tournament, then rolled over and peered through sleepy eyes at the clock. 9:23 a.m. I still have a few hours. He sat up and rubbed his youthful face, then slid out of bed and padded over to the shower. Turning on the shower, he climbed out of his astronaut PJ's and stepped in. The water was warm and refreshing, allowing him to shake off sleep and his apprehensive thoughts.
Hopping out after shampooing his hair and rinsing, shaking water droplets out like a dog, he wrapped a towel around himself, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and then proceeded into his room to get dressed. He switched into his blue spacesuit which he had washed yesterday, rubbing an azure sleeve fondly, remembering that Christmas, when he opened the box and discovered the suit. He had thanked his parents again and again, laughing and jumping around, hugging the blocks to his chest. His parents… No. He wouldn't let sad thoughts get to him. Not today. Today would be full of action and excitement. And probably pain. That too.
He grinned and walked down the hallway into the kitchen, where Unikitty and Wyldstyle sat eating sausages, eggs, and toast.
"Your breakfast is on the side." Wyldstyle said, motioning to the board.
"Thanks." Benny said, still smiling. As he went to collect his food, Unikitty remarked,
"You look happy today!" Benny sat down, and chewed on a piece of toast before answering.
"I've decided today is No Frowny Face day." Wyldstyle snorted and began eating a forkful of scrambled eggs, while the princess replied,
"That should be every day, silly! Huh. Maybe that should be a rule! No frowny faces. I like it."
"Provided he-" Wyldstyle pointed a fork at Benny. "-wins the tournament, and allows you to enforce the rule."
"Well of course he will! He's Benny! He can do it, I know he can." Benny's eyes widened a little. She trusted him a whole lot on something he'd never done, was just a tad bit inexperienced for. Just a tad. A voice in the back of his head suddenly began to speak. Why are you so scared? I mean, you defeated Bad Cop! Benny paused.
No I didn't. Metalbeard scared him off while Dovahkiin and the Doctor saved Unikitty and I.
Well. You hurled some pretty good insults, at least. Telling him his mom was probably a pug and his dad a potato was pretty funny.
It didn't make sense. I was just mad.
Yes, well- are you listening to my swag motivational speech or not?
Sure.
As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, You destroyed most of the micromanagers, you rebuilt Cloud Cuckoo Land, an impressive feat to be reckoned with, even if you did have help, you challenged a freakin' knight- and all for because you like the princess. Like-like her.
No! No I don't! Shut up! Quiet! Shh!
It's not like they're telepathic.
While Benny sat, staring at his plate, an involuntary twitch tweaking his eyelid or the corner of his mouth occasionally, the two girls watched him.
"Is he okay?" Unikitty asked, concerned, looking up at the other, elder girl.
"Mmm." Wyldstyle replied, recognizing a mental battle. "C'mon, let's go start working on your speech. We'll leave crazy here." She muttered the last part under her breath, placed the three's dishes in the sink, and led Unikitty away into a study room.
-And that's why candy is so much better than chocolate.
Eh. I still think chocolate's better. Wait, weren't we arguing about Unikitty?
No. Yes. Probably. Yes. I won, ending with a sassy remark about how you're just too chicken to ask her out. Before Benny could interrupt with a rather sassy remark of his own, the voice continued, Look. Kid. You just have to believe you can do it.
I'm not asking her out!
That's not what I meant! I meant, You have to believe you can win this jousting tournament. You've done things a lot of men and women can't even think about, and you reckon you can't win a match against an insane knight with a couple of overgrown sticks?
Well, when you put it that way…
Exactly. I'm right. I'm always right.
You help others?
I'm gonna tell you something I've never told anyone. Come closer…
You're in my head. How much closer can I get to you? Would you like me to bash my head against the wall? Benny stabbed at the table with his fork then realized his plate was missing, and he'd finished his food awhile ago.
