Wow! Longest chapter yet. OVER 4000 WORDS! I've added edited bits and pieces of chapters two and three. I gave them more detail, fixed some quirks, and filled in some plot holes with the critique of Yoshermon who's help I appreciate. I highly suggest you reread the second and third chapter. It'll help the story make a bit more sense, and add tension and drama to the plot. Also, one review told me I should try to explore a bit of Flipside. I think I'll do that during the inbetweens when they travel through worlds. Also, sorry about the long wait. I went on a Spring Break trip to a water park in Florida. Lastly, I make a reference to the minions and Count Bleck in this chapter. Tell me if you find it!

Ed, Edd n Eddy's Quest for the Pure Hearts
Four: No Turning Back

"Ugh... where am I..."

...

"Who're you..."

"Relax..."

"No! Leave me...! Ahh!"

"You're hurt. Please, let me help!"

"No... stay away! AHHH!"

...

"Oh dear! You've fainted. I must get you to my house!"

The Eds continued on with their training after lunch. And they trained for two more days. Honing in their combat, defense, and strategy skills proved to be no small task, but the Eds took it with strive, willing to do whatever it took to save their families and friends.

While still not bring all too skilled with weapons himself, Mario did manage to teach Ed, Eddy, and Double D the basics of using certain weapons. It turns out; Double D had a knack for shooting bow and arrows. His first few attempts were shaky, but soon, he was the hitting the ring right outside of the bulls-eye nearly every time. Every once and a while, he'd even manage to hit the dead center.

"Hey Jennifer Lawrence!" Eddy called. Double D set his metallic bow down and turned towards Eddy. "Check this out!" Eddy grabbed a pack of knives and took out a long thin blade. Grasping the sides, he drew his arm back, and hurled the weapon at a target dummy. It stuck straight into the head of the figurine.

"Nice throwing Eddy." Double D called back. "Still, I would appreciate an explanation as to why Mr. Pick Aksz supplies these things in his gymnasium."

"I wouldn't ask. Might kill yah with his sythe." Eddy responded as held up another knife and threw it at a second dummy. He missed by a few inches and the blade collided with wall, smashing on to the floor with a metallic clash. "Damn!" Eddy yelled in disappointment.

"Eddy, watch your language!" Double D yelled; appalled with Eddy's choice of words. "Such barbaric dictation and tones are offensive and trite, and they might rub off on an impressionable youth who mayhap hear your yells from outside this building."

Eddy gave Double D a bored look. "Keep telling yourself that sockhead."

Ed was busy hacking away at the floor with his newfound axe. Unlike the others, he just appeared to be swinging his new weapon left and right, creating large cracks and holes in the floor. "Paint the puzzle, paint the puzzle, paint the puzzle with my axe!" Ed sang repeatedly to himself, earning him stares from his friends.

"Jeez Ed, you know you're supposed to hit a TARGET, not just whack your axe at the floor." Eddy told Ed in a 'know-it-all' voice.

"Look Eddy, look!" Ed said excitedly. He grabbed Eddy and held him up into the air. On the ground, where Ed had swung his axe into the marble floor, was a pattern of crack stone and holes which vague spelled-

BUTERD TOST

"It spelled buttered toast!" Ed shouted with glee.

"You're an idiot, Ed." Eddy grumbled.

"And your point is?" he replied. Double D walked over to see what all the fuss was about. He stood on top of a chair and viewed what Ed had created.

"Ed," Double D said, grabbing his large oafish friend's attention. "Not only is this a blatant vandalism of Flipside property, but that is not the correct way to spell 'buttered toast'."

"Is it spelled with a three?" asked Ed. Before Double D could counter Ed's question, Mario and Tippi entered the gym. Mario's face was flushed red, probably from sprinting. Tippi was barely keeping in the air, no matter how hard she flapped. They'd walked over to Merlon's in order to give Merlon an update on the Eds progress in training. Apparently, Merlon had given them some important news, if they sprinted back here in such a hurry.

"There's been a change of plans." Mario began.

"Change of plans?" Eddy questioned. "Haven't there all ready been about a million of those?"

Ignoring the pint sized ed, Mario continued on. "We... we-a need to-a go now!"

"Go? Go where?" asked Eddy.

"To get-a the Pure o' Hearts." Mario said catching his breath. "What else?"

Eddy's jaw dropped, Double D gasped, and Ed said, "And the start of our adventure it shall be."

"But... but... we were a week!" Double D exclaimed. "Why, it's only been approximately two days and nineteen and a half hours, six minutes, fourteen seconds!" Eddy and Ed gaped at Double D.

"So do you do all this stuff in your head, or what?" Eddy asked Double D, baffled by Double D's latest outburst.

"Look... we don't-a have o' lot-a o' time!" Mario reasoned.

