This is just based off a random thought I had about my fanfic. This isn't the only one, but I'll post about those later...

Eddy slammed the door to the car, going over their backstories for the hundredth time in the back of his head. It was probably unneeded, but that didn't mean caution could be thrown to the wind so easily. They probably had only one chance to do this, and he wasn't going to face it unprepared.

"Eddy, being so stressed is more likely to give you away more than anything." He heard Double D's voice wafting from the back of the vehicle. Still messing around with their items, making sure they were all present, like the meticulous person he was. "I do realize that the devil is in the details, but that doesn't mean we need to obsess over every little thing."

"If you have any better ideas on how to get our act together before we apply for those schools, I'm open to hearing them." Eddy growled, messing around with the van's glovebox. The IDs were still there, ready for them to use when they got there. "Have you seen Ed around? I'm not going to be late just because he decides to take random trip through the countryside or something."

"I'm here, Eddy!"

The short boy jerked, turning to see the tallest one of them already in the passenger's seat.

"Jesus, Ed, don't scare me like that!" Eddy punched his friends' arm, doing his best not to cringe at the solid wall he couldn't possibly dent. "Give me some warning next time before you try something like that."

"Sorry, Eddy. I just got caught up in a little something and I lost track of time." Ed started counting out the events with some amount of enthusiasm. "First, I was helping this kid not get hurt on the swing set, then making sure another one didn't run into traffic. And there was one that seemed to be having some trouble with his dad, so I decided to-"

"I think that was a rhetorical question, Ed." Double D patted his friend on the back soothingly, rolling his eyes. "Though he is right. You really need to tone that down before we get to our new schools."

"He's right. We don't need to be pulling anything before we even get there." Eddy turned the keys, grumbling as the engine hummed first before starting up. They needed to check that at some point. "What are the names of the schools again?"

"Evelynn Asters and Mertens High. I'm pretty sure the previous one is a private school, which I believe you know what that means." Double D raised a hand running two fingers together. "And since I'm sure the main body of it is rich, we're not exactly going to be popular there."

"I thought we weren't going to care about that. Aren't we only supposed to blend in or something?" Ed leaned back into his seat as Eddy drove, looking outside. He watched as they edged out of the small town, heading towards Bookend or New Salem. "They are human schools, so we're supposed to be careful."

Eddy really didn't need to be told that. He was impulsive, but even he realized the inherent danger in all of that.

That reminded him of something, actually.

"If you're talking about careful, Lumpy, you should probably change into your human form soon. Can't have anybody looking at you too closely." Eddy gave the shadowy mass that barely fit a human form a glare. He gave a similar one to Double D. "I shouldn't have to tell you this either, Sockhead."

The demonic form of his friend shuffled around a little, embarrassed as it made sure it couldn't be seen in the mirror. Cloven hoofs moved quietly, and Double D felt over his horns sadly.

"That is true, but I'm trying to enjoy the time I have left before I have to keep up the disguise." The answer did make Eddy grumble, but he couldn't really deny it. Considering their next course of action, it was a fair thing to want. "I'm not sure why you wanted to go to these schools anyway. I would think you'd want to avoid a scholarly environment."

"I don't want to go, but since we're only able to move up in the human world, we'll need some kind of background education." Eddy hit the gas, doing his best to get to the schools early. He didn't want to be late. "And beggars can't be choosers. As a pauper, I know that all too well."

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't care otherwise about any of this. He didn't want to know the humans at all, but people would only listen to him if he at least had a high school diploma.

Besides, he wasn't going to the Legend and Monster communities anytime soon. He wasn't going to give Prince Evan the chance to see him grovel.

As they drove to through the human world, Eddy forced himself to forget about his story. This was going to be his chance, and he wasn't going to let his past pull him down anymore than they'd let them.

For anyone curious about what I imagine the Ed's would be in this universe, I'll explain below:

1. Ed is a kind of monster I couldn't help but think up of when watching some trailers of the Candyman reboot; a monster based off the collective emotions of others. In this case, Ed would be a spirit focused on the protection of children, especially those that are in very horrible situations at home. The meaning of protection varies with him, so it's unpredictable what he'll do, especially to those who are hurtful to kids. He looks pretty human most of the time, but in an uncanny valley sort of way.

2. Double D is a demon because he's the one who has somehow made the most deals in the story, despite not being Eddy. I figured it would be ironic that he'd look like the stereotypical demon, yet be the most well behaved among his friends. He's still kind of considered an being between Monster and Legend due to the mix of his monstrous appearance and the fact that demons play a part in various legends and stories throughout the years.

3. Eddy is the pauper of The Prince and The Pauper. I did this because I always envisioned Eddy coming from a poorer background that only recently became middle class. I'd imagine that, no matter what, he'd have to be a Pauper in this scenario, meaning that this version has to be perpetually poor. He'd eventually snap, especially if his "brother," Prince Evan, kept rubbing it in his face. He's basically the only Rebel that's trying disrupt his story by making sure he never shows up to it.

If you want to hear more on my thoughts, leave questions in the reviews/comments.