Hardy-har-har. My bad. Okay, the thing I've never told anyone is my name. Or at least my title. Suddenly, Benny's world shook violently with a massive rumble. He thought he heard a person's growl in an electronic undertone, but couldn't be sure. When it stopped, he turned quickly in his chair to watch the open doorway Wyldstyle and Unikitty had passed through, Unikitty's excited voice filtering through. They didn't have seemed to have noticed.
What… was that?
That was Fa- where I come from. It doesn't seem to want me to tell you my biggest secret. My name. But I can tell you where to find me. When Unikitty is restored to the throne, and you have avenged your parents, go to Middle Zealand. From there, go to the Dragon's Flagon Inn and ask for a green potato. Sounds silly, I know. Instead of the potato, a man in rags should be sitting in the corner. He'll come up to you, and lead you to a jewel under a mossy rock.
While the voice instructed him, Benny snatched up a piece of paper and pen and began writing the words.
He might want blood payment, but tell him if he wants to see his most prized possession again, he'll call you sir from now on.
That sounds mean.
He's a thief. That reminds me, don't carry any money with you, or anything valuable. Anyways, he'll show you a hidden path. Take the path right at the crossroads, but don't go left! I mean it. Don't. Seriously. Left bad. Right good. Right, you'll find a huge rock shaped like a turtle. Put the jewel in his mouth. He'll come to life, and welcome you into his mouth. Do it. There, you'll find me, and I'll give you the greatest advice you'll ever have.
And… what would that be?
That's a secret. Now go get your girl! Benny promptly smashed a fist into his head at this farewell remark, knocking him unconscious…
"Benny… Bennnny… Benny!"
"Huh what?!" Benny shot straight up in his bed, the aftermath of what he was sure had been a light slap tingling on his cheek, the one Bad Cop hadn't hit.
"Sorry. I got impatient; you were knocked out a while." Wyldstyle lowered him back down onto his bed and looked down on him as a nurse would a patient.
"We got so worried, Benny! We found you unconscious on the kitchen floor!" Unikitty peered down at him nervously. It worried him to see her so nervous.
"I… I'm okay Unikitty… really." He smiled, which then turned into a thoughtful frown. "What time is it?"
"11:40 a.m." Wyldstyle answered, looking at the clock.
Benny's eyes widened dramatically, and he shook his head slightly as if in shock.
"I know what you're thinking, about the tournament and everything, but you sprained your ankle, and we were just about to leave and tell Sir Jeff the tournament's off-"
"NO!" Benny yelled, startling the two girls. "I'm fighting."
"Benny, your ankle is sprained. You can't- where are you going?" Wyldstyle demanded, standing up as Benny swung his legs out from under the covers.
"To the tournament."
"Wha- you can't!"
"Watch me." The young, stubborn astronaut replied. He tested his feet on the ground, then put pressure on them. A spike of pain lanced up his right foot. He hissed quietly, and then put his full weight on his feet, walking a few steps. The pain persisted, and he leaned his body on the wall, an annoyed sigh escaping his mouth.
"Look, if you insist on being stupid, then at least take this crutch." Wyldstyle handed him the object. She appeared annoyed, and felt it, but some part of her respected him.
"Thanks." Benny mumbled, taking the crutch.
"Benny, you don't have to do this." Unikitty spoke up from her position by the bed.
"Yes. I do. Thank you for your concern, but I have to do it." For you. She smiled at him softly, and a warm glow lit in his heart. "Now let's go."
~oOo~
They, the little group of kids, had made it to the arena fairly quickly, with ten minutes to spare. They watched as Sir Jeff climbed onto his horse with ease, testing his lance with a few expert thrusts and swings. With this, a slight unease crept into Benny's heart. This man may be crazy, but he knew what he was doing.
"Don't worry. You've got this." Wyldstyle whispered to him as they watched a goblin scurry up to them, arms full of armor and a lance, a troll lumbering towards them behind the goblin with a horse in tow.