"Yeah, Merlon told us to gather you guys and get back to his house, PRONTO!" Tippi explained, as she fluttered on to a barbell and rested a bit. Mario beckoned the Eds to leave, but Eddy stopped them at the door.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm takin' these babies with me!" Eddy smirked, pointing to his sack full of knives and blades.

"NO!" Mario retorted. "They're not-a yours! Besides, we-"

Eddy rudely interrupted him. "If we can't take our weapons with us then we learned how to use these stupid things for nothing!"

Mario sighed and facepalmed himself. 'This-a brat is-a stalling us!' Mario thought. "Look! I'm o' sure we can buy-a some weapons for you o' guys in-a some other worlds!" Mario reasoned. "Now is-a not o' the time to-a go and-a stall us while it-a is urgent that we-"

"Let the boys take em'!" The eerie voice startled Mario, Tippi, and the Eds. They turned around to see the some what insane gymnasium owner, Pick Aksz. His triangular face bore a wide smile and seemingly insane eyes darted between the five people who stood before him. "It be a strange and crazy world out there. Those kids... they at risk. They need to be armed..." His voice faded off. "They need to be safe they do... Take the axe, bow, knives. Don'tcha worry. Me gots some spares!"

"Um... uh..." Double D stammered. "Thank you. That's- uh... very nice."

Ever so cautiously, the five souls dashed out of the gymnasium with their newly aquired gear. They ran (in Tippi's case: flew,) like race horses, either from the shock of talking to Pick Aksz, or the fact they needed to see Merlon right away. Probably both... Pick Aksz tried to call after them, but they had long left the range of the gymnasium. Pick Aksz's eyes became slightly dilated and he began to recite a strange little ditty.

"Beware the man with a menacing smile,"

"Who's cheerful eyes do mask the devil,"

"He juggles and sings of genocide,"

"He'll try to kill us all."

"He stalks people from alternate realms,"

"He feels no pain for those he's killed,"

"I met him once, but long ago,"

"He'll try to kill us all again."

...

Merlon watched as his door smashed into smithereens. He shook his head, unsurprised to say the least. "Ed," Double D's tired voice said. "It's rude to destroy personal property."

"And your point is... smart guy...?" Eddy asked, him too struggling to receive air. Everyone appeared to be out of breath and winded from their dash to Merlon's. Only Ed appeared unfazed by extremely long sprint.

"Eds, Mario, Tippi; I have grim news." Merlon told the quintet.

"Really?" Eddy asked sarcastically. "It seems the past three days of our life have been filled with nothing but suffering! Our whole race is dead. We're being forced into being heroes. Our aquaintances are scattered across where ever. Oh, did I mention that this place doesn't have any jawbreakers? Any more bad news Mr. Fortuneteller?"

It took every fiber of Merlon's calm and usually peaceful disposition to not snap at the pint sized child. "It's been determined you must all leave now."

"But why?" asked Double D. "It's only three-fifty. You told us we'd have a week to train."

"Because..." Merlon began. "I've just come to a horrible conclusion earlier when we discussed how some worlds might have less time than others due to atmospheric conditions and the rate of distance from the void. Well... I now realize that, I'm not too sure exactly sure how long the worlds you will need to visit to obtain pure hearts have left."

"What?" Mario replied. "I thought-a you knew how-a long every world had left."

Merlon sighed, and then stared bleakly at the group. "I know of some worlds. Not all... I'd been studying the so called Earth... for a while. As with your world Mario, I can only imagine how many infinite dimensions there are and how much time you five may have. So it is of the essence you all leave as soon as possible."

"But how will we travel between worlds?" asked Double D.

"Will we need a box of sticky-tape?" asked Ed.

"My people have been saving this for millenia. We knew your four heroes would appear someday. So..." Merlon clapped his hands, and in front of them appeared a swirling heart shaped red rock. It was glowing with a shimmering sort of light. It was reflective like a mirror, yet see through like glass. Oddest of all, it appeared to just float, like a balloon. "I bestow upon you four legendary heroes, the Red Pure Heart!"

Double and Mario looked upon the Pure Heart in awe. Eddy commented in a whisper, "How long do yah think he's had that speech prepared." Ed for some reason glared at the gem as though it were a snack he was going to each later... Mario got the idea they should keep the Pure Heart away from Ed.

"First, this is what you must do." Merlon instructed. "Place the Pure Heart in a pillar located on the third floor of Flipside. After which a door will appear a top the Flipside tower. This door should lead you guys to the first world. It is the only door which I know for sure the world it leads to. This door will take you to the Linelands. Before you go there, you must pack all necessary supplies. I will loan you all three hundred gold coins each, and a backpack." He gathered the money and the backpacks and gave them to each of the four. "After that, you will enter that door, into the Linelands. There, I know my friend Bestovious lives. Inform him you four are the legendary heroes and he will teach you to perform a magic art that will help you on your journey. Tippi will help you find hidden things, and guide you four to the Pure Heart. This is all I can tell you."