"Sir Jeff has requested these arms be deployed to you." The goblin exclaimed in a shrill voice. "Thu has your horse. Good luck to you sir." He placed the armor on the ground, and sprinted off. The troll stopped, and watched the three carefully. He thumped a fist on his side and handed the horse's reins to Benny.
"My name is Thu, my lord. I wanted to tell you, watch yourself out there. Sir Jeff has a few dirty tricks up his sleeve, with no sanity to hold him back from using them. If you see 'im reach for his boot, turn Lee here-" He motioned to the horse. "-and run. He's got a poisoned dagger. Kill you mighty painfully." He leaned in confidentially. "Mind you, he does have a weakness. Taunt 'im, and he'll get angry. An insult to his helmet'll do it well. Then, he'll make mistakes. All you have to do here is unseat him to win."
"Why are you telling all me this?" Benny looked up at the troll uncertainly, wondering if this was some sort of trick.
"Why? This man's been trying to be King of Middle Zealand for years. He's crazy. He hates everyone, especially trolls and dragons. I forgot the reason, but he loathes us. He's using bread and circuses to keep us entertained, while he hires bandits to wipe out those who oppose him. To be honest, I was hoping for you to win so I could use his defeat to rally his remaining opponents and reveal him for the scoundrel he is. And, you seem like a smart 'guunka', which is 'child' in trollish. You can do this. Good luck and farewell, little one." And with that, he turned and shambled off toward the spectator seats.
"Ahoy!" The shout came from somewhere behind the three. Turning around, they saw Jim walking towards them, seven pirates trailing after him. Five had crossbows, and the other two clutched pirate-style pistols.
"How are ya lot, then? A little anxious Jeff's gonna cheat? Don't be. I've got me hearty crew with me, at least some of them. If he tries to pull any mortally wounding tricks, we'll get him first. Go on, boys." He waved his crew to the stands, and they filed off.
"Thank you Jim." Benny said sincerely. "I don't quite trust this man to his word. Honor-bound? Hmph."
"Yar. He's not trustworthy. He's insane." Jim replied staring at the knight, who looked around, obviously searching for something, mumbling to himself. Jeff's gaze alighted on Benny and his friends, and called,
"Ho there! Have you come to your senses, boy? Or does your armor and weapon like collecting dust and rust? Ha ha! Well, of course, it's not exactly alive. It's metal. Not…" He trailed off, then shouted, "Anyway! Are you ready to joust? I know the crowd is!" He motioned to the crowd in the stands, who roared their agreement.
Benny looked down at the armor in realization, and attempted to hoist the chestplate off of the ground. It lifted a few inches, then he dropped it, panting.
Several of the crowd members jeered, but they were mostly knights with Sir Jeff's insignia, a yellow hyena. Benny turned a light shade of red, and looked down at the armor, embarrassed.
"Come on now, lad." Jim muttered, picking up the armor and placing it over him. "We've got you." He gave him the gauntlets, which Benny put on after taking off his precious helmet, and then fit the plumed helmet on his head. The helmet felt wrong, somehow. Too metallic. Plus, it was at least two sizes too big. Benny grimaced through the slitted visor, rays of light slanting on his face. "How ye feeling?" Jim asked, looking through the visor.
"It's too big. I'd rather wear my astronaut helmet." Benny replied, his voice echoing slightly, turning wistfully to look at his blue headwear.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Wyldstyle's voice- he was sure it was hers and not Unikitty's- came from his left. He could hear the frown in her voice.
"Well, if he wears that helm, 'is head'll get knocked about like a doubloon in a chest during a frenzied storm." Jim replied.
"I still don't-" Booming over her voice, a deep, rumbling, resonating sound, the announcer called for silence. Benny took off the feathered helm, and replaced it with his trusty astronaut helmet.
"Now, we have two contestants- one for the throne, the other representing; they shall participate in a royal joust, to determine who wins. Representing princess Unikitty, Benny the young astronaut. Vying for the throne himself, Sir Jeff of Kingsborough, Middle Zealand."
The crowd cheered loudest for Sir Jeff; based on what Benny had discovered about the knight, his followers had probably bullied some of the citizens into applauding the deranged man.
I won't let him win. He didn't destroy Unikitty's or my house, or the rest of the Universe, but he's a jerk to people other than himself. Birds of a feather stay together.
He marched into the ring, and hoisted himself up onto Lee, his horse. He had picked up the lance in his right claw, surprised at its' lightness. Anxiety curled in his stomach like a snake, and Benny noticed his mouth was dry.
"Three…" Lee pawed at the ground. "Two…" Everything was dead silent, with the exception of a small branch creaking. "One…" The tension could be cut with a knife as the crowd stared, leaning forward slightly. "CHARGE!"
With a yell ripping from his throat, Sir Jeff galloped towards Benny and Lee, his horse whinnying and surging forward. Benny was thrown around, barely holding onto the reins. The distance was closing fast, and through his adrenaline rush Benny vaguely noticed he didn't have a shield. He raised his lance, acting on pure instinct and holding the handle close to him to maximize the strength of his blow. Before he knew it, the two jousters collided, and Benny heard a sharp crack, though he couldn't tell who or what from. He was thrown back in the saddle, however, and Lee wheeled away and sauntered off a few feet, then pivoted back around. Benny's lower jaw felt a little sore, and when he went to rub it, he felt the familiar plastic of his helmet. But something was wrong. He felt a sharp crevice, and ran his hand along over it frantically.
He took off the headwear and looked at the front. To his dismay, he saw the chin guard had been cracked so that one half slid slightly above the other. At least it lasted this long. And besides, it's not like I can't still wear it.
Then he was snapped out of his thoughts by a slight groan. He glanced up and saw Sir Jeff sitting on the ground, one hand clutching his shoulder, the other the reins.
"The knight Sir Jeff of Kingsborough has been unseated! Therefore, Benny is the winner of the match!" The announcer roared, and the crowd cheered louder still. Unikitty, Jim, and Wyldstyle ran up to him, grins plastered on their faces, Unikitty's perhaps the widest and happiest of the three.
"You did it Benny! I knew you could, I just knew it!" Unikitty cheered, jumping about.
"You sure did. Look, here comes your fans, Benny." Wyldstyle pointed with a smirk at a group of girls pouring over to them, giggling crazily and poking each other.
"Hi there, Benny! You did great out there, I must say. How'd you do it?" An older woman pushed past the fangirls, a cameraman following. Benny began to answer with a modest reply, but it then turned into a stammer when a few girls his age ran up to him and started hugging him. Unikitty's smile turned into a dark scowl as she watched the procession of girls line up to hug him.
"Somebody's jealous." Jim muttered to Wyldstyle, who grinned.
Just before Unikitty could kill the girls to death, an angry shout erupted from behind the group. They parted slightly and watched as Sir Jeff stared daggers at Benny, who flinched a little under his murderous gaze.
"The tournament. Isn't. Over." The knight hissed through clenched teeth.
"Er, yes it is." The announcer called. "It finished, like, a few minutes ago-" The announcer was cut off with a small cry as without looking, Sir Jeff threw a pineapple from Nowhere over his shoulder.
"I'm still holding onto the reins." Sir Jeff's visage cracked into a maniac grin and his eye twitched wildly. "It counts, see. See!?" He held up the reins for the crowd to inspect, a deranged laugh escaping his mouth. However, a few of the crowd had already been booing, more gradually joining and the rest murmuring warily, some with fear and a small number with pity.
The knight's chest heaved as he glared wildly around at the spectators shaking their heads.