Merlon finally finished his speech, which Eddy believed was planned out and practiced. Merlon then gave them the Pure Heart, ever so gingerly. Mario tucked it under his arm and held it with great care. Merlon gave the four a final goodbye, wishing them good luck in finding the first Pure Heart, then ushered the four out the door. "Let's get those school supplies guys!" Ed said, happily.

"No." Mario corrected. "First we put this into the Pure Heart pillar, then we get the necessities."

"So uh... what exactly does a Heart pillar look like?" Double D asked.

...

The strange white pillar didn't even look like a pillar. It appeared to be more of an upwards facing rectangular block, with a strange cut-out area in the center which appeared to be where the Pure Heart was supposed to fit. "Well, the Tribe of Ancients didn't exactly focus on architectural design or masonry, I can tell..." Double D muttered; flat out unimpressed with the so called pillar.

For the most part, Flipside's third floor was deserted. There were some white bricks and metal fence pieces. It appeared to be either a long unfinished construction project or a heavily destroyed section of an area. Either way, the place felt very eerie and broken. The only Flipside resident who appeared to be there at the moment was a young child with a square green face who was staring into his fish bowl.

"They could've at least put some ancient scribe writing on it or something," Double D continued. "The pillar looks sloppy and underdone."

"Merlon says to understand something greater, you mustn't look at the shell of something, but the interior of that shell, to truly understand greatness," Tippi explained to Double D, with a slight bit of annoyance as to Double D's unruly opinions about the Tribe of Ancients.

"I am looking inside, but all I see is more white wall sticking in at a slight curve!" Ed told Tippi as he stuck his head into the heart shaped carving. Tippi shook her head and fluttered onto Mario's shoulder.

"Alright! Stick that stone in there and let's make magic happen." Tippi exclaimed excitely.

"This oughta be good!" Eddy laughed. "Hey monobrow! Let's watch this so called magic!"

"Right in front of you Eddy!" Ed yelled as he walked in from of Eddy, blocking his view of the pillar. Eddy groaned pushed the big oaf out of the way.

Mario took the heart shaped stone out from under his arm and held it up with his two hands. He was about to walk forwards to place it into the pedestal when the strangest thing happened. The Red Pure Heart jumped out of Mario's hands and flew upwards at great speeds. Initially stunned, Mario ran to catch the precious item, but the Pure Heart only wistfully floated downwards. As it cascaded, it came to a halt in front of the hole in the rectangular shaped pillar. It attached itself to the heart shaped hole with a perfect fit. Then, a bright flash! Light poured everywhere. The space around the five heroes filled with words made of light which seemed to be written in some sort of dead language. Then clock faces made out of light appeared to appear out of nowhere and spin round and round. The white pillar glowed red, if just for a moment, and then, all the red lights and hues of words, pictures, and clocks disappeared, leaving behind the white pillar with the Red Pure Heart now embedded in it.

The group stayed quiet for a few minutes. Eventually, Tippi turned to Double D and spoke. "So, do you still think the Tribe of Ancients is lacking design and creativity?"

"N-no..." Double D meekly replied. Even after experiencing so much over the past day, Double D was still finding it hard to except all these strange and magical things at once.

"Those lights nearly blinded me!" Eddy muttered. "Reminds me a light show my big bro took me to once." Double D rolled his eyes.

All of the sudden, a small squeaky voice appeared from behind them and spoke. "Can I have your autographs!" the kid who'd been playing with his goldfish asked. "That was the coolest magic show that I've ever seen!" He held out in front of him, a piece of orange paper, and a green pen. Eddy smirked and then began to act all cool.

"Sure kid." he told him. Eddy snatched the paper and pen, and signed the paper as-

Eddy... Super Guys Cool Man Awesome Extraordinaire! Also a Jawbreaker factory owner

Eddy handed the paper back the giddy square shaped boy. "I will sign too child of polygons!" Ed told the kid. He took the pen and began to sign the kids head as-

I am Lothar, beest slay-yer of the deep I protekt buterd tost and gravee suplys frum thu minyuns of Hades! I am allso Ed

"Yah uh... thanks..." the kid said to Ed and walked away. The boy spit into his hand and began to try to remove the ink from his forehead.

"Ain't I a natural with kids?" asked Ed to no one in particular.

"I-a pray he never-a has o' kids." Mario commented.

...

Howzits store could be compared as the Wal-Mart of Flipside. Just on a much smaller scale. The store was stocked with the strange foods the Eds had had for lunch, attack items such as fire flowers, ice storms, thunder volts, and earthquake rocks; survival gear, toys, Flipside movies, greenery, tools, and many other assortments. Double D almost questioned why a store would stock regular items, with weapons and survival gear, but based on the outlook of his previous twenty-four hours, Double D figured it probably wasn't worth asking.