"No!" He screamed. "I will not lose, certainly not to a boy!" He let out a second fierce war cry, echoing over the near silent arena. Fangirls leapt out the way along with the news reporters as Sir Jeff barreled towards them, madder than an angry bull, holding his dagger in one claw. Unikitty, Wyldstyle, and Jim all jumped out the way, expecting Benny to follow.
However, the young astronaut simply watched with an almost intense calm as the man roared towards him. A few feet more…
"Benny! What are you doing?!" Unikitty yelped, but still unable to move the boy, who remained silent. Then, Jeff was a few feet away when a dragon swooped in and seized the livid man. Thu and the goblin grinned down at Benny from the back of the dragon.
"Beating him- greatest insult you could have delivered. We'll begin the uproar straight away. Thank you, little one." Thu shouted, and thumped a fist on his side again, and then the dragon soared away, letting out a roar of his own to drown the knight's struggling cries. Benny smiled and waved, watching them fly away, and then turned around to look at an incredulous Wyldstyle, an amused Jim, and a shocked-yet-happy Unikitty.
"What… was that?" Wyldstyle sputtered. "He was right there, and you could have gotten stabbed! What were you thinking?"
"I always watch cartoons about space and astronauts and stuff. Whenever someone's running at the hero, Neil Armstrong, something random happens and the attacker gets stopped. Like tripping over a rock into a creepy moon monster's mouth. But a dragon works too."
Wyldstyle's eye twitched. "So you based your life on the logic of cartoons?"
"Hey." Benny said defensively. "It works. I don't know how. But it works." Wyldstyle facepalmed, and Jim said,
"Well, if you two are done bickerin', the princess here has an inaugural speech to get to."
"Right!" Unikitty said. "I finished, but where should I say it?"
"Well, why not right here? We have the announcer's stand and everything, so let's do it!" Benny cheered. The others agreed.
~oOo~
"That was great, Unikitty!" Benny said as they walked down a lit street. Flashing lights came from over the sprawled houses to the left, and to the right a lake shimmered, reflecting the fireworks' colors as they burst into the air. It was night in Cloud Cuckoo Land, and music pumped, breaking the calm of the night air. Unikitty giggled.
"Thanks, Benny. Do you really think I did well?"
"Of course!" Benny replied, astonished. "Don't you?"
"Well, we had a little trouble with that football team."
"They just said the things they said because they were jealous. But remember Jim?" The two chuckled as they reminisced about the lead footballer's face as Jim towered over him, dark scowl and sword equally menacing.
"Oh yeah." It was quiet after that, a silvery moth fluttering in front of their faces before flapping away. "So what are you going to do now?" Unikitty asked after a few moments of peaceful walking. They turned the corner.
"Well, first I have to build back my house. It has to honor their memory." He said thoughtfully, the last sentence a sort of afterthought. Unikitty nodded. "Then I have something else that needs doing." He was glad when Unikitty didn't press further, but simply smiled. "How about you? What's your first act as princess?"
"Well, I have to banish Sir Jeff and any of his associates from coming back. Then, I guess I'll just tend to the affairs of my people." She shook her head sadly and smiled. "I sound just like my mom." Benny stroked her ear.
"Don't worry. They're safe with the Man Upstairs."
"I know." She replied. She was quiet for a moment, then beamed and said, "You're gonna have to come over sometime. I did knight you, after all. Also, I hear the Master Builders have already begun working on secret tunnels between the worlds."
"Sure thing. I bet I can eat more ice cream than you when I come over next!"
"Betcha can't!" Unikitty giggled.
"Oh yeah? Well, whoever gets to your house first gets a ten second head start on the contest!"
"Really? Ok, go!" And with that, the two ran off into the darkness beyond, laughing and poking each other.
~oOo~
"Give me your blood."
"No."
"Give it."
"No."
"...Please?"
"Nope." This had been going on for quite some time now. Standing under the gold dappled leaf blocks of Middle Zealand forest stood two people. One was a fifteen year-old astronaut, sitting on an overturned log, face in one hand, a dusty, crumpled, slightly torn piece of paper with faded black scrawl in the other. The other person was a beggar-style man staring at the boy with a determined expression and wild eyes. This had been going on for at least five hours. Benny would have checked the time, but his Rolex had mysteriously disappeared, and the thief had insisted it had fallen off.
Benny glanced at the paper. Most prized possession...
"Hey Talon." Talon, the red-eyed thief, had gone off on a rant about how, even though most Lego teens contains three to four liters of blood in their body, not one would hand over a single drop.
"...and so I have to suck the blood of cows. Cows! Do you know how disgusting cow blood is? Disgusting! So- what, whaddya want?"
"If you want to see your most prized possession again, you'd better get on with it and call me 'sir' from now on." The vampire stared at him. If he hadn't been completely devoid of blood, Benny was sure his face and neck would have turned red with rage. Talon hissed lowly, then forced through clenched fangs,
"Of course… sir. Right this way… sir…" He pivoted and stalked down a faint deer trail, past some ferns.
They continued for awhile, then stopped.
"I don't see any rocks." Benny looked around curiously. Talon stared off into the distance, appearing to be thinking of the best ways to kill the astronaut, then without moving his head or body, slid his eyes over to the side which Benny stood at and growled,
"That's because it's invisible."
Subdued, Benny glanced at where some grass was pressed down on the side of the trail, without any visible explanation. The vampire mumbled a few words and waved his hand at the spot, and the crumpled grass disappeared from view as a rock shimmered into their vision.
"Whoa…"
Without another word, Talon swiftly scooped up the small object and turned it over, then inserted a key into the bottom and turned, revealing a small chamber into which a sparkling emerald fell into Benny's outstretched claw. He turned the jewel over in his hand, inspecting it.
"See the crossroads up there? That's where you go. Bye-bye now." Talon turned and began to leave.
"Aren't you coming with me?" Benny asked, startled.
"No." Talon paused. "Let's just say I've never liked turtles."
"Why?"
"Just… they creep me out, okay? Chelonaphobia. See ya."
"Chel- okay." He watched Talon's retreating hunched back, carrying a small knapsack that was similar to the one Benny had thrown over his space boosters, then turned and plodded through the forest to the crossroads.
As he walked, he heard strange sounds and whispers, and swore he saw a flashing 1 or 0 every now and then in the leaves. He smelled the scent of pen ink, and if that wasn't weird enough, computer polish. A warm feeling clung to him, like warm paper after being printed. He strode a little faster when he heard a yell of not fear, but annoyance, and a distant crash.
In a little time, he came to the crossroads. His heart beat faster than normal and his mouth was dry. Panting, he looked at the sign.
Beware of left. Left causes critical and severe Writer's Block via a Writer's Block. Go right if you wish to keep your creativity… and your life.
"What is a Writer's Block…? Never mind." Carrying on right, he walked down the trail. He pushed aside some sticky vines after getting a little tangled, and gasped at the sight that lay before him.
Down a small slope adorned by mossy stairs resided a huge clearing with a cliff sporting three waterfalls which tossed up a spray of sparkling iridescent mist, like thousands of tiny gems. The middle waterfall continued in a straight river before pooling into a large, oval, perfectly clear green pond, while the other two curved round into the sides. Silver small columns stood out of the lake at random intervals holding a glass orb in spiked rims and a green bed of leaves. And in the very middle of the pond lay a massive stone turtle with a stone bridge leading to the resting head. At first, Benny thought it was a rounded boulder like the voice had said it might, but then could make out closed eyes, a thin smile, and nostrils, along with a slight bulkier bit as the shell. However, he could make out no legs or shoulders. Flowers adorned the shell, and many lights hovered excitedly around the clearing.