Howzit himself was friendly man. He was made of constantly moving shapes, and his head was like an orange octagon. Howzit wore a blue cap and always seemed to be in a good mood. Howzit also seemed to speak in some kind of southern accent. "How's it going?" Howzit asked the five customers who walked into his store. "Why Tippi!" he exclaimed as he eyed the rainbow butterfly. "Yo' wings seem tah glisten more and more by duh day! You puttin' new powduh on 'dem?" he complimented.

Tippi blushed. "Why thank you Howzit. We're lookin' for food, survival gear, and attack items."

Howzit smiled, as if he wasn't smiling all the time anyway. "Why shoot! Sure can do!" He pointed them down a long aisle. "I'll get yah and yo' two friends some o' dat stuff!" Tippi flinched. 'TWO FRIENDS?' Tippi, Mario, and Double D turned around to find Eddy and Ed gone from where they had been standing a moment ago.

"Oh, where-a are those-a two boneheads now!" Mario bellowed.

...

Ed was busy walking down the comicbook section, indulging himself in the strange and odd new comics which were printed in Flipside. "Shape-shifters from another realm!" Ed yelled in excitement. "Chunkers from the third world!" Ed screeched. "The hidden evil from crazy people land!" Ed shouted with glee. "The lost love of the dark stranger!" Ed bellowed in happiness.

Eddy was busy stuffing his backpack with sweet and other assorted goods from Flipside. He tried some of these candies without purchasing them and declared they were ten times better than jawbreakers. He stuffed his entire bag with the contents of the shelves.

...

Mario, Double D, and Tippi stared furiously at Eddy and Ed as they left Howzit's. "I can't believe you two!" Double D yelled. "Merlon gave us that money to use on necessities for a dangerous journey! NOT CANDY AND COMICS!"

"How-a do you expect to o' survive in these worlds without-a survival gear and attack items!" Mario shouted.

"Calm down you guys!" Eddy replied nonchalantly. "I got some attack items and a sleeping bag." Eddy reassured them by opening his backpack up for them. Indeed under the piles of candy was a few attack items and a sleeping back.

"And I got some buttered toast and gravy with my comics!" Eddy told them. Double D and Mario cast the duo grim and sullen looks which told the two it'd be best not to speak. The walk to the Flipside elevator and the ride up to the Flipside tower inside the elevator were celebrated in silence. The group exited the elevator and the quintet noticed now that double doors in the far left corner of the balcony. No doubt the first Pure Heart's magic had made it appear. Yet... there was no tunnel or anything behind the door. There was nothing magical about it at all, just simple wooden double doors that were a bright red.

"Nothing ventured nothing gained, I suppose," Double D inquired as the group approached the doors. Mario reached forward, grabbed both handles, and pulled them back. Expecting to see nothing there, a strange entry way appeared behind the door. It was like looking into a starry sky at night. Yet... that was all to be seen. And... It didn't exactly feel like a sky or portal. None of the five were too sure what it was.

Double D peered behind the doorway and saw no such entrance there. In fact, he could clearly see his friends and the endless space beyond Flipside, but they could not see him or the endless space beyond Flipside. It was a one way visible and one way tangible entry way. "Odd..." Double D pondered. "The entrance is only visible and enterable from in front of the double doors."

'I will do it! For my family, my friends, and... I have to do this to prove I can stand up for myself. I'm not just the helpless nerd! I will make my parents proud!' Double D mentally shouted to himself. His hands balled into fists, he looked at the entry way, with mixtures of pride, nervousness, and a longing to run away in his mind.

'Bro, you told me I was nothing! Look at me now! I'm saving the universe. I'm also saving you too! When I get back, you're gonna be the one kissing my feet. And I'll finally get the respect you never gave me. How's that for a pipsqueak?' Eddy told himself, as he grabbed a the chain and antique watch he kept in his pocket. The only sincere gift his brother had ever given him.

'We're going on an adventure. Adventures are fun! We get to save the planets of the minions from another domain! Don't worry baby sister. Big Ed is coming! Ed will save you from the purple blob of art in the sky. And I'll get you buttered toast and um... Ed shall... uh... um..." Ed's mind slowly trailed off.

'Here we go again.' Mario simply told himself.

'Uh... what is this feeling? Who do I- is it my past? N- no... It- it couldn't be! But... who is that man I keep seeing?' Tippi wondered.

"Together?" Mario asked.

"Together." Double D replied.

"Let's do it." Eddy said, trying to hold onto what little confidence he had left.

"Ed is ready," Ed said in a shaky voice.

"Yes, all at once," Tippi said, mostly to herself.

The four humans grasped hands, and Tippi fluttered onto Mario's shoulders. Unsure what they would find, the five wandered off into the unknown.