He gazed at it awhile longer, then murmured to himself,
"How am I supposed to put the jewel in his mouth?" He looked down at the path leading the the turtle's head. "Better go down." He took the steps two at a time, old anticipation running
through his veins. He had been excited about this little venture for awhile, but then had gotten caught up with his personal life, and forgotten about it completely. He only remembered, seven years later,- during that time he had built his house back in the form of a spaceship, and become amusingly obsessed with the crafts- when he had been grabbing smoothies with Wyldstyle and Unikitty- Jim had been busy with planning a siege on Octan Tower- and Unikitty had casually mentioned it to him. He'd gasped a very dramatic, long gasp, paid for their smoothies, and whizzed off to his home to pack a few supplies.
Now, here he was. Wondering if the voice was still here, whoever that may be, he wandered cautiously down the stone bridge. The turtle loomed over him, and a few of the lights came and hovered in front of him before flying back to their stations. As he approached the turtle, he saw a small hole in the mouth line. Benny inserted the glittering emerald into the turtle's mouth, and then took a few steps back. A few seconds passed, and then the turtle's eyes opened slowly. The air around it had been cool, but now it seemed to thrum with life and power. It's smile grew broader, and it peered at Benny with such a bright joy in its' eyes that the sight made Benny want to laugh and dance.
Like a smooth glacier moving over rocks, the turtle spoke.
"Greetings, friend of author. Will you enter?"
"Yes." Benny replied. He had never been so sure of anything.
"I am glad." The turtle raised his upper jaw, revealing a corridor with torches along his mouth and throat. Benny floated up and in, and the turtle slowly lowered it's upper jaw until it snapped shut. The mouth was at least two Lego people high, so Benny could walk about with ease. He walked over to the throat that served as a sloping corridor, and slid down.
Landing in a large rounded room, he stood and brushed himself off, then looked around. In a smooth corner, a laptop resting on a corner table sat plugged into a wall, along with what looked like a banana smoothie. An oval table crouched with a few messy papers, a couple of crystal plates, forks, and knives, and a candlestick holder on top. A fridge-freezer rested against the wall and some green and silver banners hung as well. Apart from that, there were no other decorations except a double decker couch, a TV, a green and silver rug, and torches.
"Who lives here?" Benny wondered to himself.
"I do." Came a reply. Startled, Benny spun around. Leaning against a wall corner was a green and silver jester. She- as Benny could tell from the voice, was female- wore a mask of half green and half silver, with a jester's hat that were the same colors, along with the tunic, leggings, and arrows that hung in a quiver on her back. A silver bow also hung there, held by a brown strap with a gold buckle. Her boots and gauntlets were also silver. "Well, I have a lot of places to live. This- Ebony, I call him- he's one of the most interesting though." Benny stared at her. There was something… different about this person.
"What's your name?" He asked warily.
"I go by a lot. Call me B.W.S. though. Or just B."
"What does that stand for?"
"It doesn't matter if you know. Just the readers." She grinned. By now Benny was a little tired of this.
"Weren't you going to tell me the greatest piece of advice I'll ever have?"
"Of course." B looked astonished. "Wouldn't you like a drink first though?"
"Alright. Thank you." Benny looked around.
"Sit down, sit. What flavor smoothie would you like? I have every flavor." She walked over to the fridge.
"Do you have Milky Way Star flavor?" He asked, knowing that flavor had stopped selling years ago. He had been very disappointed, as it had been his and his father's favorite flavor.
"What part of every flavor do you not understand?"
"Oh… right." He frowned. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She slid the thick, creamy white drink in a tall glass over to him. She went and grabbed her half-finished banana one, then sat down with it. "My advice is…" She leaned over and whispered it in his non-existent ear. Leaning back, she smiled at the confused teen, then slurped a bit of her smoothie.
"I don't understand. What's a rabid fangirl? And why do I have to stay away from them?" He inquired. She removed the straw from her face, then replied,
"If you ever have the misfortune to meet one, you'll understand. If you have the dire misfortune to meet a group of them… well, you won't be able to understand because you'll probably go insane."
"Got it. Anything else I should know?" He asked, a little annoyed he had come all this way just to get advice he didn't completely understand, as well as miss hanging out with his best friends.
"Hmm. No. Oh wait, yeah. The sky is blue today. You're welcome."
"Thanks, and all, but I gotta get home. Bye."
"See ya. And don't go left!"
Benny sighed, drinking the dregs of his smoothie, then standing up and adjusting his knapsack. "Thank you for the smoothie. It was good."
"I know." And with that, Benny walked back up the turtle's throat, and the mouth opened to let him out. He jumped out, and Ebony gazed at him with one wheel-sized eye.
"You house a madwoman." Benny patted Ebony on the snout. Ebony hummed, but said nothing and smiled. "Bye, Ebony."
"Goodbye, young one." Ebony murmured, and closed his eyes, turning back into his statue sleep. Benny smiled, feeling both happy and frustrated, and turned back the way he had came. Eventually, he came to the apex of the crossroads, and was going to leave, but then, his curiosity aroused, peered down the left way. He saw nothing unusual. Benny glanced down the trail that led him to the village, and from there to the secret tunnel that allowed him to Cloud Cuckoo Land, and with a feeling of apprehension, turned left.
~oOo~
It had been thirty minutes, and Benny had more or less given up. He stumbled through some dewy ferns, and stopped dead in his tracks. A perfectly square inky black block stood three and a half Lego people tall, It had fearsome, jagged teeth and was using it to try and rip some of the same floating lights Benny had seen back to the right out of the air. However, the lights dodged out of the way, crackling. Suddenly, one of the lights let out an explosion of light that exploded through the air. The black cube let out a primal screech that made Benny want to rip his hair out.
It whipped around, and let out a bellow, charging the light. Before the light could hover out the way, it grabbed it out the air, and swallowed it whole. The other lights whizzed through the air into the trees, fleeing the clearing. Letting out a belch, the black cube laughed deeply. It turned- and saw Benny staring at it in horror. It peered at him with it eyeless sockets, and its' mouth turned into a menacing grin before taking in a huge breath. Before Benny could turn tail and run, it breathed a black gas over him, immobilizing the astronaut. The foul-smelling gas cleared quickly, but he still couldn't move. He watched as the black cube slithered closer. It stopped a few feet away, then sucked in the air in front of the terrified astronaut. Benny began to feel lethargic, and started losing his will to Master Build things, let alone build anything.
The vacuum stopped, but the symptoms remained, and he suddenly dropped to the ground, exhausted. He drew in a shuddering breath, and the effort was almost too much. His eyelids began to droop, and the last thing he saw was the yawning mouth that contained the jagged fangs looming ever closer.
~oOo~
Light shone on to Benny's face. It was so blinding, he wondered sleepily if he was dead. He opened his eyes, and looked up. He saw a bright pink ceiling. Hey… that looks like Unikitty's ceiling. Hmmmmmmm…
He could hear voices murmuring to the side.
"What if he doesn't wake up? He's been like this for two days." A worried voice whispered. After thinking for a few moments, Benny realized it was Unikitty's.
"He will."
"How can you be so sure?"
"How can you be so sure he won't?" Benny identified the second voice as Wyldstyle.
"I guess I can't." There was a minute of silence. Then… "Benny…?" He heard a pattering of paw-hooves, and he rolled over on one side to see Unikitty peering at him. He could see that he was in her house on the couch. It didn't really cross his mind to wonder how he got there. "Are you okay?" Benny looked at her a moment longer, and an inexplicable joy came over him at seeing her. He beamed at her, and whispered,
"...Spaceship!"
11,238 words… See, this was only supposed to be, what, about 1,500 words? Nope. Apparently not. Well, this was enjoyable in any case. I know it doesn't have much of a single plot line, it's more of a long, rambling anecdote (much like my life :D) Well, I hoped you enjoyed peoples! :D